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IMDbPro

The Sun Comes Up

  • 1949
  • Passed
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
426
YOUR RATING
The Sun Comes Up (1949)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer2:32
1 Video
77 Photos
DramaFamilyMusical

Set in the rural south of the United States, a bereaved war widow learns to to put aside her bitterness and grief as she grows to love a young orphan boy and the dog that belonged to her lat... Read allSet in the rural south of the United States, a bereaved war widow learns to to put aside her bitterness and grief as she grows to love a young orphan boy and the dog that belonged to her late son. Punctuated with song-filled interludes.Set in the rural south of the United States, a bereaved war widow learns to to put aside her bitterness and grief as she grows to love a young orphan boy and the dog that belonged to her late son. Punctuated with song-filled interludes.

  • Director
    • Richard Thorpe
  • Writers
    • William Ludwig
    • Margaret Fitts
    • Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
  • Stars
    • Jeanette MacDonald
    • Lloyd Nolan
    • Claude Jarman Jr.
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    426
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Richard Thorpe
    • Writers
      • William Ludwig
      • Margaret Fitts
      • Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
    • Stars
      • Jeanette MacDonald
      • Lloyd Nolan
      • Claude Jarman Jr.
    • 19User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:32
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos77

    The Sun Comes Up (1949)
    Claude Jarman Jr., Jeanette MacDonald, and Pal in The Sun Comes Up (1949)
    Claude Jarman Jr., Jeanette MacDonald, and Lloyd Nolan in The Sun Comes Up (1949)
    Claude Jarman Jr., Jeanette MacDonald, Lloyd Nolan, and Pal in The Sun Comes Up (1949)
    Claude Jarman Jr. and Pal in The Sun Comes Up (1949)
    Claude Jarman Jr. and Lloyd Nolan in The Sun Comes Up (1949)
    Jeanette MacDonald and Pal in The Sun Comes Up (1949)
    Claude Jarman Jr., Jeanette MacDonald, Lloyd Nolan, and Pal in The Sun Comes Up (1949)
    Claude Jarman Jr. and Pal in The Sun Comes Up (1949)
    Jeanette MacDonald and Lloyd Nolan in The Sun Comes Up (1949)
    Claude Jarman Jr., Jeanette MacDonald, and Pal in The Sun Comes Up (1949)
    Claude Jarman Jr. and Pal in The Sun Comes Up (1949)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jeanette MacDonald
    Jeanette MacDonald
    • Helen Lorfield Winter
    Lloyd Nolan
    Lloyd Nolan
    • Thomas I. Chandler
    Claude Jarman Jr.
    Claude Jarman Jr.
    • Jerry
    Lewis Stone
    Lewis Stone
    • Arthur Norton
    Percy Kilbride
    Percy Kilbride
    • Mr. Willie B. Williegood
    Nicholas Joy
    Nicholas Joy
    • Victor Alvord
    Margaret Hamilton
    Margaret Hamilton
    • Mrs. Golightly
    Hope Landin
    Hope Landin
    • Mrs. Pope
    Esther Somers
    • Susan - the maid
    Pal
    • Lassie
    • (as Lassie)
    Ed Agresti
    • Musician
    • (uncredited)
    Jessie Arnold
    Jessie Arnold
    • Townswoman at Fire
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Bates
    Charles Bates
    • Orphan
    • (uncredited)
    John Beck
    • Bit Part
    • (uncredited)
    Bobby Beyers
    • Orphan
    • (uncredited)
    Barbara Billingsley
    Barbara Billingsley
    • Nurse
    • (uncredited)
    Paul E. Burns
    Paul E. Burns
    • Dr. Sample
    • (uncredited)
    John Butler
    John Butler
    • Hotel Attendant
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Richard Thorpe
    • Writers
      • William Ludwig
      • Margaret Fitts
      • Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      "The Sun Comes Up" is mainly based on the 1936 short story "A Mother in Mannville" by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. According to the University of South Carolina Libraries description of Rawlings's works, in 1946 MGM asked Rawlings to do a story that could star Lassie with Claude Jarman, Jr. Rawlings started with her 1936 short story "A Mother in Mannville". Although her adaptation never became a novel, the "Saturday Evening Post" published it as "Mountain Prelude", a 6-part serial during April 26 to May 31, 1947.
    • Goofs
      When Jerry finally decides to go play with Lassie, we can hear someone off-screen give Lassie a command. Right after Jerry says,"Let's have fun now," and hugs Lassie, a man's voice clearly speaks a word off-camera, and Lassie looks in that direction before running off with the boy.
    • Connections
      Featured in Legends of World Cinema: Jeanette MacDonald
    • Soundtracks
      Un Bel Di
      (uncredited)

      from "Madama Butterfly"

      Music by Giacomo Puccini

      Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

      Sung by Jeanette MacDonald

    User reviews19

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    A New Beginning
    THE SUN COMES UP (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1948), directed by Richard Thorpe, is a sentimental drama notable for being both movie featuring the famous collie by the name of Lassie, introduced five years earlier in LASSIE COME HOME (MGM, 1943), and the final movie appearance of opera singer/actress, Jeanette MacDonald. MacDonald has come a long way in movies by this point, making her film debut in THE LOVE PARADE (Paramount, 1929), starring Maurice Chevalier, with whom she teamed in three more musical-comedies. Aside from non-musical works for other studios such as Fox, she found both home and success at MGM starting in 1934, where the studio developed her talents more towards opera, with a new screen partner being Nelson Eddy. By the 1940s, her style of movies began to wane, marking the close for MGM by 1942. In 1948, she returned to the screen, and MGM, this time playing singing-mother roles starting with THREE DARING DAUGHTERS. Whether MacDonald intended on ending her movie career or not with THE SUN COMES UP is uncertain. At least she managed to hold her own against her scene stealing co-stars, especially from the dog named Lassie.

    Plot summary: Helen Lorfield Winter (Jeanette MacDonald) is a widowed mother with a teenage son, Hank (Dwayne Hickman) with a collie, Lassie, who adores him. Since the death of her husband, Helen has devoted her time towards her family and home life. A former opera singer by profession, and through the assistance of her manager, Arthur Norton (Lewis Stone), Helen gets her new beginning returning to concert singing for the first time in three years. Her concert proves successful, but her happiness is shattered by the sudden death of her son after getting struck by a passing truck while trying to prevent Lassie from getting hit while on the street. Weeks pass. Helen gives up her career. Unable to be around people, especially children, Helen packs up her belongings to go someplace far away to forget. Though she blames Lassie for her son's death, she takes Lassie with her anyway on a car trip leading her to Bushy Gap, a hillbilly residence located somewhere in the mountains. Helen's new beginning restarts as she rents a furnished home belonging to the out-of-town, Thomas I. Chandler. She soon finds herself disliked by town folks through her attitude towards their children. Through the kindly but blunt assistance of storekeeper, William B. Willigoode (Percy Kilbride), who tells her the truth about herself, Helen's attitude soon changes, especially after meeting with a teenage boy named Jerry (Claude Jarman Jr.). After saving Lassie from a rattlesnake, Helen hires Jerry as her handyboy. Though fond of Jerry, she knows very little about him. It takes her landlord, Thomas Chandler (Lloyd Nolan), having returned from his trip, to let her figure things out for herself. Others in the cast include: Hope Landin (Mrs. Pope); Nicholas Joy (Victor Alvord); Mickey McGuire (Cleaver) and Teddy Infuhr (Junebug).

    Not the typical MacDonald movie from the past, THE SUN COMES UP, actually resembles that of an episode from a "Lassie" television series a decade later. Though second billed, Lloyd Nolan comes in 63 minutes into the start of the movie, while Claude Jarman Jr., best known for his performance in THE YEARLING (MGM, 1946), takes up much of the proceedings playing a likable harmonica teenager who bonds well with Lassie. Being more drama than musical, the presence of comical types as Percy Kilbride, Margaret Hamilton and Ida Moore, highlight greatly to its lighter moment. Even MacDonald does a brief comedy turn for one scene involving snuff. Because of MacDonald's reputation as a singer, song numbers are inserted into the story, including: "Un Bel De Vedremo" from Giacomo Puccini's MADAME BUTTERFLY; "Songs My Mother Taught Me" by Antonin Dvorak; Rene Rabey's "Tes Jolies Yeux" "Cousin Ebenezer" (with MacDonald and group of orphan boys); and "If You Were Mine" by Artur Rubenstein.

    THE SUN COMES UP may not be a MacDonald favorite for anyone in favor of her singing opposite Nelson Eddy in eight musicals from 1935 to 1942, or working opposite Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy in SAN FRANCISCO (MGM, 1936), but it is satisfactory screen entertainment of MGM's 93 minutes of Technicolor family style mode. Formerly available on video cassette and later on DVD, THE SUN COMES UP, can often be found on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel. (**1/2)
    helpful•3
    1
    • lugonian
    • Jun 11, 2018

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    FAQ2

    • Is "The Sun Comes Up" based on a book?
    • How does the movie end?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 12, 1949 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Prolećno sunce
    • Filming locations
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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