Till the End of Time (1946)

Three former marines have a hard time readjusting to civilian life. Perry can't deal with the loss of the use of his legs. William is in trouble with bad debts. And Cliff can't decide what ... See full summary »

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Allen Rivkin (screenplay), Niven Busch (novel)

Stars:

Dorothy McGuire, Guy Madison, Robert Mitchum

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dorothy McGuire	...	Pat Ruscomb
Guy Madison	...	Cliff Harper
Robert Mitchum	...	William Tabeshaw
Bill Williams	...	Perry Kincheloe
Tom Tully	...	C.W. Harper
William Gargan	...	Sgt. Gunny Watrous
Jean Porter	...	Helen Ingersoll
Johnny Sands	...	Tommy
Loren Tindall	...	Pinky
Ruth Nelson	...	Amy Harper
Selena Royle	...	Mrs. Kincheloe
Harry von Zell	...	Scuffy (as Harry Von Zell)
Richard Benedict	...	The Boy From Idaho

Storyline

Three former marines have a hard time readjusting to civilian life. Perry can't deal with the loss of the use of his legs. William is in trouble with bad debts. And Cliff can't decide what he wants to do with his life, although he gets encouragement from war widow Pat Ruscomb.

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Plot Keywords:

war widow | readjusting to civilian life | civilian | self pity | veteran | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1947 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

They Dream of Home

Filming Locations:

3457 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures, Dore Schary Productions, Vanguard Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Richard X. Slattery.

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Connections

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

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Soundtracks

"(I Got Spurs) Jingle Jangle Jingle"
(uncredited)
Music by Joseph J. Lilley
Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Sung by Robert Mitchum while walking to Guy Madison's home.

User Reviews

Even better post-WWII drama than "The Best Years of Our Lives"--See it!

From what I've read, "Till the End of Time," a heartbreakingly adult portrayal of the problems of ex-GIs returning hone after the conclusion of WWII, was eclipsed by the tremendous success of "The Best Years of Our Lives," released during the same year (1946). I'm probably a minority of one, but much prefer this film to the latter (though I love that one, too). My favorite, most underrated actress of all-time, Dorothy McGuire, should have won all the Best-Actress awards for her raw, lacerating, wounded portrayal of a war widow hitting the bottle to cope with the reality that her husband will not be coming home--and finds love, solace and sexual comfort via her affair with a younger--but equally lost and confused ex-GI, portrayed with equal hurt and sensitivity by the cruelly underrated Guy Madison (yes, Madison was duly celebrated for his good looks--but never received his proper due as an actor of quiet strength and aching vulnerability). The Hays Office must have been asleep (thank God!) when this couple with chemistry to spare escape for an interlude on the beach (and eclipse the ridiculously overrated clinch between Lancaster & Kerr in "From Here to Eternity"), expressing their unbridled lust--and mutual emotional needs--with a bold honesty rarely captured on the screen--in ANY movie. Madison's parents, confused by their young son's remoteness and desperation and well-meaning attempts to treat him as the naive young son they saw off to war (the scene at the dining room table when Madison unintentionally horrifies them by describing the filth and horrors of his wartime experiences is one of the most shatteringly honest moments in the movie) are portrayed by Tom Tully and Ruth Nelson with anguished candor. And the reappearance in the last portion of the film by Madison's physically disabled war comrades, Robert Mitchum and Bill Williams, as lost and shattered as he is, build to a sequence in a bar involving racial bigotry that will clutch your heart. I find it shocking that several commentators on this database have remarked how unattractive they find Ms. McGuire. Prior to this movie, Ms. McGuire was known for light-hearted comedies (at which she excelled). But finally given the chance to portray a straight, often heartrending adult role, Ms. McGuire radiates a mature, unglamorized sexuality and raw candor that she was never again allowed to show in the movies. She was never as beautiful and meltingly honest as she was allowed to be in "Till the End of Time." And her romantic relationship with the equally neglected but touchingly sincere Mr. Madison creates a spontaneous combustion rarely seen in a motion picture--before or since. "Till the End of Time" is no soap opera. It stands as a compassionate and haunting depiction of human beings in need of other human beings during times of almost unendurable stress. It has never been equalled, and is one of the handful of films I can truly call a work of art.