Come Next Spring

I just watched this movie (Come Next Spring) for maybe the 3rd time. My mother Bonnie Tilley was in High School in Ione Ca. when this film was being made. She has many of the actors signatures. It was a pretty big deal to say the least. The downtown scene is unmistakable, main st. Ione. The inside poolroom scene was the pool hall. The church is outside Ione near Camanche Lake, (north shore), and the barn and house in the film is also in the Camanche area, which is also near Ione, and later became Paul's Boarding House. The train is on display near the Ione City hall. The movie had some big stars, and was pretty good, but it's so interesting to anyone who grew up in the area, because almost every scene is familiar.

A beautiful tale of redemption, with delightful colors ,a deliciously old-fashioned atmosphere and moving performances by Ann Sheridan and Steve Cochran (all sweetness and light: not the usual tough guy).

It's not an action-packed movie, but rather a depiction of simple rural life where all people stand together when they are struck by a disaster ; sentimentality is kept to a minimum level and the rapport the prodigal father has with his children goes straight to the heart ; it's suitable for the whole family ,just like the "little house" TV series except that Charles Ingalls was always a goody-two-shoes.

I'd tone things a bit for the long rumble which is mostly filler ,but the final pictures make up for it.

Charming piece of Americana affords Steve Cochran a nice change of pace from the brooding thugs he normally played. While he certainly had the physique and dangerous air required for those roles there was also an underlying gentleness to his screen presence that is well utilized here. He is well matched with Ann Sheridan, an actress with her own tough persona. Her careworn appearance in the film matches well with her role as a no nonsense farm woman and as always she offers a high quality performance. Their tentative dance of reconciliation after a long period of estrangement and nice touches that help add to the flavor of small community life make this most worthy picture one to check out.

This exceptionally effective and emotional small film is one of Republic's very best, and one of their last that was creatively and carefully produced as the studio died. In lovely-odd storybook Tru-colour that really suits the Americana, and with an excellent cast, especially the always gorgeous Anne Sheridan and handsome unappreciated Steve Cochran COME NEXT SPRING with its Max Steiner Score, and Tony Bennett theme song has remained unloved an unappreciated for too long by mainstream knowledge. I've heard Scorsese recites it as an influence and it should well be studied by film makers to see how well a small budget but love and care can result in an excellent tough, real, romantic family drama. It actually wasn't until the very last scene did I realise I had seen it as a child and the overwhelming emotion just burst from me, so effective and elating is this finale. The real and crumbling backwoods town they all vist in one scene is probably as close to real surviving 1920s smallville-america as we would ever genuinely see. Look for this film and get settled, you are in for a major discovery and a real treat. Probably influenced by the mega success of FRIENDLY PERSUASION and with Johnny Guitar and Quiet Man rentals to spend, Republic saw a moment when they could still take a chance on small town values with an A grade tech effort. Vale Republic!

For some reason whenever I hear the word 'Spring' I inevitably think of the movie 'Come Next Spring' which I remember seeing as a teenager. I thought Ann Sheridan & Steve Cochran were near the end of their careers and this was their swansong and did they know how to capture the whole essence of a small town community going through a crisis. It is warm, gentle and has a loving nature running all through it as though they all knew that the studio was near the end like a lot of the cast in their careers. Even the song I can still remember. Worth a remake? No impossible. It was the film that got away but luckily I have a good memory!