They Meet Again (1941)

Director:

Erle C. Kenton

Writers:

Peter Milne (story)
Peter Milne (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 July 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical

Plot:

In the sixth entry of this series, Dr. Paul Christian is giving a party for Janie Webster, a motherless little girl of nine...

Plot Keywords:

Dr. Christian | Singing | Series | Astrology | Housekeeper

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Jean Hersholt	...	Dr. Paul Christian
Dorothy Lovett	...	Judy Price
Robert Baldwin	...	Roy Davis
Maude Eburne	...	Mrs. Hastings
Neil Hamilton	...	Governor John C. North
Anne Bennett	...	Janie Webster
Barton Yarborough	...	Bob Webster
Arthur Hoyt	...	Redmond, Governor's Secretary
John Dilson	...	William Merrill Sr.
Frank Melton	...	Wiliiam Merrill Jr.
Leon Tyler	...	Dick
Milton Kibbee	...	Defense Attorney Larkin
Gus Glassmire	...	Judge Ed Ellis
Patsy Parsons	...	Susie (as Patsy Lee Parsons)
Meredith Howard	...	Gertrude

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Ontario) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (PCA #7345)

Company:

Stephens-Lang Productions

Movie Connections:

Follows Melody for Three (1941)

Soundtrack:

THE RHYTHM IS RED AN' WHITE AN' BLUE

La Traviata, Astrology, Bride of Frankenstein, and ... Imogene Coca?!

Well, this has to be the very strangest of all the Dr. Christian movies. I like the series -- Jean Hersholt, with his charming Danish accent, makes a warm, friendly small-town Minnesota Dr., his housekeeper Maude Eburn, with her Bride of Frakenstein hairdo, is always amusing (and this time she spouts a continuous line of astrological wisdom which is -- incredibly for a movie -- completely accurate, according to the principles of astrology, and i say this as a professional astrologer, no joke!), and the shy romance between Judy and Bob, the young lovers, is, as ever, fascinatingly off-kilter.

But this time all sorts of strange side-shows are encountered. We get Neil Hamilton at his Leyendecker suit model best (in formal wear, no less) as the Governor, and the great Imogene Coca (uncredited) in a rousing performance as Lulu the romantic maid. And who on earth was the vocal double for little Anne Bennett when she burst into an entire aria from "La Traviata"? I suspect i will never know.

How can i recommend this movie to anyone who is not as weird as i am? I mean, if you want to see Maude Eburn in Bride of Frankenstein hair giving a completely accurate astrological rundown while Imogene Coca swoons on a porch glider and Neil Hamilton proves once again that he has the slickest hair and the straightest posture in town -- and you can stand hearing an entire aria from "La Traviata" mouthed by cute little Anne Bennett as Janie, who had earlier received a Shirley Temple doll for her birthday (the perfect gift for an aspiring child actor, of course) -- then this one's for you.

Oh, did i forget to mention Leon Tyler as Dick the tiny tap-dancing Western Union delivery boy? I think i did. Well, he's in there too, and so is Arthur Hoyt as the golf-obsessed secretary to the governor.

This film ranks a solid 5 out of 10 for weirdness alone. The only thing that would have made it better, would have been to have had it end with Arthur Hoyt in Imogene Coca's arms on the porch glider, while Dick tap-danced his way into Janie's heart and Bob and Judy got married. As for the Shirley Temple doll, it's worth hundreds now on eBay -- hundreds, i tell you!