Random Harvest (1942)

An amnesiac World War I vet falls in love with a music hall star, only to suffer an accident which restores his original memories but erases his post-War life.

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Claudine West (screenplay), George Froeschel (screenplay),

Stars:

Ronald Colman, Greer Garson, Philip Dorn

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ronald Colman	...	Charles Rainier
Greer Garson	...	Paula
Philip Dorn	...	Dr. Jonathan Benet
Susan Peters	...	Kitty
Henry Travers	...	Dr. Sims
Reginald Owen	...	'Biffer'
Bramwell Fletcher	...	Harrison
Rhys Williams	...	Sam
Una O'Connor	...	Tobacconist
Aubrey Mather	...	Sheldon
Margaret Wycherly	...	Mrs. Deventer
Arthur Margetson	...	Chetwynd
Melville Cooper	...	George
Alan Napier	...	Julian
Jill Esmond	...	Lydia

Storyline

A veteran of World War I marries and settles happily into a tidy, humble life until an accident brings back memories of a former life of wealth and privilege while blocking all recollection of his existence since the war. Thus one man disappears, and another man long missing turns up and claims his vast inheritance. What does his devoted wife, whom he no longer recognizes, do?

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Plot Keywords:

memory | music hall | love | amnesia | marriage | 

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Taglines:

It's Great. Great Stars . . . A Great Story . . . A Great Author!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 August 1943 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

En la noche del pasado

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Loew's

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 126 min (Turner library print) (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ronald Colman had first-hand experience of shell shock - he had fought in the British army at the Battle of Ypres in World War I, during which he was also gassed.

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Goofs

The position of Kitty's legs changes when sharing a smoke with Charles.

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Quotes

Smithy: Paula, it's - it's a lot of nerve, but - I'm - I've fallen in love with you. I'm asking you to marry me, on a - on a check for two guineas.
Paula: Smithy, don't ask me, please. I might take you up on it. I'm just that shameless. I've run after you from the very beginning; you know I have. I've never let you out of my sight since I first saw you in that little shop.

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Connections

Referenced in The Vow (2012)

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Soundtracks

"For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung by a mob for Rainier mediating a strike

User Reviews

One Of The Three Most Emotionally Satisfying Movies Ever Made.

Along with NOW, VOYAGER and CASABLANCA, RANDOM HARVEST is one of the three most emotionally satisfying movies to ever come out of Hollywood's classic period, and a great example of the best that MGM had to offer in the '40s. Beautifully accomplished in every department from writing to art direction to cinematography to scoring, you have only to watch the first scene (so like REBECCA's) to be drawn in by it and then consistently surprised and entertained. And reading the 28 other comments here, I am struck by the unanimity of opinion -- because what makes the contrived plot believable scene by scene, and what causes the picture as a whole to live so warmly in the memory, is the unbeatable work from Ronald Colman and Greer Garson.

More than MRS. MINIVER, this is the archetypal Garson performance: her tact, gentle humor and intelligent restraint are in perfect service to her character and the story. If she seems too starry and aristocratic to be a lowly music hall performer, she is right in every other respect, particularly as an efficient secretary, society hostess and perfect helpmate. And this is Ronald Colman's best work ever. He should have won his Oscar for this lovely, subtle performance rather than for the strained work he did in A DOUBLE LIFE. Full of wistfulness as the amnesiac early in the film, there is real heartbreak in the way he says the line "I would have liked to have belonged to them" about the couple he hopes will turn out to be his parents. But he is just as convincing later as the confident, energetic 'Industrial Prince of England.'

Colman and Garson are the perfect grownup romantic couple: they make intelligence and maturity seem impossibly glamorous, and they embody the idea that friendship, loyalty and mutual respect must be at the center of every enduring love.