The War Against Mrs. Hadley
| The War Against Mrs. Hadley | |
|---|---|
Jean Rogers in film
|
|
| Directed by | Harold S. Bucquet |
| Produced by | Irving Asher |
| Written by | George Oppenheimer |
| Starring |
Fay Bainter Edward Arnold |
| Music by | David Snell |
| Cinematography | Karl Freund |
| Edited by | Elmo Veron |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
|
Release date
|
September 27, 1942 |
|
Running time
|
86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $307,000 |
| Box office | $1,357,000 |
The War Against Mrs. Hadley is a 1942 American drama film directed by Harold S. Bucquet, and starring Fay Bainter and Edward Arnold. The plot depicts how wealthy society matron Stella Hadley selfishly refuses to sacrifice her family or material comforts during World War II, until tragedy strikes an old rival. The script by George Oppenheimer was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Mrs. Stella Hadley (Fay Bainter) is a wealthy society widow living in Washington, D.C. Her husband once owned a staunchly Republican newspaper, the Chronicle, but it was sold to the Winters family and the new editorial board began supporting the Democrats and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The film opens on December 7, 1941, as Mrs. Hadley celebrates her birthday with her alcoholic son, Ted (Richard Ney); her intelligent daughter, Pat (Jean Rogers); her ditzy best friend, Mrs. Cecilia Talbot (Spring Byington); her husband's old friend, Elliott Fulton (Edward Arnold); and her doctor and best friend, Dr. Leonard V. Meecham (Miles Mander). When the party-goers learn of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mrs. Hadley sniffly announces that war will not change her lifestyle (a decision only Dr. Meecham supports).
Ted works for Elliott Fulton, who has a high-ranking job at the War Department. He often lies about working late in order to go out drinking. Mrs. Talbot joins a women's war service organization headed by Mrs. Winters, hiding her involvement from Mrs. Hadley. Pat volunteers at an enlisted men's canteen and meets Army soldier Michael Fitzpatrick (Van Johnson). The two fall in love. When Ted is drafted, Mrs. Hadley tries to have Elliott pull strings to get him out of duty, but he declines. Ted sobers up after realizing he has to go into combat. Pat and Mike decide to wed, but Mrs. Hadley refuses to bless their union and does not attend the wedding. When Mrs. Hadley discovers that Mrs. Talbot is spending time with Mrs. Winters' women's war service organization, she ends their friendship. The sniveling Dr. Meecham supports her every decision.
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