User Reviews

I watched this for the first time in 2003, during a time when it seems the whole world was angry at the U.S. for its "militarism." It was fascinating to be reminded that this isn't the first time we were accused of this. The story could have taken place today ... so much has not changed (okay, the lead characters would have been a LOT older!!!).

The story itself was a sweet love story, and the acting is first rate (Red Buttons, as always, is a scene stealer). But the social commentary is what intrigued me and made this movie such a winner.

A much better than average TV film. Cinematography and solid acting performances make it worthy of watching. A fine story of a WWII pilot who visits his old base in England during a veteran's reunion. Mitchum,the pilot, reunites with his old love,Deborah Kerr. Add a peace activist grandaughter and several old Army Air Force buddies and the story develops nicely. Mitchum rules and the film is good family fare.

I wasn't even aware of this 30-year-old US TV film from HBO until it was aired recently on the Movie Channel in the UK. I am so delighted to have discovered this bitter-sweet romance, it is an absolute gem.

It is a tale very well told, of renewed comradeship, of rediscovered romance, of tension and understanding between the generations. The emotions are real, the performances superb, especially Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr, who bring a special something to this understated but well-nigh perfect script. The rest of the American and British cast are excellent too, but I thought the standout performance was that of Judi Trott as the idealistic teenage granddaughter.

This film satisfies on so many levels, and I shall be watching my recording of it again, I know. Highly recommended.

This comment belongs in "Trivia" but there are no instructions for initiating that segment of the site.

In the film, the reunion involves WW II veterans of the 323rd Bomb Squadron, which actually existed. It was part of the 91st Bomb Group based at Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire (8th Air Force Station 121) from 1942 to 1945.

The group's emblem was a "Triangle A" on the tail, though the movie shows B-17s from several other groups. The 91st is best known as the organization that flew "The Memphis Belle", which belonged to the 324th Squadron.

The star power of Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr carry Reunion At Fairborough for the audiences watching HBO in 1985. Though this film is only a pale reflection of their previous work like Heaven Knows Mr. Allison, The Sundowners, and The Grass Is Greener, these two legends show the 1980s cable HBO viewers what being a screen legend is all about.

Mitchum plays a 60 something with little to look forward to having lost his job, made a failure at his two marriages, and with no prospects is looking toward a bleak future. He hears from Barry Morse who was a sergeant in his old Army Air Corps outfit and they're planning a reunion for the survivors where their base was, in Fairborough across the pond.

While there what better to do than look up an old wartime romance who is shop owner Deborah Kerr. Turns out they had a daughter whom he never knew about and a granddaughter as well. The daughter and her husband were killed in an automobile crash and Kerr has raised granddaughter Judi Trott who certainly was cast because of her red hair so like Kerr's famous scarlet tresses.

The film is Mitchum getting reacquainted with Kerr and getting to know the granddaughter he never knew he had. Trott is quite the radical, she's busy protesting the American air base nearby the old Army Air Corps field and the nuclear weapons there. Trott also doesn't like Americans as a rule, but she can't help liking Mitchum.

Red Buttons is in this film playing one of the enlisted men during war time who is now an alcoholic janitor. It's a wonderful performance of a man who was not blessed with the material success that Mitchum found so fleeting. Buttons really stands out in this film.

So do the old pros Mitchum and Kerr. The two liked and respected each other and it shows through in the work. It's not as good as their big screen films but I'll take them on any old screen.

In some ways, I enjoyed "Reunion at Fairborough"...and in other ways, it reminded me of the expression "you can never go back". In other words, it left me with very mixed feelings.

When the film begins, Carl (Robert Mitchum) is feeling blue. He's been forced to retire, his wife had left him and he didn't feel much of a sense of purpose in his life. But when he gets word that his old bomber group from WWII is having a reunion back in England where they were based, he seems to get a new lease on life. Before he goes, however, he wants to find an old buddy and take him along with him. This won't be easy as Jiggs (Red Buttons) is an alcoholic and doesn't seem interested in the trip. But Carl is insistent and he takes his old friend with him.

Once in England, Carl is in for a huge surprise when he looks up his old sweetheart. It seems that Sally (Deborah Kerr) had his baby long ago...and never bothered to tell him. That baby grew up and died...but she produced a daughter.... Carl's granddaughter. But this is not one big happy family reunion. Sally doesn't seem that eager to reignite old passions and the granddaughter is a very idealistic AND obnoxious teen...too obnoxious to make her character likable or relatable. She also is incredibly inconsistent and needlessly rude. What's to come of all this family bonding?

There were some very nice performances in the film...particularly by Mitchum and Barry Morse. But it also seemed to be a mistake including so much of the granddaughter and not enough of her grandmother, Sally. Considering this was the fourth pairing of Mitchum and Kerr, you are confused why this so often seems to take a backseat in the story. More Kerr and less granddaughter would have made for a more enjoyable story. Still, it IS Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr...so it is still a nice time-passer.

By the way, I didn't mind that the script had a granddaughter who was ideologically so dissimilar to her grandfather. It was more how obnoxious and one-dimensional the character was that annoyed me. Her character just wasn't written well and proved unnecessary to the story.

So many movies I have watched with Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. They are wonderful together. So believeable. I have watched this movie twice this year. I am sorry I didn't know about it in 1985. The nicest romance that anyone can see. Thank you. Florence Forrester-Stockton, Reno, Nevada

Well, I was finally able to obtain a digital copy of this great movie (Google the title and you can as well), and I just watched it for the first time in probably 20+ years. I can tell you it is just as good today as it was the first time! Sure, it is set in the 80s and things have changed, and there are some goofy bits to it; but it is still an excellent movie! Mitchum cannot be any more natural in this role. As a matter of fact, I think I consider this to be his best work ever! Kerr is the same, it almost seems as those the two of them aren't really acting but as the characters they are playing. Buttons may have been a little over the top, as was the young lady who played Mitchum's granddaughter but I was stationed in the UK during the early 80s and she portrayed a typical CND'er of the time.

If you are a fan of this movie, make every effort to get a copy of it. As I said, it can be done and it is well worth the trouble. Why this hasn't been released on DVD is beyond me, it is simply a great movie!

Watching the two of them in this fine, nostalgic re-pairing is like visiting with an old married couple still much in love! I have always loved both of these actors' work individually, but Mitchum and Kerr together are something rare and special on screen. If you have ever seen Heaven Knows Mr. Allison or The Sundowners or The Grass Is Always Greener then you know what I'm talking about! You just don't find chemistry like this anymore in the actors today. I was fortunate enough to find a great DVD by searching Bing for the title and movie lead. It is a treasure my own husband and I watch again and again. I am so glad that these true screen icons were able to work together one last time before leaving us.

Today Debra Kerr died. I first saw this incredibly sweet movie on HBO when it first came out. Now, 22 years later, I am about the same age as most of the characters then. The comparisons to my parents' generation are VERY relevant. Their shared experience of an incredibly dangerous war with our not so dangerous but desperately deluded rewritten history is obvious. The one single shared trait between our generations is, "Damn, we made it THIS far!" I hope that HBO makes this "TV" movie more available so that we, the successors, can see a little bit of insight into the very HUGE change in the fabric of humans that was the disaster of WWII.

Please help me to find this video or see it on tv.It is one of the finest movies i think of Robert Mitchum in his career,and the supporting cast is excellent.Deborah Kerr also stars in the movie and is outstanding.Red Buttons is one of the excellent supporting actors and has another outstanding part.

After three movies together from 1957-1960, Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr were reunited for a fourth pairing in 1985, and the wait was definitely worthwhile!

Robert Mitchum play a former WW2 pilot who now lives alone and unhappily, forty years after the war. His fellow soldiers plan a reunion of the surviving members of the brigade, to be held in Fairborough, England, where they were originally stationed. Bob, Barry Morse, Shane Rimmer, and Red Buttons cross the big blue in preparation for the big reunion, and they get together with old friends and share their feelings they've held onto for forty years. Bob has an extra special reason for travelling to England: he wants to look up his wartime sweetheart, Deborah Kerr. The moment when they're finally reunited is so moving, especially since they hadn't made a movie together in 25 years!

Everyone in the movie gives a wonderful performance, and Deborah and Bob once again make a smoldering couple. Interspersed with real WW2 footage, the movie has a great feeling of nostalgia and successfully straddles the issue of being anti-war while appreciating the war effort by our troops. If you like old-timer romances, or want to see a Deborah and Bob reunion, definitely check out Reunion at Fairborough!

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not your friend. There's a scene towards the end where Robert Mitchum flies a plane, and the POV might make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

While most reviewers here laud the on-screen talents of Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr, I found their acting was NOT what made this movie special. Actually the great Mitchum seemed stiff and just going through the motions of this role. The point of this drama was because it was REAL. These WWII veterans, from the-1980s (when this film was made) to the early part of our new century, did indeed return to England year after year for reunions and to commemorate what they did there. The townspeople scenes welcoming them were very real. I know because my father helped co-ordinate these Eighth Air Force soldier reunions and I went to some of them. The English people loved those soldiers (not the younger generation--as depicted in this movie) because these boys saved Merry Ole England's ass. The socializing in these scenes was just as I remembered seeing, and it was all very touching. The writers and producers did an outstanding job of showcasing these events. Note that few of these air bases have any buildings left standing anymore, as shown in this movie. The airstrips and fields are a very eeiire thing to see. The ghosts are everywhere and you can feel that living history when you walk upon those grounds. I thank the producers and the cast & crew for making this picture for others to see. It was an important chapter in American history that should not be forgotten.