H. M. Pulham, Esq. (1941)

A conservative, middle aged businessman (Robert Young, the H.M. Pulham of the title) stuck in a conventional, dull lifestyle and marriage reflects back on his life, in particular a romance with an independent, unconventional career woman (Hedy Lamarr). Directed by King Vidor (THE CROWD) and based on the novel by John P. Marquand, the film seems to espouse acceptance of one's place in life, however passive and drab. Perhaps if the title character had been played by an actor with more charisma and screen presence than the wan Young, one could see the tragedy of a young man unable to break away from the chains of a life predestined for him. With the inflexible Young in the part, his future seems inevitable rather than tragic so it's difficult to garner much sympathy for his situation. Lamarr, in a change of pace from the glam femme fatale roles, is surprisingly good as the feminist heroine though even her frumpy Robert Kalloch wardrobe can't disguise her beauty. The score is by Bronislau Kaper. The able supporting cast includes Ruth Hussey as Young's bourgeois wife, Van Heflin as Young's hedonistic best friend (the movie could have used more of him), Charles Coburn, Bonita Granville, Anne Revere, Leif Erickson, Sara Haden, Connie Gilchrist and Frank Faylen.