The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943)

A missionary tries to outwit the U.S. government and smuggle Chinese orphans into the country.

Directors:

Bruce Manning, Jean Renoir (uncredited)

Writers:

Frank Ryan (screen play), Hans Jacoby (screen play)

Stars:

Deanna Durbin, Edmond O'Brien, Barry Fitzgerald

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Deanna Durbin	...	Ruth Kirke Holliday
Edmond O'Brien	...	Tom Holliday
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Timothy Blake
Arthur Treacher	...	Henderson
Harry Davenport	...	Commodore Thomas Spencer Holliday
Grant Mitchell	...	Edgar Holliday
Frieda Inescort	...	Karen Holliday
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Louise Holliday
Jonathan Hale	...	Ferguson
Esther Dale	...	Lucy
Gus Schilling	...	Jeff Adams
John F. Hamilton	...	Dr. Kirke (as J. Frank Hamilton)
Christopher Severn	...	Orphan
Yvonne Severn	...	Orphan
Vido Rich	...	Orphan

Storyline

Ruth Kirke (Deanna Durbin), an American school teacher at a missionary in China, is smuggling nine recently-orphaned Chinese children back to the United States. En route, the ship on which they are traveling is torpedoed and, after being rescued , the only way the children can get into America , is by lying that her husband, who has promised to adopt the children, is the missing owner of the torpedoed ship. Multile complications arise.

---

Plot Keywords:

damsel in distress | china missionary school | war orphan | world war two | china | 

---

Taglines:

What she does to San Francisco...hasn't been done since the earthquake!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance | War

---

Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie's working title was "Forever Yours."

---

Connections

Referenced in 12 Angry Men (1957)

---

Soundtracks

Rock-a-bye Baby
(uncredited)
Music by Effie I. Canning
Chinese Translation by Rosalyda Chang
Sung by Deanna Durbin

User Reviews

Not much here. A pleasant enough time waster

Several sources report that Jean Renoir, who shot some scenes and was then replaced as director, began this film. If he had completed it, it would have come between Swamp Water and This Land Is Mine. All my efforts to find out more about Renoir's contribution have been fruitless. I even tracked down Renoir's autobiography only to find that he doesn't mention it - not even in passing. Anyhow, Deanna Durbin is the daughter of a China missionary who rescues 8 orphan children (7 of them white) and brings them to the U.S. where they are about to be taken by the '40s version of Child Protective Services. So, she pretends to be the new, young bride of a shipping magnet who she believes was killed in a ship bombing. Romantic comedy complications ensue. I would recommend it mainly for Durbin fans, but also for those who would like to speculate on what it would have been if Jean Renoir has seen it through to completion.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 February 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Forever Yours

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1