ida (2)

rita lupino directed by her sister, ida lupino/never fear (1949)

i met ida lupino in hollywood, in 1965 .... she was directing a lousy tv series, and dating a blond actor/assistant three times younger than she was ... ... i loved her walshian films, but i'd never seen never fear, her first film as director, that she directed in 1949, and which was released in 1950.
the man responsible for saving the print of the film at MOMA's writes: "quite an auspicious achievement, never fear was ida lupino’s directorial debut .... the film stars unknowns sally forrest and keefe braselle as carol and guy, a dance team up-and-coming on the los Angeles night club circuit ... the night after their triumphant performance, carol is sick and later learns she has contracted ... polio (we all know now that lupino was diagnosed with polio in 1934) ... .... carol’s dancing career is over and she turns away from guy, now her fiancé ... .... . as part of her rehabilitation, carol enters the famed kabat-kaiser institute in santa monica to regain her ability to walk and her diminished self-worth .... never fear was produced by lupino and her then husband collier young for their production company, the filmmakers".