You Came Along *** (1945, Lizabeth Scott, Robert Cummings, Don DeFore, Charles Drake) – Classic Movie Review 2169

Director John Farrow’s sensitive 1945 release is an interesting and amusing but sometimes hard-to-take World War Two romantic comedy weepie plus wartime morale booster and American patriotic flag-waver.

The 23-year-old Lizabeth Scott stars in her movie debut as Ivy Hotchkiss, a US government worker who acts as substitute chaperone and takes a trio of air servicemen (Robert Cummings, Don DeFore and Charles Drake) on a trip to sell US war bonds. Naturally, the three compete for her affections and she falls for one of them, Major Bob Collins (Cummings), a handsome, easy-going war hero flier who turns out to have a fatal disease which he conceals. But, after agreeing to keep it just fun, they get romantically involved and eventually married.

The movie is a watchable entertainment but makes an uneasy début for the throaty, smouldering Scott, who nevertheless impresses. It works better as a comedy, in which the laughs are more entertaining than the romance or the sentimentality, though the odd material is generally well handled by both the actors and director.

Robert Smith and Ayn Rand provide the smoothly crafted screenplay based on Smith’s story. Less cynical audiences might find it very touching.

It  also stars Julie Bishop, Kim Hunter, Rhys Williams, Robert Sully, Helen Forrest, Franklin Pangborn, Minor Watson, Howard Freeman, Andrew Tombes, Frank Faylen, Will Wright, Ruth Roman and Hugh Beaumont.

Lizabeth Scott, who was born Emma Matzo in 1922, made her last film Pulp in 1873. After that, she was engaged in real estate development and volunteer work for various charities, such as Project HOPE and the Ancient Arts Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Scott suffered heart failure at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and died on January 31 2015, aged 92.

© Derek Winnert 2015 – Classic Movie Review 2169