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.

Director:

John Huston

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 | suicide | 

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Taglines:

A sensational novel throbs to life! The cast is one of Warner Bros. best - the picture is one of Warner Bros. biggest!

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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

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

For reasons that remain unclear, Raoul Walsh took over directing for John Huston in the last week of production, which wrapped on January 8, 1942, thirteen days behind schedule. (Ed Sikov: Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis, 2007)

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Quotes

Roy Timberlake: What made you decide to become a lawyer?
Parry Clay: Well, you see, it's like this, Miss Roy: a white boy, he can take most any kind of job and improve himself. Well, like in this store! Maybe he can get to be a clerk or a manager. But a colored boy, he can't do that. He can keep a job or he can lose a job. But he can't get any higher up. So he's got to figure out something he can do that no one can take away. And that's why I want to be a lawyer.
Roy Timberlake: Why, Perry, that's wonderful. I had no idea. Minerva never ...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Featured in All About Bette (1994)

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Soundtracks

South American Way
(1939) (uncredited)
Music by Jimmy McHugh
Played on the phonograph
Reprised on a juke box at the Southside Tavern

User Reviews

How Stanley got to be the way she is...

The family patriarch (Frank Craven), who has long since lost control of the business he himself started, and winds up only being an employee at, raises two distinctly different daughters. One (played by Bette Davis) is corrupted by her own personality defects and the attentions of her uncle (Charles Coburn), who has plenty of ability in business (it is revealed that he swooped in and took over the business that Craven started at an opportune time), but has a childless and cold marriage and presumably for that reason, showers money, gifts, and attention on his niece, foolishly believing he can buy her love and his happiness. This turns out to be probably Stanley's (Bette Davis) most formative relationship. Why De Havilland's Roy is so different we can only assume was because she came more under the influence of her father (Craven). That involved background story is actually more interesting than the story that is presented in the foreground, of Davis and sister Olivia De Havilland and their relationships with George Brent and Dennis Morgan. Nonetheless, Davis' relationship with Uncle William (Coburn) reaches a climactic point that ties in beautifully with the climax of the film.