Young Widow (1946)

Director:

Edwin L. Marin

Writers:

Clarissa Fairchild Cushman (novel), Richard Macaulay,

Stars:

Jane Russell, Louis Hayward, Faith Domergue

Cast

Cast overview:
Jane Russell	...	Joan Kenwood
Louis Hayward	...	Lt. Jim Cameron
Faith Domergue	...	Gerry Taylor
Marie Wilson	...	'Mac' McCallister
Kent Taylor	...	Peter Waring
Penny Singleton	...	Peg Martin
Connie Gilchrist	...	Aunt Cissie
Cora Witherspoon	...	Aunt Emeline
Norman Lloyd	...	Sammy Jackson
Steve Brodie	...	Willie Murphy
Richard Bailey	...	Bill Martin
Robert Holton	...	Bob Johnson
Peter Garey	...	Navy Lieutenant Smith
Bill Moss	...	Marine Lieutenant Pearson (as William Moss)
William Murphy	...	Army Lieutenant Hope (as Bill 'Red' Murphy)

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel

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Taglines:

The World's Most Exciting Brunette!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Naughty Widow

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hunt Stromberg Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jane Russell said in 1996 that, "Young Widow should have died with her husband".

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Soundtracks

"These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)"
Music and Lyrics by Harry Link, Eric Maschwitz and Jack Strachey
Heard during a restaurant scene with Jane Russell and Louis Hayward

User Reviews

Romance For Russell With A Rush

Young Widow was probably the first time that a lot of the movie-going public actually saw Jane Russell on the screen. With The Outlaw being pulled in and out of circulation for editing and reshooting, it was felt that she ought to do something to keep her name before the public. After all without a movie in circulation there was only so much The Outlaw and all the publicity around Jane's bosoms could do.

This was an independent film from producer Hunt Stromberg who normally worked at MGM. Which was the reason no doubt for the use of the song All Of A Sudden My Heart Sings as a theme which was introduced the year before by Kathryn Grayson in Anchors Aweigh.

But this United Artists film was a romance that was slow and sluggish and quite frankly Jane Russell didn't have the acting chops to pull it off. I could have seen someone like Teresa Wright doing this far better.

Russell is just that a young war widow who hasn't gotten over the death of her husband over Berlin. Despite that she's being given quite the rush by Louis Hayward another member of the Army Air Corps. Another rival is her boss, newspaper publisher Kent Taylor. But he's clearly running second throughout the film.

Though his name is nowhere to be seen, no doubt Howard Hughes was behind this film because of the presence of Faith Domergue in the cast who was another Hughes discovery. She's another widow trying to cope and turns to Russell for help. Given their respective chests the screen could barely contain them.

Jane would have to wait another two years for The Paleface, a really good and funny film to become a genuine movie star.