Great Movies about Conceiving a Baby ... and Other Ways to Grow a Family

Fertility goddesses on film

By Suelain Moy

Fertility is more than just a state of conception—it's a powerfully creative state of mind. As these movies' fertility goddesses prove, birth is a constant creative process, whether you're growing a baby, an idea, a company, or a family. Nurturing is the most powerful force for life, as shown by these on-screen parents-to-be.

The Bachelor Mother

1939

Sometimes you set out to create a family and sometimes one gets created around you. That's the case for Polly Parish (Ginger Rogers), a department store clerk who is mistaken for the mother of a baby left at an orphanage, and in fine 1930s style, calamity and hilarity ensue. David Niven stars as David Merlin, son of the department store owner, who (among others) gets tagged as the father.

The Creative Act: Compassion and curiosity prompt Polly to try to get care for a baby she sees left at the orphanage doorstep. She's about to be laid off from her Christmas-season job, but David helps her stay employed in order to support the child. A neighbor offers to help care for the baby while Polly works.

The Goddess Factor: Unable to convince people she is not the mother, Polly embraces the role with wit and high spirit. This makes her so very appealing to David that, well, you know how it goes in Hollywood.