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Loretta Young has lost her hearing due to a bout of meningitis. She meets a hollywood handsome doctor who has decided to try to cure her. He falls for her beautiful self, only thing is she's engaged to a man she loves. Unbeknownst to her the fiancé has fallen in love with her sister. Also unbeknownst to her she has fallen for the doctor. This is a melodrama made more interesting by the caliber of the actors, especially Susan Hayward.

This is a decent quality movie overall with some good people, some surprising to see together. That's the way I felt about Loretta Young and Alan Ladd. Somehow, Ms. Young came off kind of awkward in appearance here, perhaps partially due to compensations having to be made for the difference in height between the two leads. But she seemed less graceful overall than I've ever seen her, even in a lot of the costumes. As mentioned, this is a departure for Ladd in type and he's good enough doing what he did, but not 100% for the pairing. He seemed to be mocking and scoffing at Emily all the way through, despising her really rather extremely and then suddenly he's in love with her. Not so smooth a transition. Yet, I enjoyed some of it, but it was just too choppy between them overall. The ending was unforgivable. Ms. Young's automatic speaking of the title phrase was so flat and inept as was the following kiss, with Ladd looking like he was lying in her lap with his head on her chest. Just so awkward.

The rest of it was smooth enough, if not redeeming of the angst created by the above. Barry Sullivan was in very good looks here, Susan Hayward doing a good enough job. Ms. Bondi, as always, provided quality and authenticity in her unusual role as a society matron. Cecil Kellaway was wonderful. Maybe another try at some future date.

And Now Tomorrow was the second of two films that Alan Ladd did with Loretta Young. The first one was China an action/adventure wartime potboiler of a film. It was Alan Ladd's type of film that was made just before he was drafted. It was also not one of his best. And Now Tomorrow is more Loretta's kind of film and while it's better than China it will never be ranked as in the top ten for either Ladd or Young.

This one is a medical soap opera, the only time Ladd ever did one of these kind of films in his career. Young is a socialite who never thought about social problems in the town that she was brought up in which incidentally is named after her family, the town's chief employer. They own a mill from which Ladd's father was fired years ago. Now all grown up Ladd's got class resentments.

And he's back in his hometown at the behest of Dr. Cecil Kellaway who has heard of his experiments with curing deaf people who got it as a result of spinal meningitis. That's what gave Young her deafness and among other things postponed her marriage to another yuppie Barry Sullivan.

The main focus in this film is the growing mutual attraction between doctor and patient despite all their differences. A subplot also involves Sullivan seeing Young's sister Susan Hayward on the side.

And Now Tomorrow is kind of a secular version of Magnificent Obsession without all the religious folderol that Lloyd C. Douglas put into his work involved. For those who like soap opera type films And Now Tomorrow will do. Young made a ton of these in her career, but it wasn't Alan Ladd's cup of tea.

Alan Ladd and Loretta Young were teamed up again after starring together in China 1943. Both are well suited to their roles in And Now Tomorrow. Ladd, as the hard working doctor, who works at a Pittsburgh free clinic. Young, as the wealthy heiress, who travels the globe. looking for a cure for her deafness.

Dr. Vance (Ladd) arrives at the home of his friend and mentor, Dr. Meeks (Cecil Kellaway), who asks Lance for a favor. He wants Vance to use his new methods of curing hearing loss on socialite, Emily Blair. Vance refuses, saying he is much to busy helping the poor. However, Vance does have a grudge with the Blair family. He doesn't like that they live like royalty, while the people who work their mills, live difficult lives. Furthermore, Vance's father had a run in with Emily's father years before and was fired.

Yet, with a twinkle in his eye, Vance agrees to dine at the Blair palace with Dr. Meeks. During the evening, Dr. Vance and Emily are alone together. Vance mentions Dr. Meeks plan to have him help Emily. She is startled and amused. She has traveled the globe to find a cure for her deafness. How could this doctor, a man no one has heard of, help her? Vance had expected such a response. He gets up to leave and says, "Deafness isn't the only thing I'd like to cure you of."

Dr. Meeks eventually gets Vance to agree to treat Emily. It's a long procedure that will take months and may not be successful. Initially the two are at odds with each other. Vance doesn't think the Blair's wealth enables Emily to show up late for appointments. Emily thinks Vance is lacking in manners.

A pivotal part of the movie occurs when Dr. Vance is called to shantytown to look at a man's (Anthony Caruso) sick child. Emily is with Vance and helps him perform an emergency operation. Emily gets to see a different world first hand. Vance is impressed that Emily comes through in the clutch. As a side note, it's not the first or last time Caruso appeared in a Alan Ladd film. Caruso was a busy, talented actor, who appeared in ten Alan Ladd films. It wasn't a coincidence. When Ladd and Caruso were struggling actors they sat together at an audition. Afterwards, Caruso asked Ladd to lunch, but Ladd was broke and had to refuse. Caruso's father stepped in and bought lunch. Ladd never forgot the act of kindness and gave Caruso a part in his films if he could. And Caruso couldn't believe the loyalty you just don't find in Hollywood.

Unfortunately, the treatments aren't working on Emily. Vance decides to go back to the clinic in Pittsburgh. Emily, gets back to her life and her fiance (Barry Sullivan). She plans to get married and is resigned to the fact she will never be cured. On the eve of her wedding Emily learns that Vance has had a success with a new method. She rushes to Vance and begs him to try the method on her, although it hasn't been tested on humans. He relents, and gives her the treatment. She reacts badly and collapses. There is a fear she won't live, but she survives.

The next morning Emily wakes to learn she can now hear. She soon learns her fiance has been having an affair with her sister. The wedding is officially off. She rushes to Pittsburgh to thank Dr. Vance. She phones him from his outer office, commenting he has a lovely voice. He realizes that she can hear and that his treatment has worked. She informs him the wedding is off and she'd like to repay him. They embrace.

It's an excellent film with many strong performances. The plot wobbles occasionally, but the cast really holds things together. Young gives her usual excellent performance. Both Susan Hayward and Barry Sullivan are excellent in small roles. But for me, it's Ladd's work that is most enjoyable. Years ago, film critics, like Bosley Crowther, delighted in telling us what a terrible actor Ladd was. Later, authors of film history books repeated the same old legends. Even noted television hosts, like Dick Cavett, would ridicule his talents. Funny thing is audiences enjoyed his work and flocked to his films for 20 years. He has always been one of my favorites. I guess I always made my own decisions on what was good and what I liked. Alan Ladd was simply one of the best.

This motion picture is based on the last novel author Rachel Field wrote before she died in 1942. Miss Field had previously written another bestseller for women that had been adapted for the screen-- a Bette Davis hit called ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO. Warner Brothers was keen to get its hands on this property as well, no doubt as a follow-up vehicle for Davis, but was outbid by Paramount. David Selznick also coveted the property, probably for his protege and future wife Jennifer Jones.

Loretta Young had signed a multi-picture deal with Paramount as a freelancer. The previous year she had made CHINA with Alan Ladd under the direction of John Farrow. CHINA was a project that Young was passionate about as she was very concerned about the plight of Chinese orphans during the war. During production of that film, she and Alan Ladd did not get along. Both were concerned about who would be perceived as the star. Farrow's direction probably favored Ladd, as the outdoor action scenes were played up. Both stars said they'd never work together again, but CHINA was a smash hit and the studio was very interested in re-pairing them.

A year later Young was assigned to the picturization of the Field story, with Joel McCrea intended to be her leading man. But McCrea had to drop out to do war work, so Franchot Tone was put in his place. However, Ladd had just been rejected for military service and was now available. Paramount wasted no time replacing Tone and assigning Ladd to begin work at once alongside Young...this time under director Irving Pichel. Not surprisingly, Young & Ladd quarreled again. Young accused Ladd of not looking directly at her in their scenes together.

In this story, Young is playing a deaf woman who is also a snob. Ladd is a doctor who must cure her of both things. Maybe Ladd felt he could cure Young of some of her on-set issues by not playing right into them, especially if she was insecure. Young would later accuse Ladd of being insecure. You get the point...these stars brought out the worst in each other...and the best in each other. AND NOW TOMORROW was another hit for Paramount.

It should be pointed out that Loretta Young had previously played a deaf woman in 20th Century Fox's THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL (1939) which was a big crowd pleaser. She seemed to have the market cornered on these types of roles. In this production, she is joined by Susan Hayward as her kid sister; and Beulah Bondi is on hand as their aunt. Meanwhile, Cecil Kellaway plays an older doctor who mentors Ladd.