Annie Was a Wonder (1949)

I quite enjoyed this jolly depiction of the narrator’s young life with Swedish housekeeper Annie (Kathleen Freeman). Right from day one, she isn’t about to be played pranks upon by the brothers, but by joining in their hosepipe game risks a swift termination of her fortnight’s trial. Luckily, she came top of the class at her cookery school and anyone who has ever tasted Swedish cuisine will know that when it is done well it is certainly not one for the calorie counter. Studying for her citizenship qualification and befriending the local delivery man she spends the next few years gradually becoming an integral part of a family that worked her to the bone, but clearly cared a lot for her too. Freeman is clearly enjoying her role here and though perhaps the Nesbitt’s might genuinely want to feel some guilt for their exploitation for $15 a month, it’s one of the cheerier stories of the American dream working out for someone conflicted between her homeland of old and her new land of opportunity.