Spring Reunion

Nice little film about the ironies of life stars Betty Hutton and Dana Andrews as two former high school icons who were voted most popular and most likely to succeed. They meet 15 years later at a reunion, both unmarried and both leading aimless lives.

Hutton still lives in her hometown, partnered with her father in a real estate development firm. Even worse, she still lives at home. She graduated in 1941 and her boyfriend was killed during WW II (so was her brother) and she's never gotten her life back on track. She pours her emotions into her work.

Andrews (who broke his leg in the "big game") wanders from job to job but never seems happy or satisfied with anything. It's as if his life never recovered from the football field accident even if his leg did.

Also at the reunion are the usual types, the blowhard sports jock (Gordon Jones) who still relives his glory days, the little mother (Jean Hagen) who feels trapped by a husband and four kids, and unsuccessful guy (Herbert Anderson) hoping to sell a few used cars.

Oddest dynamic is Hutton's household, where her common-sense mother (Laura La Plante) feels estranged from her husband (Robert F. Simon) who seems fixated on his daughter as a replacement for the dead son. There's almost a sexual tension among the three adults, but since this is a 1957 movie, that is not explored.

Things come to a head when Hutton and Andrews make the snap decision to get married and daddy goes into overdrive to stop the wedding. The harder he works to sabotage the wedding, the more alarmed mother becomes. Can Hutton and Andrews withstand the interference?

1940s superstar Betty Hutton is just fine in her final film. She has a slightly shell-shocked look that fits the character. She also gets to sing a mellow rendition of "That Old Feeling." Dana Andrews is also quite good in his usual understated way. Robert F. Simon is appropriately creepy as the father, and silent film star Laura La Plante is very good (and looks great) as the mother.

Jean Hagen and Gordon Jones are fine in the minor and slightly comic subplot. There's also Irene Ryan as the high school's Miss Stapleton, and Herbert Anderson, Dorothy Newmann, Richard Deacon, and Ken Curtis among the reunion crowd.

James Gleason (billed as Jimmy) as a nice bit as a lighthouse keeper, George Chandler plays the soda jerk, Sara Berner plays the awful impressionist.

This was the final film appearance for Hutton, whose big hits included ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, INCENDIARY BLONDE, THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK, and THE PERILS OF PAULINE. This was also the final film for La Plante, whose big hits included SHOW BOAT, THE CAT AND THE CANARY, THE LOVE TRAP, KING OF JAZZ, and SMOULDERING FIRES.

There's a reason there is only 4 or 5 reviews of this odd, stupid movie. It's because it's odd and stupid! Is this movie the actual cause of Dana Andrews and Betty Hutton's untimely deaths? I think it could be. This movie was too anal to even know where to begin how useless and worthless it was! Oh, I so pity the people who went the movies in the 50's to see this rot on screen, paying good money to see it. Let's hope the popcorn was good, right. Or at least, they found romance at the movie. Very bad movie. Senseless. Infantile. That is all. It was so bad, having just watched it on TCM, even Robert Osborne didn't say a word about it when it ended! BTW, my wife just said, "How can anyone review a movie from 1941! and Don't you have anything better to do?" LOL. Well, I suppose I could watch the Jodi Arias trial with her, but I already bet her $50.00 that Arias is going to walk! Why? Because any one idiot on a jury, in our diverse walks of life, can hold our justice system hostage and vote her innocent and because we unfaily require a unanimous decision, she is guaranteed to be freed. (It should be majority to find guilty and unanimous for the death penalty or otherwise, life in prison. That is all :~)

There are so many ways to approach a film: on cinematic terms alone, like "great film" or "average film" or "B-Minus" etc.

There are films that have flaws but have virtues. This is one of them.

I know it's a B-film from the 50s, when Betty Hutton and Dana Andrews were past their prime.

But: for those who like those actors professionally and as people, there are lovely virtues that are unique.

I LOVE Betty Hutton in her bombshell, younger days - when she was on fire - a firecracker who couldn't stand still -notably in one of my favorites, Miracle of Morgan's Creek.

And I really like Dana Andrews for his understated performances, especially in The Best Years of Our Lives.

And while most of Dana Andrews 50s films are pretty uninteresting, I loved the pairing between him and Betty. They are both vulnerable, in their professional life journey more vulnerable to the downward trajectory. But that gives their performances immediacy and sensitivity. They are both players characters who life has battered down a bit or more - and WHO doesn't know how THAT feels - and they bring that to their roles.

I really liked when the two of them are on screen, interacting with each other. You feel their connection to each other. Both of them are very good in their maturer, vulnerable state. To me, that's a highlight of the film- to see the two of them interact.

Everything else is secondary. The schools scenes are okay. Jean Hagen, who I like, has to struggle with an ill-defined role, and does well, as always. Her jock paramour has an even more illdefined role, and is okay.

Betty's parents do okay, in dated roles - the possessive father and doting repressed mother.

Again: if you want to see mature Betty Hutton and mature Dana Andrews bring their life experience to their work, you will enjoy their on-screen duo.

By the middle of the 1950's, Dana Andrews had swung full circle, back to playing either the secondary handsome guy... who doesn't get the girl... or in the case of SPRING REUNION, the handsome guy whose part is secondary to the leading actress, and was basically cast because... well... he's handsome enough for her...

And the picture's biggest flaw is that the entire cast looks far too old to be celebrating their 15-year high school reunion, including flaky-cute Jean Hagan in a troubled marriage almost hooking up with jovially oblivious has-been footballer (also in a troubled marriage) Gordon Jones....

But this REUNION belongs almost entirely to former musical darling Betty Hutton, suffering from too much contentment and way too much love from daddy (she still lives with her parents); and that actor, Robert F. Simon, doesn't think his little girl is good enough for anyone...

Including a successful Dana Andrews: A popular fella voted most likely to succeed, Dana's Fred Davis only partially lives up to the title since he walks away from any successful job he tires of...

So basically what's here is a kind of romantic programmer (ghost-produced by Dana's future IN HARM'S WAY co-star Kirk Douglas) that serves a bittersweet reminder of the post-war years when idle time seemed to stand still...

And while the scenes at the REUNION itself are corny and fun (featuring drunken chaperone Irene Ryan; snarky Ken Curtis; and deliberately untalented celebrity-impersonator Sara Berner), it's the moments between Andrews (despite being an impatient grouch whose striped shirt annoyingly morays) and Hutton that, in what pans out like its own cozy stage play... even at sea and under a romantic lighthouse beacon... is worth the reclining hour-long viewing.

The most interesting thing I found out about Spring Reunion is that Kirk Douglas produced it. He also had the good sense not to star in it. Not that it's a bad film, but Kirk's career was on the way up and the stars of Spring Reunion were on the way down.

Both Betty Hutton and Dana Andrews's careers crested during the Forties as leads in A films. In fact this would be Betty Hutton's last big screen film. Dana Andrews had slipped into the ranks of B films where he would be the rest of his career except for an occasional supporting part in a big budget film.

Betty and Dana are a pair of thirty somethings in their hometown of Carson for their Spring Reunion of the class of 1941. He was the hotshot All American voted the boy most likely to succeed and she was the most popular girl of course.

Life hasn't quite worked out as they thought it would, but as it is in these films they do find time to add to an unfinished romance. They also remember why things didn't end in marriage back in the day.

It was nice seeing a whole bunch of other talented players as various types at the reunion. People like Jean Hagen, Gordon Jones, Richard Deacon, and Herbert Anderson are always a treat.

Spring Reunion today would be a nice film for the Lifetime channel. Maybe someone there will do a remake of it sometime.