Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941)
Plot: The nostalgic drama follows the life and career of Ella Bishop (Martha Scott), a beloved English teacher at a Midwestern University. The film begins with her contemplating retirement after fifty years of service, leading to a long flashback that chronicles her life's journey from her college days in the 1880s. Though she is passionate about her teaching career, Ella's personal life is a series of romantic disappointments and missed opportunities, including a failed engagement and a romance with a married man. Through all the ups and downs—including raising her niece after a tragedy—she finds lifelong, unrequited support from a kind local grocer. As she reflects on a life that she feels was unfulfilled because she never married, her beloved former students return to honor her at a testimonial dinner, revealing the profound and positive impact she had on countless lives.
