L'Esclave du souvenir

From the late 1930's until well after World War Two was over, the stories of women left behind as their men went off to war has been told. The best of the bunch "A Guy Named Joe" with Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunn, and Van Johnson, "Young Widow" isn't one of the best but it's not at the bottom either. Jane Russell broadens her acting range beyond playing the tough broad who has no time for male advances, in adding a soft vulnerable side. Louis Hayward plays her stalker/Love Interest doing all he can to break open the hard shell. It's just a tad ackward in having a British guy in a US Army Air Force uniform and flying a B-24, poor casting that doesn't work well. Dindbat Marie Wilson, Penny Singleton and Faith Domerque play housemates to Russell's character and they are the best, more comical, part of the film. It's not a bad film, it's watchable but it drags in places, the dialogue isn't great, and Russell's character broods far too much. It's as if the director and playwright regard the viewer are terribly slow forcing them to keep up the sad, moody and sour characterization for 3/4's of the picture or the folks won't understand. Check out Van Johnson in "The Miracle of the Rain" or "A Guy Named Joe" first, and then look for "Young Widow".

I was 9 years old when I first saw this movie. I am 64 years old now and I have never forgotten the feeling I had when I saw Young Widow. I was too young to understand the feeling of Love, but it effected me enough that I have never forgotten the movie or the actors and I have not seen Young Widow since 1946.

This is Jane Russell's one serious film, or at least it begins as such, on the brink of turning into a downrightr noir, but then Louis Hayward appears, a man was missing in her life, and here he is. But he doesn't come alone. Along there is a whole bunch of merry war pilots with their girls crowding into the apartment which she has to stay in with a friend for want of vacansies in all hotels in New York, and so it turns into a brilliant, ebullient and very enjoyable comedy.

Many have said that this is Jane Russell's best film, and it couldn't be otherwise. She is as beautiful as Hedy Lamarr and Linda Darnell, and her grief as a widow becomes her more than well and adds to the attraction - Louis Hayward's reactions are perfectly natural and logical.

Still, the serious background remains, many war pilots never return, and they still all have to return to battle. This was made towards the end of the war, but although it is closing on the finish (with bombings of Tokyo), it isn't quite over yet, and the Gerry Taylor subplot stresses the concerns. It's a wonderful film, the dialogue is like crossfire all through but positively witty all the way, and it will be a joy to once return to this film once more.

Young Widow was probably the first time that a lot of the movie-going public actually saw Jane Russell on the screen. With The Outlaw being pulled in and out of circulation for editing and reshooting, it was felt that she ought to do something to keep her name before the public. After all without a movie in circulation there was only so much The Outlaw and all the publicity around Jane's bosoms could do.

This was an independent film from producer Hunt Stromberg who normally worked at MGM. Which was the reason no doubt for the use of the song All Of A Sudden My Heart Sings as a theme which was introduced the year before by Kathryn Grayson in Anchors Aweigh.

But this United Artists film was a romance that was slow and sluggish and quite frankly Jane Russell didn't have the acting chops to pull it off. I could have seen someone like Teresa Wright doing this far better.

Russell is just that a young war widow who hasn't gotten over the death of her husband over Berlin. Despite that she's being given quite the rush by Louis Hayward another member of the Army Air Corps. Another rival is her boss, newspaper publisher Kent Taylor. But he's clearly running second throughout the film.

Though his name is nowhere to be seen, no doubt Howard Hughes was behind this film because of the presence of Faith Domergue in the cast who was another Hughes discovery. She's another widow trying to cope and turns to Russell for help. Given their respective chests the screen could barely contain them.

Jane would have to wait another two years for The Paleface, a really good and funny film to become a genuine movie star.

Jane is gorgeous in this her second film but wasn't ready for a part that required a haunted bruised quality like this does. Missing from her performance is the permeating sadness of a woman who has lost her true love, something that Barbara Stanwyck could have injected in the part without breaking a sweat, still she makes a good try and practically glows on screen. The real reason to watch this is for the supporting cast. Connie Gilchrist and Cora Witherspoon make a fun pairing as Jane's opposite sides of a coin aunts back on the farm. Marie Wilson is charming as her usual ditzy blonde but it's Penny Singleton of Blondie fame who really delivers the best performance as an old friend of Jane's character who provides a nest for her to recover from her heartbreak. She's funny and strong by turns and enjoyable throughout.