Themes: Office Politics, Rise To Power, Infidelity
Main Cast: Hedy Lamarr, Robert Young, Ruth Hussey, Charles Coburn, Van Heflin
Release Year: 1941
Country: US
Run Time: 120 minutes
Plot
MGM was doing so well in 1941 that it could afford the occasional "prestige" film with little box-office appeal. Based on the novel by J.P. Marquand, H.M. Pulham, Esq., stars Robert Young as a successful but stuffy Boston businessman. The glimmer of sadness in Young's eyes indicates that his ascension to the top was not without its cost. In flashbacks, we see how Young considered changing the track his life was on in order to marry Hedy Lamarr. After marrying his wife, however, the man never strays. The film utilizes the Strange Interlude approach of interior monologues heard on the soundtrack, and anticipates Citizen Kane (which hadn't yet been released when Pulham was filmed) by building its entire narrative on the flashback structure. H.M. Pulham, Esq. contains what may well be Robert Young's best performance, though few filmgoers in 1941 were interested enough to see it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
A melancholy, adult drama about the fear of living one's life to its fullest, H.M. Pulham, Esq. has a simple message that still rings true for many people. Pulham demonstrates that there's nothing sadder than the missed opportunity, and that far too many people are willing to settle for what is safe and comfortable rather than take a risk that could result in failure. Yet, as Pulham demonstrates (until a somewhat inappropriate ending), settling for the safe and comfortable can be soul-deadening. It's a message that has been said before but that stands repeating, and Pulham makes its case in strong, dramatic terms (again, until the ending, which dampens the impact a bit). The screenplay is sensitive yet strong, and King Vidor's direction emphasizes its points without belaboring them. Robert Young is excellent in a difficult role which requires him to be passive and yet still propel the story forward. Ruth Hussey is equally fine as his wife, a perfectly suitable woman who just doesn't happen to be the woman he loves. There's also good work from Charles Coburn and Van Heflin, but the top acting honors go to Hedy Lamarr. Never considered a great actress, Lamarr here proves that, in the right role and with the right direction, she was capable of truly impressive work. She displays a warmth and feeling that is often missing from her other performances and makes one understand why Young would fall so deeply in love with her. It's a truly lovely performance in a film that is a richly rewarding little gem. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Malcolm Brown - Art Director, Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Robert Kalloch - Costume Designer, Gile Steele - Costume Designer, King Vidor - Director, Harold Kress - Editor, Bronislau Kaper - Composer (Music Score), Lennie Hayton - Musical Direction/Supervision, Jack Dawn - Makeup, Ray June - Cinematographer, King Vidor - Producer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, King Vidor - Screenwriter, Elizabeth Hill - Screenwriter, John P. Marquand - Book Author
Harry Moulton Pulham Jr. (Robert Young) is a conservative, middle-aged Boston businessman, set in a precise daily routine. He has a proper wife, Kay (Ruth Hussey), with whom he has settled into a comfortable if passionless relationship. However, it was not always that way.
When Harry is saddled with the task of organizing a twenty-five-year college reunion, it triggers a flashback to a time more than twenty years earlier. After the end of World War I, his Harvard classmate and friend Bill King (Van Heflin) gets him a job in a New York City advertising company, where he falls in love with a vivacious, independent coworker oddly named Marvin Miles (Hedy Lamarr). However, though they love each other, she cannot bring herself to fit into his traditional idea of a wife's role and he cannot imagine living anywhere other than hidebound Boston. So they break off their relationship. Harry falls in love with and marries a woman from his own social set with the same attitudes and assumptions, someone approved of by his father (Charles Coburn) and mother (Fay Holden).
Marvin (also married) arranges to meet Harry again after all those years. There are sparks and Harry is tempted to have an affair, but they both realize that it would be foolish. One thing changes though; Harry becomes profoundly dissatisfied with his dull routine. He begs his wife to go away with him immediately, to rekindle their love. At first, she dismisses the idea as impractical and vaguely improper, but then changes her mind and agrees to go with him, making him very happy.
