One evening in the summer of 2013, I was spending some time at my grandparents’ home and we turned on the TV to see what was playing on TCM. It was a movie called The Very Thought of You, which I’d never heard of before. From the moment it began, my grandma and I were hooked.
The film stars Dennis Morgan as an Army sergeant named Dave, who is on a three day furlough in Pasadena, CA. His buddy, “Fixit” (Dane Clark), is also on furlough and just wants to meet a nice girl. Dave had attended college at Caltech (California Institute of Technology) before joining the Army.
Soon after their arrival into Pasadena, Fixit’s wish is granted and Dave’s memory is jogged when they run into two young women on a bus. Fixit immediately lays on his humorous charm when he sees Cora (Faye Emerson) and Dave comes face to face with Janet (Eleanor Parker), who used to serve him chocolate malts at a shop in Pasadena. She remembers him, but he doesn’t remember her until she introduces herself.
Fixit finds the woman of his dreams.
“Aren’t you going to say hello?”
At the insistence of Fixit, the guys follow Janet and Cora after they get off the bus and decide to get to know them better. Janet reveals to Cora that she used to have a big crush on Dave just before Dave and Fixit catch up to them. While Fixit chats up Cora, Dave and Janet walk arm-in-arm on the sidewalk and get to know each other.
Seeing as it’s Thanksgiving and Dave has no family in the area, Janet invites him to her family’s Thanksgiving dinner. He gratefully accepts and joins them. Unfortunately, most of Janet’s family are hostile and rude toward Dave.
Janet’s mother (Beulah Bondi) is adamantly opposed to seeing any more of her daughters marry a serviceman. She believes that, if Janet were to marry Dave, she would either become a war widow. She faces opposition from her cynical brother. Her sister Molly also voices her outrage, citing her own experiences as she waits for her husband to come home from war (while stepping out with other men). Janet’s father (Henry Travers) and little sister Ellie (Georgia Lee Settle) are the only two who stick up for her.
Father tells his family that he is ashamed at the way they treated Dave.
Ellie stands up for her sister.
Conflict arises.
The next day, Ellie wanders into a local drugstore counter and spots Dave. Being the energetic (and totally adorable) teenager that she is, she sprints home and takes Janet back with her. Dave invites Janet to take a drive to Mount Wilson and she accepts.
It’s worth noting that when Dave turns on the radio in his car, the classic song “The Very Thought of You” is playing. Here is one version of the song, as sung by Al Bowlly.
And that’s when their courtship really begins.
Within two days, the couple experience moments of pure bliss and a pushback from Janet’s family which makes it all the more emotional for her.
It’s a concept that’s pretty difficult for a lot of modern audiences to grasp, but it was reality for many young adults during World War II. When a man in the service fell in love with a woman back home, they were faced with a tough decision: marry now or wait until he comes back.
Because I’ll Be Seeing You is unfamiliar to most people today (and I hope that at least some of you are able to watch it after reading this), I don’t want to reveal any more of the plot in this post.
I want to add that the leads of the film, Dennis Morgan and Eleanor Parker, convey a tender romantic chemistry in the film and they make a sweet onscreen couple. For all of the talent he carried within him – in acting and in singing – Dennis Morgan is so underrated. He carried a natural and charming presence onscreen that was really unique. And my, was he handsome.
Even better, it’s airing at 2:30 PM (EST) today – August 24, 2017 – on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). If you’re able to, I highly recommend watching it.
This post is part of the TCM Summer under the Stars Blogathon, hosted by Kristen at Journeys in Classic Film. Check out other posts highlighting the stars of the month!
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