To Each His Own (1946)

An unwed mother, forced to give up her child to avoid scandal, follows her son's life from afar even as she prospers in business.

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writers:

Charles Brackett (screenplay), Jacques Théry (screenplay) (as Jacques Thery)

Stars:

Olivia de Havilland, John Lund, Mary Anderson

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Olivia de Havilland	...	Miss Josephine 'Jody' Norris (as Olivia De Havilland)
Mary Anderson	...	Corinne Piersen
Roland Culver	...	Lord Desham
Phillip Terry	...	Alex Piersen
Bill Goodwin	...	Mac Tilton
Virginia Welles	...	Liz Lorimer
Victoria Horne	...	Nurse Daisy Gingras
Griff Barnett	...	Daniel Norris
Alma Macrorie	...	Belle Ingram
Billy Ward	...	Gregory - Younger (as Bill Ward)
Frank Faylen	...	Babe
Willard Robertson	...	Dr. Hunt
Arthur Loft	...	Bernadock Clinton
Virginia Farmer	...	Mrs. Cora Clinton
Doris Lloyd	...	Miss Pringle

Storyline

During World War I, small-town girl Josephine Norris has an illegitimate son by an itinerant pilot. After a scheme to adopt him ends up giving him to another family, she devotes her life to loving him from afar.

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Plot Keywords:

announcement of pregnancy | loneliness | adopted son | cosmetics | small town | 

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Taglines:

A Great Star! She's Never Had A Better Role!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 March 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lágrimas de una madre

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The popular 1946 Livingston-Evans song hit "To Each His Own", though inspired by the film's title, was not included in the soundtrack. The top-selling version by Eddy Howard entered the national record charts three months after the movie's premiere and was followed by other best-sellers from The Ink Spots, Freddy Martin, Tony Martin, and The Modernaires.

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Goofs

When Captain Cosgrove shuts off the power to his biplane it continues to glide on a level path. Biplanes have very high drag because they have two wings and all the supports in between. The plane would have started to fall toward the ground, not continue on. The clouds in the background show a level path of travel.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Captain Bart Cosgrove: I think this is our dance, Mother.

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Connections

References Flaming Youth (1923)

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Soundtracks

Three Little Fishies (Itty Bitty Poo)
Word & Music by Saxie Dowell

User Reviews

Olivia de Havilland's 1946 Oscar Well Deserved

After winning her two-year court battle with Warner Bros., OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND became a free-lancer and got her big chance when Paramount offered her TO EACH HIS OWN, a script that had already been turned down by Ingrid Bergman and Ginger Rogers. Everyone shines in this movie, from the leads (OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND and JOHN LUND) to the smallest bit players.

De Havilland was perfect as Jody Norris, realistically portraying a young girl of seventeen and then various stages of maturity, ending as a brusque, middle-aged business woman in war-torn London of 1944. Her range as an actress is fully demonstrated and she does a remarkable job of playing the heroine at various stages of development.

John Lund is excellent too in a dual role (her lover and later her grown son), Bill Goodwin as a good-hearted pal, Philip Terry as another suitor who still loves her after marrying her friend (Mary Anderson). Anderson never had a better role than she does as the jealous, neurotic wife unwilling to let Jody have her own child back.

An intelligent script, detailed period direction by Mitch Leisen, fine background score by Victor Young and memorable moments from every player in the large cast. This is one Madame X kind of story that still holds up today. Probably the best soap-opera of the '40s, played to the hilt by a wonderful cast.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Roland Culver as Lord Desham. Brilliant performance. And on top of all the drama, there's a lot of humor and touches of real Americana, especially in the early scenes depicting Jody's small-town life.

Summing up: This was a huge box-office hit in the summer of '46 and re-ignited Olivia's career after a three year absence from the screen.