Johnny Belinda

Belinda MacDonald is a deaf-mute young woman living on Nova Scotia on the east coast of Canada. She is befriended by Dr. Robert Richardson, a physician who recently moved to town. The doctor realizes that, although she cannot hear or speak, Belinda is very intelligent. She lives on a farm with her father, Black MacDonald, and her aunt, Aggie MacDonald. The family raises cattle and sheep and makes a living grinding wheat into flour at their small mill. Her father and aunt call Belinda "Dummy" and resent her because her mother died giving birth to her. Dr. Richardson teaches Belinda American Sign Language, and she learns to read. Over time, his affection for her grows. Dr. Richardson's secretary, Stella, is attracted to him, but the doctor does not reciprocate her feelings. After Stella figures out that he is attracted to Belinda, she starts to resent both of them. One of the family's customers, Laughlin "Locky" McCormick, meets Belinda when he stops by the MacDonald farm. Locky is dating Stella at the time. He gets drunk, goes to the farm where Belinda is alone, and rapes her. This results in her pregnancy. Belinda gives birth to a boy, whom she names Johnny. The people in town shun the MacDonald family and Dr. Richardson, as they gossip that he must be Johnny's father. Dr. Richardson tells Black that he is willing to marry Belinda in order to quiet town gossip. Black rejects this idea, as he believes that Dr. Richardson does not truly love Belinda. Boycotted by locals, the doctor leaves the community and takes a position in a Toronto hospital. He writes to Belinda suggesting he will return for her and Johnny. Locky goes to the MacDonald farm under the pretense of purchasing ground barley but really wants to get a look at baby Johnny. He boasts about the infant, saying, "spittin' image of his father," revealing to Black that he is the father of the child. Black follows Locky and threatens to expose him to the town. They have a fight on a seaside cliff, and Locky throws Black off the cliff into the sea, killing him. Town gossip calls it an accident and does not suspect Locky. They celebrate his wedding to Stella. Belinda and her aunt Aggie try to operate the farm but struggle to pay the bills. Farmers boycott their flour mill. The town, at the urging of Locky, declares Belinda unfit to care for the child and awards him to Locky and Stella. They come to take Johnny. Belinda makes Stella realize that she is a smart and competent mother who will never give up her baby. Stella tells Locky that the mother should keep Johnny, but he demands the baby, telling his wife that it is his son. When he goes to retrieve the boy, Belinda kills him with a shotgun. She is arrested and goes on trial for murder. At the trial, Dr. Richardson testifies that she was protecting her property and family. The court dismisses this as the doctor's love for her and is ready to sentence Belinda to execution, but Stella blurts out that Locky had confessed the truth about the rape to her on the day he was killed. Belinda is set free, and she, Johnny, Dr. Richardson, and Aggie leave together.

Plot from Johnny Belinda (1948 film)CC BY-SA 4.0