In This Our Life (1942)

The day before her wedding, a pampered young woman absconds with her sister's husband; in retaliation, her sister begins seeing the woman's former fiancé.

Directors:

John Huston, Raoul Walsh (uncredited)

Writers:

Howard Koch (screenplay), Ellen Glasgow (novel)

Stars:

Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, George Brent

3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bette Davis	...	Stanley Timberlake
Olivia de Havilland	...	Roy Timberlake
George Brent	...	Craig Fleming
Dennis Morgan	...	Peter Kingsmill
Charles Coburn	...	William Fitzroy
Frank Craven	...	Asa Timberlake
Billie Burke	...	Lavinia Timberlake
Hattie McDaniel	...	Minerva Clay
Lee Patrick	...	Betty Wilmoth
Mary Servoss	...	Charlotte Fitzroy
Ernest Anderson	...	Parry Clay
William B. Davidson	...	Jim Purdy
Edward Fielding	...	Dr. Buchanan
John Hamilton	...	Police Inspector Millett
William Forrest	...	Forest Ranger

Storyline

A young woman, Stanley Timberlake, dumps her fiance, Craig Fleming, and runs off with her sister Roy's husband, Peter Kingsmill. They marry, settle in Baltimore, and Stanley ultimately drives Peter to drink and suicide. Stanley returns home to Richmond only to learn that her sister Roy and old flame Craig have fallen in love and plan to marry. The jealous and selfish Stanley attempts to win back Craig's affections, but her true character is revealed when, rather than take the rap herself, she attempts to pin a hit and run accident on the young black clerk, Parry Clay, who works in Craig's law office.

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Plot Keywords:

sister | hit and run | virginia | f rated | psychotronic film | 

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Taglines:

The men in their lives: George Brent, Dennis Morgan.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

In This Our Life

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$713,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both Bette Davis' and Olivia de Havilland's characters have masculine given names--"Stanley" and "Roy," respectively. The film never hints that there is anything unusual about their names, nor does it offer any explanation.

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Goofs

When the police drive up to the house looking for Stanley they park with their front wheels straight but when they run after her and get back in their car the wheels are turned.

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Quotes

Asa Timberlake: In my day, we didn't talk much about happiness. If it came we were grateful for it. But we were brought up in the belief that there were other things more important; old-fogy fantastic notions such as duty and personal responsibility.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Featured in Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006)

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Soundtracks

How Do I Know It's Sunday?
(uncredited)
Music by Sammy Fain
Played on the phonograph when Stanley runs into Craig downstairs

User Reviews

Melodrama at its best, with classy stars.

I am not certain Ellen Glasgow's book is faithfully reproduced in this movie, but John Huston has brought to the screen an excellent melodrama, featuring two of Hollywood's greatest actresses (both dual Oscar winners) in Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland. The story of the two sisters' relationships with each other, and their men played by two very boring actors George Brent and Dennis Morgan is very well told, with Davis having a great final scene with her uncle as depicted by Charles Coburn. The young Afro-American actor Anderson played his role extremely sensitively and possibly was the first of his race to be cast in a movie in this light. Character actors such as Lee Patrick and Hattie McDaniel certainly added to the charm of this film. I do feel that the character Roy (de Havilland) could have been better developed by the script, but as usual, she carried it off brilliantly. Billie Burke was featured in a most unusual role for her, and she did it well.