Directed by: David Swift
Starring: Karl Malden, Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Richard Egan
Reverend Paul Ford: We looked for the good in them, and we found it, didn't we?
Mrs. Amelia Tarbell: You go get the luggage. Be careful with the fresh eggs. They're wrapped in paper.
Ben Tarbell: Yes, dear.
Mrs. Amelia Tarbell: Oh, and Ben?
Ben Tarbell: Yes, dear?
Mrs. Amelia Tarbell: I want you to write a letter to the president of this railway. There were men smoking in the parlor car. Disgraceful! I've taken his number.
Ben Tarbell: Yes, dear.
Continuity mistake: Before Pollyanna arrives on the train, when Jimmy Bean pushes the metal hoop down the road, two girls stop their doll carriages right beside each other and grab their dolls, but in the next shot their carriages are about 4 feet apart, which is now wide enough for Jimmy to run between. (00:01:10)
Trivia: When the exterior of Aunt Polly's lovely four story gabled house is seen, everything above the second story is actually a matte painting.
Answer: Yes, it would have been dangerous. Even though not as much was known about spinal cord injuries in that time period, it's unlikely a patient would have been moved that way. However, this appears to be more of an artistic license for the purpose of the movie plotting. It avoids Pollyanna awkwardly being moved on a stretcher, loading her onto the train, how she is interacting with the townsfolk, etc. It just made for a smoother, quicker and more intimate movie ending.
raywest ★