 all that heaven allows is a 1955 romance feature film starring jane wyman and rock hudson in a tale about a well-to-do widow and a younger landscape designer falling in love. the screenplay was written by peg fenwick based upon a story by edna l. lee and harry lee. the film was directed by douglas sirk and produced by ross hunter. in 1995, the film was selected for preservation in the united states national film registry. all that heaven allows has been broadcast on american television and is available in vhs, dvd, and blu-ray format. ==plot== cary scott (jane wyman) is an affluent widow in suburban new england, whose social life involves her country club peers, college-age children, and a few men vying for her affection. she becomes interested in ron kirby (rock hudson), her gardener, an intelligent, down-to-earth and respectful yet passionate younger man. ron is content with his simple life outside the materialistic society and the two fall in love. ron introduces her to people who seem to have no need for wealth and status and she responds positively. cary accepts his proposal of marriage, but becomes distressed when her friends and college-age children are angry. they look down upon ron and his friends and reject their mother for this socially unacceptable arrangement. eventually, bowing to this pressure, she breaks off the engagement. cary and ron continue their separate lives, both with many regrets, but cary's children soon announce they are moving out. having destroyed her chance at happiness, her children buy her a television set to keep her company. before doing so, her daughter apologizes to her mother for her prior impulsive and foolish reaction to ron. cary's doctor points out that cary is now lonelier than she was before meeting ron. when ron has a life-threatening accident, cary realizes how wrong she had been to allow other people's opinions and superficial social conventions dictate her life choices and decides to accept the life ron offers her. as he recovers, cary is by his bedside telling him that she has come home. ==cast== * jane wyman as cary scott * rock hudson as ron kirby * agnes moorehead as sara warren * [[con
1950s_drama_films 1955_films American_films American_romantic_drama_films English-language_films Films_directed_by_Douglas_Sirk United_States_National_Film_Registry_films Universal_Pictures_films