Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie

I agree with many others who've commented about this wonderful movie. My sadness is that other generations have not been able to see it on TV, VHS, or DVD. Because of that, it has been lost to new fans. There are few movies that have captured the era after the turn of the century as well (although this one encompasses a period of time beyond that.) "The Strawberry Blonde" is another. David Wayne, always an under-rated screen actor was celebrated on Broadway, winning Tony Awards for playing Sakini in "Teahouse of the August Moon" and Og in "Finian's Rainbow. Here, we follow his character's life as a young man as he grows old with friends and family beside him and his love for Nellie everlasting. It's a touching story full of nostalgia. It deserves better. Isn't it amazing that so many of us remember it from our youth? That's how good it is.

I was 13 years old when I saw this movie. I was in an orphanage at the time. I also have never been able to forget it, tho I have trouble remembering the entire movie. I do however remember that it made an impact on me. I would recommend that it be available for all kids to see. Even tho they are more into violence I think they could get something out of it. As a child being affected by it, I still remember the ending and for some reason it has made an impact in the way I have lived my life. It has a moral to it, but you must have the ability to look at the movie in an objective way, unless you have had something happen in your life that is associated with the things in the movie. Since my family was a disaster already happened, I was able to subject myself into the characters plot.

I remember seeing this movie when I was in high school. I have always wanted to see it again. I hope this movie will be restored and released to the public for viewing. I loved the story behind the movie.As I recall the movie was about life in the 20's and 30's, during a period when people wore elegant clothing and families were a big thing. It basically touched on the personal life of a barber and his family and the trials and tragedies that touched their lives. It was a movie that left a lasting impression on me, and one that I will never forget. It was also filmed during a time when the movie world was putting out a lot of musicals, and this story was more in the drama filed. I have watched for a long time in hopes that someone would restore it and present it again to the American public. I think there are a lot of people who would enjoy this classic film, along with many of the other well known performers that made movie's during this era.I would also like to see a producer remake this film based on modern day times.

I came to this film via Karina Longworth's excellent podcast series "You Must Remember This" which I recommend to one and all. She did a mini-series on the women in the life of Howard Hughes and where this movie figures on this is because of course, main female lead Jean Peters was for many years Mrs Howard Hughes. Although not betrothed to the billionaire at the time of the film's release, she was already in the background as one of his pet starlet-girlfriends. Other than that however, Hughes had nothing to do with this particular movie but egged on by Ms Longworth's warning of a major plot twist halfway through the film, I duly tracked it down.

Taking its title from a popular song from the late 19th Century, which you hear frequently during its running time, the film certainly isn't the light-hearted, frothy musical you might have expected, although it starts a bit like that as we meet young David Wayne's Ben Halper character, a gentleman's barber to trade and his pretty young wife, Nellie, played by Peters. Newly-wed, she thinks he's taking them to an exciting new life in bustling Chicago, but no, the more practical and parochial Wayne has decided to set up both his business and family home in the small town of Sevillinois.

This doesn't go well with the ambitious Nellie even as she assures Wayne of her love and duly bears him a son and daughter, so that it's not long before she's attracting the attention of flash-harry married man-about-town Ed Jordan. Meanwhile, hubby further entrenches himself in the community by joining both the local band and when the First World War comes around, the town's army battalion. Then, while he's away from home, Nellie and Jordan decide to take a fateful train journey together to the big smoke of Chicago, where they both feel they belong.

What happens next is that unexpected plot shift which I can say no more about without getting into spoiler territory, but what I will say is that the film ends up as an up-and-down fifty-year biography of a little man who pays the price for not considering the dreams and ambitions of those he loves but still comes across as an agreeable and believable human being, just an ordinary average, play-safe kind of guy.

Unusually for a B-movie, with cast to match, it's shot in a very dark-hued technicolour rather than cheaper black and white and is directed by the worthy Henry King. Wayne does a good job carrying the narrative on his shoulders from start to finish, ageing considerably as he goes and Peters makes a big impression too as his starry-eyed wife. Clearly Wayne hasn't heard the old phrase, "Happy wife, happy life" and pays the price for his own selfishness. He's not a bad man, he just thinks he's always right and is obviously a slow learner from his experiences as we later see in his testy relationship with his grown-up son.

Director King keeps the story moving from one major event to the next in Wayne's long life, taking in drama and tragedy by turn, even culminating in a good old fashioned Chicago gangster shoot-out, which reminded me of the old Tyrone Power-starring feature "In Old Chicago" which King helmed several years before.

It's always good to find a watchable old movie you've never heard of before and so it was here. This isn't the first vintage movie I've viewed on Ms Longworth's recommendation and on the evidence here, it won't be the last.

This is the story of a martyr barber starting in the 1890's in a small town and spaning forty years. He suffers one disaster after another - and if you pay attention it was his own fault, such as lying to his wife right at the start. Nonetheless, David Wayne, a major Bdwy star who lost role after role to the movie versions, does a nice job, and Jean Peters is pulchritudinous - and Howard Hughes wife. Never on video - too bad. I'd like to see it again after twenty years or so when it appeared on late-night/early morning TV.