I’ll Be Seeing You *** (1944, Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple, Spring Byington, Tom Tully, John Derek) – Classic Movie Review 6764

Director William Dieterle’s 1944 film, based on a radio play by Charles Martin, stars Ginger Rogers as Mary Marshall, a jailbird on parole for the holidays, who invites battle fatigue shell-shocked GI Sergeant Zachary ‘Zach’ Morgan (Joseph Cotten) to stay with her family for Christmas. Teenager Barbara Marshall (Shirley Temple) reveals the truth about her cousin, but Mary was innocent of her manslaughter conviction all along and her love for Zach is a cure for all.

The cast and director Dieterle keep this well-crafted romantic drama sweet, simple and sentimental, but not too cloying and daft. Rogers is on fine dramatic form and Cotten is good value, and Tony Gaudio’s black and white cinematography is outstanding.

Like its haunting title song ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ (Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal), the film I’ll Be Seeing You suited the World War Two wartime mood exactly and it was a huge hit. Costing $1.3 million, it took more than $6 million at the box office. Of course, the cynically minded could easily take against it.

The soundtrack includes ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’, performed off screen by Louanne Hogan, a song that had become a hit that year, although it dates back to 1938. The title was taken from the song at co-producer Dore Schary’s suggestion.

Spring Byington and Tom Tully also co-star as the parents, Mrs and Mr Marshall. There is a small role for John Derek (billed as Dare Harris, a name given to him by his agent Henry Willson) as Lieutenant Bruce. The young Derek – real name Derek Harris – landed a small role in A Double Life (1947) when Humphrey Bogart cast him as killer Nick (Pretty Boy) Romano in his film Knock on Any Door (1949) and renamed him John Derek. He also appeared in All the King’s Men, Rogues of Sherwood Forest, The Ten Commandments (1956) and Exodus (1960).

George Cukor is uncredited second director on the film. Cukor was the original director but was replaced by Dieterle.

Also in the cast are Chill Wills, Kenny Bowers, Hank Tobias, Dorothy Stone, Stanley Ridges, Bob Meredith, Cliff Lyons, Mickey Laughlin, Earl Johnson, John James, Olin Howlin, Louanne Hogan, Joe Haworth, Eddie Hall, Gary Gray, Robert Dudley, Jack Carr, Margaret Bert, Brandon Beach and Walter Baldwin.

I’ll Be Seeing You is directed by William Dieterle and George Cukor (uncredited), runs 85 minutes, is made by Selznick International Pictures, Dore Schary Productions and Vanguard Pictures, is released by United Artists, is written by Marion Parsonnet, based on a radio play by Charles Martin, is shot in black and white by Tony Gaudio, is produced by David O Selznick and Dore Schary, is scored by Daniele Amfitheatrof, with music by Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal, and designs by Mark-Lee Kirk.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6764

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