One More Tomorrow

Warner Bros. apparently tried to buy up and/or surpress all existing prints of the zingy pre-code classic THE ANIMAL KINGDOM (1932) when they decided to remake it as ONE MORE TOMORROW (1946). ANd no wonder--this turgid remake definitely suffers the comparison. While adding a bit of the Warner Bros. panache and moving a bit more quickly (the earlier version was more faithful to the original stage play, and thus more talky), ONE MORE TOMORROW takes out all the zing, bite, and--most disturbingly--the very real human grappling with opposite desires--that THE ANIMAL KINGDOM managed to transpose so successfully to the screen from Philip Barry's equally successful play. Barry, the author of such gems as HOLIDAY and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, seemed fascinated with the moral dilemmas faced by the rich and the not so rich as they struggle to come to terms with who--and what--is the most important guiding principle in their lives. Unfortunately, the production code forced Warner Bros. to temper the life out of Barry's still timely ideas about the perils of "selling out" in love and business. The result is, sadly, a film that plays as a standard Warner Bros. soaper, with little emotional or mental involvement involved. If you're a fan of stars Smith, Morgan, and Sheridan (who all do the best they can with the material), you'll want to see this one. If you're more interested in the idea behind it, or in Philip Barry, check out the infinitely superior THE ANIMAL KINGDOM--an unjustly forgotten precode classic guaranteed to appeal to heart and mind.

This was a surprisingly good film. I expected a tear jerker but instead found a pleasent, entertaining story. Although, I must confess what makes the movie so entertaining for me is the role of Jack Carson. Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan made several movies together, and they were never better. I am a big Jack Carson fan. He can play a villain or a buffoon and make the character believable. He usually played, as in this film, second banana to the star of the movie, and like all great second bananas, he steals every scene he's in.

...And they lived happily ever after. You know this is not the case with Dennis Morgan and Alexis Smith in "One More Tomorrow." Marrying Smith, when Ann Sheridan says no, can only lead to trouble.

We have an impressive cast here. Jack Carson is fabulous in bringing comic relief as the butler. Jane Wyman plays Sheridan's friend and she evokes her usual sympathy when she tells a married Morgan that Sheridan no longer wants to see him.

Smith plays a conniving, vicious woman to the hilt. Morgan is the righteous guy who turns his back on his father's wealth and goes to work for a magazine that will eventually uncover corruption on the part of the father (Thurston Hall's) friends. Smith and father-in-law Hall cook up quite a scheme to keep Morgan from publishing the stories. While it doesn't work, the picture sure does.

Marjorie Gateson briefly appears as Aunt Edna. I thought her part would be much bigger and important but she quickly disappears. Don't let this film pass you by.

This film is a lovely find. The story line is not particularly original: selfish-wife-tangles-with-selfless-rival. Ann Sheridan is beautiful and performs wonderfully as the woman who regrets having turned down Dennis Morgan's marriage proposal at the start of the film. Alexis Smith certainly holds her own as the cold, haughty and spoiled woman who stalks and marries the wealthy Dennis Morgan soon after. The story line has Morgan as the publisher of a "liberal" magazine - in the olden days "liberal" had as illustrious a reputation in the U.S. as it continues to maintain in the rest of the world today. Sheridan researches a story involving wartime graft among industrialists which Morgan feels compelled not to publish in his progressive magazine after his wife, anxious to maintain her social standing, lies to him about his own father's involvement and certain prison sentence if the story is exposed. Comic relief in the storyline is provided by Jack Carson as the oft-inebriated pal of Dennis Morgan - who "buttles" for the upper class couple. Well worth a watch!

This is a good Warners film with a cast of their second-tier stars: Dennis Morgan, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Jane Wyatt, and Reginald Gardner. It was held for three years before release. Not sure why.

Tom Collier (Morgan) is from a wealthy family but not happy being a playboy or entering the family business. He wants to build something on his own. He purchases a liberal magazine instead.

Money-hungry Cecelia (Smith) has set her cap for Tom. He's in love with the magazine's photographer, Christie (Sheridan), but she shoots him down. Cecelia makes her move, and the two marry.

She's trouble from the beginning as she agrees with Tom's father about keeping the status quo. She certainly doesn't want Tom's best friend (Carson) around, who actually works for them as a butler.

Tom has to make a decision about who he is. One of the reviewers here thought it was unrealistic because Cecelia is a horrible person. Obviously he hasn't been exposed to what I have - and in my own family. Guys like the Tom character are absolute set-ups for these vipers, who will cut them off from their families and make them do things they don't want to do. Frankly they're a dime a dozen - snobby, patrician, and concerned with appearances.

Morgan, Sheridan, Carson, and Wyman as Christie's friend are very likable. We know how this film will end though it does push the envelope of the code.

Life's funny - Carson and Sheridan died in their early fifties, while Wyman and Morgan lived to ripe old ages. Here they're young, attractive, and working very well together. Pleasant film despite that mean Alexis Smith.