The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)

French girl falls in love with an American who is called back to the states when his father falls ill and never returns. She has his child and has to find some way to support the kid.

This woman has all of the bad luck. When she lands a potential husband, he’s not interested in taking the kid. When she finds a sugar daddy who doesn’t mind the kid, he winds up being a notorious jewel thief. After being convicted as complicit in his crimes, she does 10 years and her child’s put into an orphanage. But she still isn’t allowed that happy reunion as she realizes the stigma of her name will hurt his chances of a career. So she takes to the street to trick for medical school money.

It would be fine if it were just told "straight" but it tries to go one step further by making the above into a story being told to the wife of the now grown-up son in order to keep her from leaving her driven doctor hubby. Not sure why they felt that extra layer was necessary, but the story suffers for it.

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