Faithful in My Fashion

On the surface, this is an above-average post-war romantic comedy. Beneath the veneer, it is MGM character actor stunt-casting at its funniest.

The leads are straightforward, but all the secondaries are cast much against type. Margaret Hamilton (aka Wicked Witch of the West), Edward Everett Horton (professional obsessive-compulsive fussbudget), and Sig Ruman (the Marx Brothers' nemesis in _Night In Casablanca_ and the always-wonderful _Night At The Opera_), playing a well-intentioned gang trying to bring the two leads together, instead of driving them apart as their "usual" characters would do.

It also pokes fun at many romantic-comedy conventions, which is another indication that this could be not so much a "straight" romantic comedy, as it is a wry send-up of the many post-war romantic comedies & their 2-dimensional, stock characters.

I've seen it only once, with interruptions, so I can't be positive, but this movie may be one of those that worked better in the context of the time at which it was made, but is less successful now that viewers "see" these secondary characters through a completely different lens. I'm assuming this is the case when I give it 9 stars. I thought it was hysterical.

The arch title doesn't fit this gentle romantic comedy. Donna Reed and Tom Drake don't have much chemistry -- but their characters aren't supposed to. Both are extremely likable and attractive.

The supporting cast is a dream -- with the exception of Sig Ruman's annoying faux Russian.

I loved this movie!!! The characters were people that you could feel for. The young man back from the service still in love with the girl he left behind. Tom Drake is always perfect in the romantic lead as well as Donna Reed as the love of his life. The looks he gives her as if he has been starved for the sight of her as well as her hesitation and confusion as too her feelings for him were played very well. The rest of the quirky characters at the store were perfect as they tried to bring them together. The most touching scene however, was the young couple at his great grandfather's house. I laughed in parts, cried in some and thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie. In fact I've re-watched it about 5 times. A definite must see for total romantics.

After serving four (and a half) years, World War II hero Tom Drake (as Jeff Compton) returns to the New York City department store where he worked with stock clerk sweetheart Donna Reed (as Jean "Chunky" Kendrick). Free from service (in a few weeks), Mr. Drake hopes to marry Ms. Reed. He believes she has been waiting for him. But, Reed has been promoted to a manager, and has a fiancé. In fact, she believes she never loved Drake - but, since he was serving his country honorably, and was taken to a prison camp, Reed could never bring herself to write the "Dear John" letter.

Her co-workers, led by fussy Edward Everett Horton (as Hiram Dilworthy), convince Reed she shouldn't spoil Drake's furlough, and she pretends nothing has changed. Reed wants to break it to him gently, but Drake gets more and more romantic… Reed and Drake are an incredibly sweet and attractive couple - they so obviously belong together, you could go stark raving mad if this film didn't end with the two (re-)kindling their love, and living happily ever after. And, the film does not disappoint. Mr. Horton, obviously having fun during the drunk scene, and the supporting cast are amusing.

****** Faithful in My Fashion (8/22/46) Sidney Salkow ~ Donna Reed, Tom Drake, Edward Everett Horton, Spring Byington

This is kind of a lightweight comic version of "The Best Years of Our Lives." A soldier returns from World War II on a final two-week leave before getting out of the service. Visiting the New York department store where he used to work, he declares that he intends to go back to being a stock clerk and marry the girl he left behind in the stockroom. But things have changed: The girlfriend is now a store executive, and she's engaged to another man.

Sympathetic workers at the store devise an elaborate plan to fool the young vet for two weeks, making him believe things are just as he left them. They even talk the old girlfriend into playing along, but obviously their real hope is that love will be rekindled.

OK, give it credit for a cute premise. But as a comedy of mix-ups, this one doesn't work especially well. It's more likable than funny. (The most amusing character by far is the insecure new fiancé, but he's barely on screen.) Best enjoyed as a period piece.

It's interesting to see Donna Reed and Barbara Billingsley in a movie together, although Billingsley's role is very small. Who could have guessed that in just a few years, these two would be America's most beloved TV mothers? Nobody.