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Post by topbilled on Dec 26, 2023 2:28:00 GMT
Our next Home Front melodrama is another David Selznick production that has become a favorite of many. It's called I'LL BE SEEING YOU and runs 85 minutes.
Ginger Rogers and Joseph Cotten star in the lead roles. Join us!
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Post by topbilled on Dec 27, 2023 2:05:34 GMT
Trailer for the film:
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Post by topbilled on Dec 27, 2023 2:10:28 GMT
The film can be viewed here:
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Post by topbilled on Dec 27, 2023 18:38:43 GMT
From TCM's article:
Ginger Rogers and Joseph Cotten star as two people who meet on a train and embark on what may or may not be a temporary romance. Cotten's character is a shell-shocked soldier taking a leave of absence to repair his mental state. Rogers' character is a "traveling saleslady," or so she tells Cotten when they meet on that train.
The truth is she's serving a six-year prison sentence. The institution has given her a 10-day leave for Christmas and New Year's. During this time, she'll visit an aunt and uncle (Spring Byington & Tom Tully) and their teen daughter (Shirley Temple).
Cotten calls Rogers after she's reached her destination, and she invites him to the family's home for dinner. They spend time together and quickly fall in love, though she knows more about him than he knows about her.
Directing duties for the film had been assigned to John Cromwell, who'd helmed SINCE YOU WENT AWAY for David Selznick. But Selznick changed course and put William Dieterle in charge of directing. Overseeing the day-to-day production was one of Selznick's new hires, Dore Schary, who'd just left MGM. It was Schary that had found the material and brought it to Selznick, who gave the go-ahead. During production, the two men did not always see eye to eye on specific details of the story. Selznick dictated memos to Schary with suggested changes. His memos to Schary were longer than the script itself!
The story was based on a radio play called Double Furlough, which was the picture's working title. At one point Selznick considered calling it I'll See You Again, inspired by a popular tune written by Noel Coward. When Selznick was unable to come to terms with Coward in securing rights for the song, he and Schary went with a previous tune from 1938, I'll Be Seeing You, which ended up becoming the title of the film. Billie Holiday recorded a version of the song and it generated publicity for the movie. The success of I'LL BE SEEING YOU meant Selznick's new company Vanguard Films, was off to a good start.
As for the frictions between Selznick and Schary, the men learned to compromise. They'd make several more pictures together between 1944 and 1948. Schary was allowed autonomy during daily production, with suggestions from Selznick he was free to use or discard. But Selznick was allowed to edit the footage, meaning he could shape the picture to his own vision.
One sticking point during the making of I'LL BE SEEING YOU involved the casting of Joseph Cotten as the male lead. Cotten was a Selznick contractee, who'd just finished GASLIGHT at MGM. Selznick had other plans for the actor, but Schary insisted on using Cotten to play the soldier suffering from PTSD. Selznick finally agreed. As for the female lead, Selznick intended to cast one of his other contractees, Joan Fontaine. But that idea was scrapped when Ginger Rogers became available.
Shirley Temple had just scored a hit as the youngest daughter in SINCE YOU WENT AWAY. She was still in the process of transitioning to young woman roles. Selznick did not like the way a scene had been done with Temple over-emoting. He blamed Dieterle for Temple's performance. George Cukor was brought in for retakes, and Cukor worked with Temple to convey emotion without so many tears and a lot more grown-up restraint.
With regards to the overall story that ended up on screen, I'LL BE SEEING YOU is an example of the way Hollywood was attempting to grapple with the possible after-effects of World War II. It bravely takes steps into the territory of postwar adjustment. There's something heartfelt and earnest about the way it treats the two lonely characters played by Rogers & Cotten, both of them hoping to reclaim their lives after suffering trauma.
Rogers' performance equals the one given by Cotten, though it's very different. Her character is more reactive than proactive. When Cotten suffers, her face shows unforced empathy, as if she were reaching out to all the pain in him, giving outlet to feelings she'd never allow herself. The picture is brushed with shadows of melancholy. It's a story about people facing personal challenges, even as their country is changing.
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Post by topbilled on Dec 27, 2023 21:14:58 GMT
Additional Collaborations:
Joseph Cotten & Shirley Temple were both in SINCE YOU WENT AWAY (1944).
Joseph Cotten & Spring Byington also appeared in WALK SOFTLY STRANGER (1950).
Ginger Rogers & Spring Byington had already costarred in LUCKY PARTNERS (1940) and ROXIE HART (1942). They would later costar in IT HAD TO BE YOU (1947).
Spring Byington & Shirley Temple previously worked together in THE BLUE BIRD (1940).
Shirley Temple & Tom Tully worked together again in KISS AND TELL (1945) and A KISS FOR CORLISS (1949).
Shirley Temple & Ginger Rogers had both been in CHANGE OF HEART (1934) though Shirley only had one scene in that film.
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Post by Andrea Doria on Dec 28, 2023 15:02:05 GMT
I don't know how I'm ever going to get over my crush on Joseph Cotton if this keeps happening.
IMBD has Spring Byington in 100 movies and 16 TVshows. I'm always impressed with how those great character actors worked and worked.
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Post by topbilled on Dec 28, 2023 15:12:29 GMT
I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places...
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Post by topbilled on Dec 28, 2023 15:18:06 GMT
An uptempo version of the classic tune by Frank Sinatra...
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Post by sagebrush on Dec 29, 2023 12:24:01 GMT
I love to hear the different recordings of the film's theme song. It was my mother's favorite song, too. What a great tune!
I think my favorite rendition is the one played during the film's opening credits.
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Post by topbilled on Dec 30, 2023 13:56:22 GMT
I don't know how I'm ever going to get over my crush on Joseph Cotton if this keeps happening.
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Post by Fading Fast on Dec 30, 2023 14:29:58 GMT
I don't know how I'm ever going to get over my crush on Joseph Cotton if this keeps happening.
IMBD has Spring Byington in 100 movies and 16 TVshows. I'm always impressed with how those great character actors worked and worked.
I'm glad he's going to be in tomorrow's movie.
I don't think "Shadow of a Doubt" is really melodrama, but I think we'd enjoy it as a Sunday Live! offering at some point.
If we stretch the point, we could do a Hitchcock month - "Rear Window," "To Catch a Thief," "The Birds" and "Dial M for Murder -" each have their share of melodrama to them, but if we did it, we'd be veering a bit away from our usual fare. |
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Post by Andrea Doria on Dec 31, 2023 19:30:14 GMT
I'm all in favor of a Hitchcock month!
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Post by Fading Fast on Dec 31, 2023 19:32:39 GMT
I'm all in favor of a Hitchcock month! |
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Post by Fading Fast on Dec 31, 2023 19:35:55 GMT
The Continuing Adventures of Fawn and Me
Me: "Last New Year’s Eve was a disaster."
Fawn: "We had fun."
Me: "We did not have fun. Taking a skittish animal to an insanely crowded place like Times Square because he wanted to see the ball drop - a place where making random loud noises is part of the experience - was not a good idea."
Fawn: "I settled down."
Me: "Twenty blocks later when I finally caught up with you."
Fawn: "I'll be better this year."
Me: "Argh. Let's stay home tonight."
Fawn: "Can we at least stay up and watch the ball drop on TV?"
Me: "Sure. We can even have a late-night snack."
Fawn: "Fun, hey, I'll make my eggnog you love so much." [Fawn ambles off to the kitchen from which loud sounds of cabinets being opened and closed and pots and pans being banged about can then be heard.]
Me: "Sigh. Hey, come out here for a second as we have to say this together."
Fawn and Me: "Happy New Years to all our Sunday Live! friends."
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Post by Andrea Doria on Dec 31, 2023 19:53:22 GMT
Happy New Year to all the Classicfilmtvradio gang !
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