You Came Along (1945)

The Age of Commercialism

Just perfect...

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

A Hal B. Wallis Production. Copyright 4 July 1945 by Hal Wallis Productions, Inc. Released through Paramount Pictures. New York opening at the Paramount: 4 July 1945. U.S. release: 14 September 1945. U.K. release: 22 October 1945. Australian release: 18 April 1946. 11 reels. 9,390 feet. 104 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Second-billed as Ivy Hotchkiss, Lizabeth was pitched in the advertisements as "Here's to Lizabeth Scott. Beautiful... blonde... aloof... alluring." And she had three acceptable leading men to bounce off her range of dramatic expression in this prefabricated bit of love, bravery, and patriotism. She was the treasury department official assigned to take three GIs (Bob Cummings, Don DeFore, and Charles Drake) on a war bond tour. Naturally, she and Cummings fall in love and marry. However...NOTES: Film debut of Lizabeth Scott.COMMENT: A ridiculous wartime escapist romantic melodrama, with boy scout pilots on a bond-selling tour falling for their chic blonde guide. Noble fellows these, whose strongest language is "Hubba-hubba!", true descendants of the Three Musketeers. Hard to believe that this tripe was boiled up by none other than Ayn The Fountainhead Rand. Even more difficult to credit that John Farrow had a hand in its direction. True, there are a few of his customary long takes, but mostly Farrow's handling comes across as boringly routine. His biggest black mark though is that he's been able to do nothing with that ebullient ham, Robert Cummings, who alas gives a truly lousy performance in what is the key role. Aside from a valiant attempt by newcomer Lizabeth Scott to dispense a bit of genuine charm to counterbalance Cummings' outlandish artificiality, the rest of the players seem cowed and overawed. Despite the sterling efforts of the photographer, the composer (who has contributed a witty and melodious score), and the art directors, all making the most of an undeniably handsome budget, the general atmosphere of this picture can be expressed in one word: Cloying.

Although this film introduces cinema audiences to Lizabeth Scott, it doesn't have anything going for it. You see Robert Cummings as a married man getting involved in domestic life washing up dishes, but this in and of itself is not advancing the plot. Cummings' acting is fine, but the individual performances do not lift the film. Scott is not easy on the eye even when she smiles. There is an arch at the side of her lip as if she has a bad taste in the mouth. It looks as though she is going to snarl at any minute, and you get the feeling that any happiness that she has will soon die in her face. Maybe if they had cast a better leading lady then her performance would have lifted the film.

Lizabeth Scott makes her film debut in this 1945 light comedy / romance / melodrama story set in World War II. Scott plays Ivy Hotchkiss, a stunning blonde from the treasury department who has been assigned to accompany three rambunctious, fun-loving war pilots on a Savings Bond tour across the US. She soon has her work cut out for her, trying to keep Major Bob Collins ( Robert Cummings ), Captain W. Anders ( Don DeFore ), Lt. R. Janoschek ( Charles Drake ) out of trouble. With all the mischievous merrymaking the three men come up with, Ivy finally gives in trying to keep them in line and comes to really enjoy and care for them. As the tour progresses, Ivy and Bob fall in love, but Collins is really dying of Leukemia and his secret is revealed accidentally by a medical officer to Ivy. The brave pilot has known all along that this Bond tour is his last hurrah. Ivy chooses to stay at his side, without revealing she knows of his condition, thus becoming a tragic heroine. The story sounds sappy on paper and a little dated, but actually the film is well scripted, and the fun-loving foursome are very engaging, and for the most part the film is enjoyable to watch. Lizabeth Scott is very impressive in a role far different from the characters she would play through-out the rest of her career. If you are lucky to have the chance to see this hard to find film, I suggest having a look, I wish I could see it again.

This movie begins as a light romantic comedy and ends as a tearjerker. It doesn't work for me. Set at the end of the second world war three hero/veterans of the air-war over Europe go on a war bonds tour with a minder from the Treasury Department who turns out to be a beautiful blonde. After a series of ordinary hijinks the Robert Cummings character marries the Treasury girl. Through happenstance she learns that he is dying of leukemia and we are expected to cry.It is sort of expected that the brave soldier is to die in a war movie, but this is not a war movie. It is a light comedy set after the war. Surely they could have come up with a better plot than to have the young widow hear aircraft over her house and then the voice of her departed husband? But if you like Bob Cummings from his other works, such as "Love That Bob" where he plays another former WWII flier named Bob Collins it is worth seeing. Additionally it is an interesting view of the way our society was in 1945 and for these reasons it should be seen.