The Impatient Years

"The Impatient Years" deserves to be rediscovered. The script and the playing by Jean Arthur and Lee Bowman (as Janie and Andy) showed great daring by going against the grain of WW2 romances in showing the reality behind the media-driven fantasy that marrying soldiers during wartime was a patriotic duty and the epitome of romantic love. Arthur and Bowman honestly (and sometimes, painfully) show tentative getting to know someone after a whirlwind courtship followed by service overseas. Jean Arthur's character openly questions the idea of war marriages and advocates her personal fulfillment over being married because society expected a 1940's woman to be married. This was daring for the 1940's as was the character of the boarder, who didn't go off to war; didn't feel stigmatized for not fighting in battle; and who cared for Andy and Janie's baby as if it were his own son.

The chemistry between Jean Arthur and Charles Coburn (atlast, playing daughter and father) is as strong and as fun to watch as in their other films together.

The pace, music, and editing was lyrical and leisurely. This adds immeasurably to the gentle comedy and strong dramatic moments when Andy and Janie replay their courtship (under court order).

Lee Bowman should have become a star from his work in "The Impatient Years". He showed great chemistry with Jean Arthur and could've developed into a Melvyn Douglas-type leading man.

A film that deserves a second, even third viewing to appreciate and savor!

Based on Jean Arthur's definitive biography, The Actress Nobody Knew, critics, and apparently Oller, did not think much of this film or of Arthur's co-star, Lee Bowman. At the beginning of my foray into classic cinema I would have taken this opinion, and the opinion of other legitimate critics at face value. However, having since discovered many, many underrated gems (and underrated actors) that critics in the past and the present overlook, I decided to watch The Impatient Years and form my own opinion.

Jean Arthur is one of my favorite actresses and in "The Impatient Years" (which could also be the title of her fractious tenure at Columbia), she gives one of the best performances of her film career. In contrast to her independent, softly cynical characters of the 1930s, she played slightly befuddled "spinster" roles in the 1940s, but the role of Janie Smith Anderson managed to meld both attributes into an appealing and touching performance. Lee Bowman was equally wonderful in his role as Sgt Andrew Anderson, bringing an assured, low-key type of charm to the screen. I must also praise the supporting cast made up of the fantastic Charles Coburn, and lovely character actors Harry Davenport, Charley Grapewin, Phil Brown, and Grant Mitchell.

Clocking in at a well-rounded 90 minutes, "The Impatient Years" is one of those unsung gems full of humor, pathos, and romance, which also takes a good, hard look at the issue of a runaway marriage and the strain of war. I can only imagine how audiences reacted to this film during war-time, and hope that it brought as much joy and entertainment to them as it did for me.

While I am a huge fan of Jean Arthur's films, this final film from her Columbia Pictures contract is a rather mediocre film--at least compared to her more famous films (which are many). Now this isn't to day it's bad--certainly not. No, it's more just a film with excellent acting but a premise and writing that just don't deliver.

Jean and Lee Bowman star as a couple that knew each other only a few days before they married. He then shipped out overseas after only knowing her four days. When he returns, it's now very awkward since they hardly knew each other and it seems that what they do discover about each other they don't like! This is an excellent idea and could be the basis of a good film (sort of like a follow-up to THE CLOCK--an excellent Judy Garland film where she meets and marries a nice guy she hardly knows). However, what happens next is pretty silly and impossible to believe. They decide to divorce and the judge (Edgar Buchanan) decides to follow Jean's father's advice (Charles Coburn) and sentence them to spend four days together re-living the four days they'd previously had--in an effort to get them to realize WHY they married in the first place! This plot device is just silly and impossible to believe. However, if you look past this, the film is amiable enough and entertaining. Not a great flick, but certainly a must for Jean Arthur fans. Also, it is interesting to see Coburn playing a not-so-gruff "nice guy" role for a change. I actually watched the film mostly for him, though I also adore Jean's films.

I'm sure most of us watched this film expecting a lot considering the cast. The More the Merrier and The Devil and Miss Jones were rare jewels. This film can't compare on the clever comedic levels as those films.

The leads have no chemistry and that is a large part of the problem. There is one scene full of great funny lines and that was in the diner and all funny lines delivered by the proprietor.

This film is still sweet and worth a one time viewing. Just don't expect the cuteness, cleverness and giggles from those other collaborations.

Jean Arthur retired for years after making this film.

With 'The Impatient Years' Hollywood addressed an issue that was probably far from unique during the war years: People who got married on the basis of a few days' acquaintance, who were then almost immediately separated because the husband had to go off to war, and who found, once he returned, that they had little in common. The film is in essence a humour-wrapped piece of advice on how to deal with such a situation. I am sure many viewers were able to relate to the story even if they found the advice itself impractical, to say the least. Jean Arthur, who plays the confused and bewildered young wife who meets a husband whom she hardly knows, is brilliant; the range of emotions she shows is stunning. Charles Coburn is excellent as interfering father and Phil Brown gives a convincing (and funny) lodger in love. Lee Bowman (as the husband) is perhaps a little bland. The plot moves fast; dialogues are witty. All in all this is a really nice comedy that is currently underrated at on average 6.4 stars.