(John M. Stahl, US 1939, 94 min., 35mm nitrate, sound, b/w)
Print source: Academy Film Archive, Los Angeles, CA
John M. Stahl searched far and wide in the fall of 1938 for a new starring vehicle for Irene Dunne, whom he had directed twice before in Back Street (1932) and Magnificent Obsession (1936), before settling on James M. Cain’s unpublished manuscript A Modern Cinderella, about a union-organizing waitress who marries a millionaire industrialist with a manipulative mother. This was the first of Cain’s stories considered tame enough to be adapted by Hollywood; at the time, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Serenade were still considered censorable.
In keeping with Stahl’s affinity for sentimental melodramas with strong female leads, his attention was clearly focused on Irene Dunne during preproduction. Casting a leading man was usually of secondary importance—until Dunne was perfectly paired with Charles Boyer in the romantic hit Love Affair, released in April 1939. To capitalize on the current box-office power of the new team, Universal quickly signed Boyer for When Tomorrow Comes, a mere three weeks before production started.
At least five writers (some sources say over twenty) worked on the troubled screenplay, and filming began before the script was completed. The writers altered the source to such an extent that it barely resembled Cain’s story. They deemphasized the labor unrest, made Boyer a concert pianist, eliminated the couple’s marriage, and replaced Boyer’s mother with a wife. The church sequence was deliberately taken from Serenade (but was made radiantly chaste, in contrast to the violent sex scene that took place in the book); Cain sued Universal for plagiarism, but lost.
The writers drew from recent events for the film’s central dramatic backdrop: the September 1938 hurricane that devastated Long Island, killing hundreds and displacing thousands. During the storm scenes, John J. Mescall, cinematographer of The Black Cat (1934) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), strikingly casts the film into Universal darkness and shadow, creating the intimate refuge that brings Dunne and Boyer closer together. Barbara O’Neil, who would soon be seen as Scarlett O’Hara’s mother in Gone with the Wind, was a standout with the critics, receiving their highest praise for her brief but memorable role as Boyer’s wife.
This print on 1946 stock was likely made for the 1948 US rerelease. It is in excellent condition with 0.65% shrinkage and 3–4 splices per double reel.
– Nancy Kauffman
This screening is free for passholders of the sold-out 10th Nitrate Picture Show. A limited number of single-screening tickets may be available for purchase in person at the Dryden Theatre box office on a rush-line basis. Rush tickets will be sold only if seats remain after the film’s spoken introduction has begun.