Remember the Day (1941)

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Phillip Dunning (play) and
Philo Higley (play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 December 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Plot:

Elderly schoolteacher Nora Trinell, waiting to meet presidential nominee Dewey Roberts, recalls him...

Plot Keywords:

Newspaper Reporter | USA | Newspaper Story | Soldier | Inspiration

Cast

Claudette Colbert	...	Nora Trinell
John Payne	...	Dan Hopkins
Shepperd Strudwick	...	Dewey Roberts (as John Sheppard)
Ann E. Todd	...	Kate Hill (as Ann Todd)
Douglas Croft	...	Dewey Roberts as a boy
Jane Seymour	...	Mrs. Roberts
Anne Revere	...	Miss Nadine Price
Frieda Inescort	...	Mrs. Dewey Roberts
Harry Hayden	...	Mr. Roberts
Francis Pierlot	...	Mr. Steele
Marie Blake	...	Miss Cartwright
William Henderson	...	Peter
Chick Chandler	...	Mr. Mason
Selmer Jackson	...	Graham
William Halligan	...	Tom Hanlon
George Ernest	...	Bill Tower
Harry Tyler	...	Mr. Avery
Jody Gilbert	...	Mrs. Martha Avery
Irving Bacon	...	Cecil
Paul Harvey	...	Sen. Phillips
Thurston Hall	...	Gov. Teller
Billy Dawson	...	Steve Hill
George Chandler	...	Telegraph clerk
Geraldine Hall	...	Beaulah
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Blaine	...	Doorman (uncredited)
John Bohn	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Virginia Brissac	...	Mrs. Hill (uncredited)
William Byrne	...	Student (uncredited)
Harry Carter	...	Reporter (uncredited)
William B. Davidson	...	Committeeman (uncredited)
Edgar Dearing	...	Detective (uncredited)
George Dobbs	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Woman awaiting Dewey's arrival (uncredited)
Byron Foulger	...	Mr. Blanton, Graduating class photographer (uncredited)
Ethel Griffies	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Harry Harvey Jr.	...	Third baseman (uncredited)
John Hiestand	...	Radio Announcer (uncredited)
David Holt	...	Pitcher (uncredited)
Darwood Kaye	...	Student (uncredited)
Vera Lewis	...	Teacher (uncredited)
Kay Linaker	...	Society reporter (uncredited)
Robert Lowery	...	Hotel P.A. Announcer (uncredited)
Mae Marsh	...	Teacher (uncredited)
Paul McVey	...	Jeweler (uncredited)
Frank Melton	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Roseanne Murray	...	Jane, Flower girl (uncredited)
Wedgwood Nowell	...	Man awaiting Dewey's arrival (uncredited)
Steve O'Brien	...	Bellboy (uncredited)
Paddy O'Flynn	...	Photographer (uncredited)
George O'Hara	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Arthur Rankin	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Ruth Robinson	...	Mrs. Petit (uncredited)
Mel Ruick	...	Hotel clerk (uncredited)
Paul Stanton	...	Committeeman (uncredited)
Charles Tannen	...	Slicker (uncredited)
Maxine Tucker	...	Teacher (uncredited)
Truman Van Dyke	...	Student (uncredited)
Lillian West	...	Teacher (uncredited)
Cecil Weston	...	Teacher (uncredited)
Allen Wood	...	Bellboy (uncredited)
Florence Wright	...	Beaulah's Assistant (uncredited)

Directed by
Henry King

Writing credits
Phillip Dunning		(play) and
Philo Higley		(play)
Tess Slesinger		(screenplay) and
Frank Davis		(screenplay) and
Allan Scott		(screenplay)
Henry King		uncredited

Produced by
William Perlberg	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman
Charles Bradshaw		(uncredited)
David Buttolph		(uncredited)
Hugo Friedhofer		(uncredited)
Cyril J. Mockridge		(uncredited)
David Raksin		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
George Barnes

Film Editing by
Barbara McLean

Art Direction by
Richard Day

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Music Department
Léo Arnaud	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1941) (USA) (theatrical)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #7713)

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Soundtrack:

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Sweet story of a schoolteacher and her two loves

Claudette Colbert is a schoolteacher thinking about her past life in "Remember the Day," a 1941 film also starring John Payne, Shepperd Strudwick, Ann E. Todd, Jane Seymour and Anne Revere. As she waits to catch a glimpse of a former student, Dewey Peters, now running for President, Nora Trinell (Colbert) thinks back to 1916, when Dewey was a child in her class, and she had just met another teacher in the school, Mr. Hopkins (Payne). Dewey has a terrible crush on Nora, who sees his true worth right away; Hopkins is in love with her. Kay, a student in Dewey's class, is crazy about him, but Dewey is at an age where he doesn't want any girls around. Besides, he's in love with Nora.

Nora and Hopkins eventually marry secretly, and he signs up for World War I. Dewey is heartbroken when he sees them together. Before going away to prep school, Nora encourages him in his goals and tells him that he is like a son to her. At his request, she goes to see him off at the train, the same train her husband is on en route to battle. The last time we see her in the flashback, she is waving goodbye.

This is a very touching movie with some nice performances, particularly by Colbert, Payne, and Douglas Croft, who plays the young Dewey. The fashions don't look particularly of the period, and as usual, everyone is aged much more than the 25 years that are supposed to have passed. It is true that people look younger today at 50, partly because we fight aging and also because of a youthful attitude, as one of the reviewers states. I still think everyone looked too old, and that includes young Dewey's parents during the flashback, who looked like his grandparents. It's unusual for Twentieth Century Fox to have permitted any aging at all - Zanuck would barely let Tyrone Power have gray at the temples in films with long time spans.

Colbert was actually 9 years older than John Payne, but I was aware of it only because I knew it. She was cast opposite younger men more than once. She is very lovely in this, looking much younger than her 38 years. She really carries the film. Payne, a very well-built hunk, gives a wonderful performance.

The acting really uplifts this film as does the solid directing of Henry King. You may shed a tear or two - if you don't mind that, "Remember the Day" is well worth seeing.