The War Against Mrs. Hadley

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Movie
Original title The War Against Mrs. Hadley
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1942
length 86 minutes
Rod
Director Harold S. Bucquet
script George Oppenheimer
production Irving Asher for MGM
music David Snell
camera Karl friend
cut Elmo Veron
occupation

The War Against Mrs. Hadley is a 1942 American film about a selfish woman who is unwilling to accept war-induced restrictions. The main role is played by Fay Bainter . Directed by Harold S. Bucquet .

action

December 7th, 1941. Mrs. Hadley, a wealthy member of Washington’s best society, celebrates her birthday with all the pomp and expense she has always been used to. Surrounded by her closest friends and their two children Theodore and Patricia, Mrs. Hadley especially enjoys the attentions of her old admirer, Elliot Fulton. Fulton, who holds a responsible position in the War Department, accuses Mrs. Hadley of living in an ivory tower of ignorance. Just as the hostess is about to be indignant, the shocked company hears of the attack on Pearl Harbor . Everyone but Mrs. Hadley is deeply moved. The world is changing afterwards, but Mrs. Hadley insists that war need not affect the course of her comfortable life. When Theodore is drafted, Mrs. Hadley tries everything to get him out of the army, but her intervention with Elliot Fulton is in vain. Her selfishness and strict refusal to accept any restrictions eventually isolates Mrs. Hadley from her family and friends. Only when Theo dies a hero's death in the Pacific and President Franklin D. Roosevelt expresses his personal condolences, Mrs. Haldley is ready to bring the necessary concessions on the home front. She accepts Elliot's marriage proposal and is exemplary in the volunteer corps.

background

With the USA actively entering the war, Hollywood began making a whole series of films about the home front. The moral has always been that everyone can and must contribute to the victory over the Axis powers, no matter how tragic the resulting personal sacrifices may be. The War Against Mrs. Hadley is a certain exception to the otherwise usual portrayal of noble and selfless renunciation. The heroine Mrs. Hadley spends the majority of the movie complaining about anything and everything, avoiding any restrictions and always finding new ways to ignore the events overseas. Fay Bainter played one of the few leading roles of her career here and received the best reviews for her portrayal of a thoroughly selfish woman who is only willing to make her contribution to society after severe strokes of fate. Van Johnson plays a small role as Mrs. Hadley's son-in-law. A short time later he would begin his rise to become the most popular male star of the war years.

Reviews

The Time magazine praised Fay Bainters presentation and summarized the content along with the words, it would only be about how Fay Bainters soul for the blessings of the New Deal would save. But, so the praise, in the end the actress managed to remain believable despite the completely absurd plot.

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1943 , George Oppenheimer was nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Quoted from Margarita Landazuri: The War Against Mrs. Hadley (1942) - Articles. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved on October 20, 2019 (English): "[It] is an all-out jihad to save Fay Bainter's soul for the New Deal. [...] Fay Bainter succeeds against hopeless odds in making her absurd part plausible. "