Clearly made as a propaganda movie to support the morale of American citizens in the middle of WWII, the movie tells the story of housewife Anne (Colbert) who just said goodbye to hubby Tim, leaving for the front and now must wait faithfully at home with their two daughters, for him to come back alive and in one piece.
We never get to see Tim, which is partly detrimental to the plot, but we see plenty of his best friend Tony (Cotten) who hangs around Tim's house a great deal. Cotten has the ungrateful role of the guy in love with his best friend's wife and manages decently.
Debbie, the eldest daughter is supposed to be barely eighteen, but she is played by 24 y.o. Jones, who looked her age and, as a mother of two, did not quite cut it as an innocent virgin. To compound the felony, her soon-to-be ex-husband Robert Walker, plays Bill, her love interest. They make for an awkward couple.
Lots of scenes drag on forever (Anne and Tony spending a long evening dancing, flirting and taking a night drive; Debbie and Bill debating his emotional issues, etc...) others are totally superfluous (the weird girlfriend; the ongoing feud between the family dog and the lodger, etc...)
Tragedies are acknowledged but they take place in the background and are underplayed, because citizen had to keep a steely resolve and a smiling face.
With better editing this could've been at least 30 minutes shorter, leaner and a more compacts story. As it is, it's overlong and corny at times. Still, an interesting specimen of at-home war movie.
We never get to see Tim, which is partly detrimental to the plot, but we see plenty of his best friend Tony (Cotten) who hangs around Tim's house a great deal. Cotten has the ungrateful role of the guy in love with his best friend's wife and manages decently.
Debbie, the eldest daughter is supposed to be barely eighteen, but she is played by 24 y.o. Jones, who looked her age and, as a mother of two, did not quite cut it as an innocent virgin. To compound the felony, her soon-to-be ex-husband Robert Walker, plays Bill, her love interest. They make for an awkward couple.
Lots of scenes drag on forever (Anne and Tony spending a long evening dancing, flirting and taking a night drive; Debbie and Bill debating his emotional issues, etc...) others are totally superfluous (the weird girlfriend; the ongoing feud between the family dog and the lodger, etc...)
Tragedies are acknowledged but they take place in the background and are underplayed, because citizen had to keep a steely resolve and a smiling face.
With better editing this could've been at least 30 minutes shorter, leaner and a more compacts story. As it is, it's overlong and corny at times. Still, an interesting specimen of at-home war movie.