The day before her wedding, a pampered young woman absconds with her sister's husband. Her sister begins seeing the woman's former fiancé.The day before her wedding, a pampered young woman absconds with her sister's husband. Her sister begins seeing the woman's former fiancé.The day before her wedding, a pampered young woman absconds with her sister's husband. Her sister begins seeing the woman's former fiancé.
- Awards
- 3 wins
- Worker
- (uncredited)
- Worker
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- John Huston
- Raoul Walsh(uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDirector John Huston carried on a torrid affair with Olivia de Havilland during the shoot. Warners studio head Jack L. Warner said, "Anyone could see that . . . it was Valentine's Day on the set . . . When I saw the rushes I said to myself, 'Oh-oh, Bette has the lines, but Livvy is getting the best camera shots'."
- GoofsStanley's car license plate is 24-769 and the 1st police car's is 79-695. After she gives the slip to the first cop and is being chased by the second cop (in the front on shot with the second cop's head lights behind her) the car she is driving has the 79-695 license plate.
- Quotes
Roy Timberlake: What made you decide to become a lawyer?
Parry Clay: Well, you see, it's like this, Miss Roy: a white boy, he can take most any kind of job and improve himself. Well, like in this store! Maybe he can get to be a clerk or a manager. But a colored boy, he can't do that. He can keep a job or he can lose a job. But he can't get any higher up. So he's got to figure out something he can do that no one can take away. And that's why I want to be a lawyer.
Roy Timberlake: Why, Perry, that's wonderful. I had no idea. Minerva never told me.
Parry Clay: Ma's afraid for a colored boy to have too much ambition.
- Alternate versionsAlso available in a computer colorized version.
- SoundtracksSouth American Way
(1939) (uncredited)
Music by Jimmy McHugh
Played on the phonograph
Reprised on a juke box at the Southside Tavern
Although quite frankly both these women could have pulled off each other's roles in In This Our Life. They certainly proved over the course of their careers that they had the acting chops. The property seemed a natural for them as they play women of southern origin.
Olivia's good sister is not quite as Pollyannish as her Melanie Hamilton from Gone With The Wind. But almost to the very end she allows Bette and her whims and desires to run roughshod over her life.
The film does revolve around Bette and her character is an exponential version of Julie Marsden from Jezebel. She's a selfish willful flirt who thinks absolutely of nothing except herself and causes havoc to all around here.
As the story opens Bette is keeping company with lawyer George Brent and Olivia is getting married to young doctor Dennis Morgan. On an impulsive whim and maybe to prove she can do it, Bette takes Morgan away from Olivia and they run off and get married. But Bette doesn't want the honeymoon to end and poor Morgan can't keep up with her partying. Realizing what he did he kills himself.
But that's far from the end of things. Davis who loves to speed her car, causes a hit and run accident that kills a young girl and badly injures her mother. She casts blame on a young black kid Ernest Anderson who is working and clerking in George Brent's office and is the son of Timberlake maid Hattie McDaniel.
The story is set in Virginia, not the deep South, but deep enough so that despite Anderson's denials, the law will just take white woman Davis's word as a matter of course. If it were Alabama, probably Anderson would have been lynched given those times. She knows this and for a while exploits the racism in her society.
Ernest Anderson's role was an incredible milestone for its times, showing a black young man who aspired to a professional life. In This Our Life is quite the indictment of Southern society of the time.
Another role that got acclaim for a different reason was Charles Coburn as the uncle whose 'affection' for Davis can't be mistaken for anything else, but incestuous desire. He's the main employer in the town and pretty much makes the law around there. Davis's last scene with Coburn is one of the best in the film and reveals everything about both of these disreputable people.
John Huston even got his father Walter to play an unbilled small bit as a bartender. The bartender it turns out is the key to getting at the truth for the police authorities.
In This Our Life is one of Bette Davis's meatiest roles. Huston is a good enough director though to not let her pyrotechnics blot out the rest of the cast. For fans of Bette this one is a must.
- bkoganbing
- Dec 18, 2008
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $713,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 37 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1