The advertising for MGM's THE WAR AGAINST MRS. HADLEY said viewers could expect 'the truth and nothing but the truth' when it hit movie screens in the fall of 1942. The truth is that it was one of Hollywood's first wartime movies focusing on the home front, and the studio considered it a high-priority release. It had a special premiere in the nation's capitol, where its lead stars (Fay Bainter and Edward Arnold) appeared in person. Proceeds for the event raised a considerable sum of money in war bonds.
Screenwriter George Oppenheimer claimed the idea was conceived right after Pearl Harbor was attacked. In fact, the film begins with the December 7th birthday of the title character, Mrs. Hadley, which is overshadowed by the country's official involvement in the war. Her story will have considerable propaganda value for home front audiences, especially women feeling inconvenienced by the war.
The first half of the drama depicts how Mrs. Hadley refuses to relinquish her previous way of life. In her mind, December 7th and 8th and all the days after should be no different than December 6th and all the days that came before. She fails to see how the country needs to unite. As everyone else mobilizes and pitches in, she retains a selfishness that ultimately leads to her isolation- until she has a dramatic change of heart.
Edward Arnold plays Elliott Fulton, a close family friend who works for the War Department in Washington. When Mrs. Hadley's son Ted (Richard Ney) is drafted, Elliot is asked to help keep him out of the service. Of course, that is deemed unpatriotic, and the young man departs for military duty.
Meanwhile, a daughter named Pat (Jean Rogers) becomes engaged to a soldier she meets while volunteering at a canteen; and of course, Mrs. Hadley disapproves- to the point where she refuses to attend the wedding. The soldier is portrayed by Van Johnson in an early role. Then there's Cecilia Talbot (Spring Byington), a friend of Mrs. Hadley's who works with the Red Cross and finds purpose in charity work.
At every turn the war seems to do battle against Mrs. Hadley and her former way of life. She gradually begins to understand what's important and what needs to happen to bring people together during a major crisis. It's a comforting film on that level. One can imagine how it reinforced the selflessness of women in the audience who recognized Mrs. Hadley's folly. They could accept her as one of their own after she realized she didn't become a year older, she became a year wiser.
Screenwriter George Oppenheimer claimed the idea was conceived right after Pearl Harbor was attacked. In fact, the film begins with the December 7th birthday of the title character, Mrs. Hadley, which is overshadowed by the country's official involvement in the war. Her story will have considerable propaganda value for home front audiences, especially women feeling inconvenienced by the war.
The first half of the drama depicts how Mrs. Hadley refuses to relinquish her previous way of life. In her mind, December 7th and 8th and all the days after should be no different than December 6th and all the days that came before. She fails to see how the country needs to unite. As everyone else mobilizes and pitches in, she retains a selfishness that ultimately leads to her isolation- until she has a dramatic change of heart.
Edward Arnold plays Elliott Fulton, a close family friend who works for the War Department in Washington. When Mrs. Hadley's son Ted (Richard Ney) is drafted, Elliot is asked to help keep him out of the service. Of course, that is deemed unpatriotic, and the young man departs for military duty.
Meanwhile, a daughter named Pat (Jean Rogers) becomes engaged to a soldier she meets while volunteering at a canteen; and of course, Mrs. Hadley disapproves- to the point where she refuses to attend the wedding. The soldier is portrayed by Van Johnson in an early role. Then there's Cecilia Talbot (Spring Byington), a friend of Mrs. Hadley's who works with the Red Cross and finds purpose in charity work.
At every turn the war seems to do battle against Mrs. Hadley and her former way of life. She gradually begins to understand what's important and what needs to happen to bring people together during a major crisis. It's a comforting film on that level. One can imagine how it reinforced the selflessness of women in the audience who recognized Mrs. Hadley's folly. They could accept her as one of their own after she realized she didn't become a year older, she became a year wiser.