Coeurs enchaînés

If you've read my reviews, you'll know I once nicknamed Ray Milland "Ray Mi-bland" and it stuck. I feel a little sorry for teasing him, since I've seen more of his movies and been exposed to more of his talent. He's a two-time Rag Award nominee now, and he earned his second nomination for his excellent performance in Night Into Morning.

In this heavy drama, Ray leans on the crutch of alcohol to drown his sorrows. Yes, he did that in The Lost Weekend, but unlike his Oscar-winning performance-for which he wasn't nominated for a Rag-in this movie, he has a very good reason for doing it. He starts the movie a happy man with a wife, son, house in the suburbs, and an enjoyable job as an English professor at the local college. There's a freak accident and the furnace in his house explodes, and his wife and son are killed. Let the poor man have a drink or two, for crying out loud!

There are so many great scenes in this movie, including the scene of the accident. Ray is giving a lecture on Shakespeare, and in the background, there's an unusual noise. Shortly afterwards, police sirens interrupt his speech, and then his colleague Nancy Davis bursts into his classroom with the terrible news.

In another touching scene, Ray offers his son's bicycle to a neighbor boy. He's trying to be calm and friendly, but the interaction is too much for him to handle and he explodes, "You can use it. You're alive! Go ahead, take it!" Ray continually bottles his emotions, but when he finally releases them, he'll have you reaching for the Kleenex box over and over again. Trust me, The Lost Weekend was merely a warm-up.

Wow, what a surprise this movie was for me!! I did it mainly to see another example of Nancy Davis's acting ability. Until now, I had only seen her in fairly limited roles in The Next Voice You Hear... (1950) and It's A Big Country(1951). I was not only impressed with her totally natural acting but was pleasantly surprised by this movie itself. I had never heard of it before. Perhaps I have seen The Lost Weekend (1945) too many times; but with Night Into Morning, I felt Milland gave a better performance as a depressed alcoholic than he did in his Oscar- winning performance in The Lost Weekend.

The movie presents the story about a Berkley University English professor (Ray Milland) whose life is turned upside down when he looses his entire family because his basement furnace blows up. Suddenly, without his wife (Rosemary DeCamp) and son, he is left with a totally empty life. He copes with his emptiness by immersing himself in his work and in the bottle. Although his fellow workers and friends try to help him get his life back on track, only his fellow professor's fiancée (Nancy Davis) understands his pain, since she had been a WW II widow before remarrying the professor (John Hodiak). Her hyper-understanding of Ray Milland's character threatens her new marriage, which gives the movie yet another dimension.

Other good performances in the movie are turned in by Lewis Stone, as the English Department Head, and Jean Hagen as his neighbor. Lewis Stone was a staple in the Silents early 'Talkies,' but seemed to get even better with age. Jean Hagen is the familiar character actress with the funny voice from Singin' in the Rain (1952), Adam's Rib (1949), and The Asphalt Jungle (1950).

Ray Milland reprises his drunken "Lost Weekend" routine in this typical drama about a professor who mourns the accidental death of his wife and 10-year-old boy, and then instead of adequately grieving over the loss, takes to drowning his sorrows in the bottle and becomes an alcoholic. His two best friends who care about him constantly try to set him on the straight and narrow path. I found this to be pretty standard with predictable results, with a stagnant plot that really doesn't go anywhere. What set this above average and worth one look is the good performance from Milland as well as a young Nancy Davis (Reagan) as one of the thoughtful friends who's devoted to him and can relate, having lost a spouse herself. **1/2 out of ****

Ray Milland stars with John Hodiak and Nancy Davis in "Night Into Morning," from 1951.

Milland, six years past his "Lost Weekend" performance hits the drink route again in this story of a professor who loses his wife and child in a fire. He starts drinking, and becomes bitter and angry as his two friends (Hodiak and Davis) attempt to hold him together.

This was a predictable movie, but there is an impressive performance by Milland, and a chance to see Nancy Davis, our former first lady, and she does a good job as a woman who knows about loss. John Hodiak is the less understanding and somewhat jealous friend. I liked his role because he acted like a typical male - when his wife or girlfriend's attention is off of him, he becomes upset. I remember when my friend's grandmother was dying, and his uncle by marriage asked his wife how long it was going to last.

What I really loved were the last fifteen minutes or so, which really elevated this film, particularly Milland's speech to his students.

Lovely, and I admit to shedding a tear or two.

Nancy Davis (later Reagan) gives a surprisingly good, sympathetic performance playing platonic friend to well-respected but troubled teacher Ray Milland. Life's woes have caused Ray to hit the bottle hard, but his loved ones quickly rally and offer their support. Heartfelt drama, written by Karl Tunberg and Leonard Spigelgass, is set partially (and quite amiably) at the professor's work-place, an idyllic college campus. Perhaps unintentionally, the filmmakers show that an innocent locale such as this doesn't always guarantee happiness or security, and Milland's personal tragedy leads him to depression and booze. The finale is a bit melodramatic, but the characters are vividly drawn. Not up to "The Lost Weekend" standards, but workmanlike, efficient and quite good. **1/2 from ****