Universal knew it had something special on hand when it signed Margaret Sullavan, and this early vehicle showcases her wonderfully. It's a genre weepie, one of many pre-Codes where the innocent young girl gets pregnant after a one-nighter with a lout (John Boles, showing more range than usual), but it doesn't go in the direction you might expect. Maggie takes up with her liberated aunt (Billie Burke, singing a bit and excellent), who has a younger boyfriend (Reginald Denny) and makes no judgments about her niece's unfortunate fate. She becomes a successful businesswoman, raises a wonderful son, and only succumbs to a Movie Disease because it's a good excuse to allow the splendid leading lady to emote more. The happy-ish ending has an affecting closing line, and while John Stahl's direction is a trifle slow and the screenplay drags things out more than it has to, it's really a first-rate vehicle for Ms. Sullavan, who shows pathos, vulnerability, anomie, and gaiety in the old-fashioned sense, and breaks your heart.
Review of Only Yesterday
