Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotten, and Shirley Temple star in "I'll Be Seeing You"

I’ll Be Seeing You (1944) is an American drama film directed by William Dieterle and starring Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotten, and Shirley Temple. Members of the supporting cast include Spring Byington, Tom Tully, Chill Wills, and John Derek. The cinematography was by Tony Gaudio.

Mary Marshall (Rogers), is on an eight-day furlough from prison to spend the Christmas Holidays with her aunt (Byington), uncle (Tom Tully), and cousin Barbara (Temple). Sergeant Zachary Morgan (Cotton) a victim of shell shock (PTSD) has been granted a ten-day leave from a military hospital to see if he could adjust to everyday life. Mary and Zach meet on the train to Pinehill and both lie about their current circumstances.

Will they find out the truth about each other and will it matter in the end?

William Dieterle (1893 -1972) was a German-born actor and director who emigrated to the United States in 1930. He worked in Hollywood as a director directing such classics as The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936), The Life of Emile Zola (1937), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), and The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941). Dieterle directed two pictures starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotton: Love Letters (1945) and Portrait of Jennie (1948). Dieterle also directed Charlton Heston in his Hollywood debut Dark City (1950). 

Ginger Rogers (1911 – 1995) was an American actor, singer, and dancer. She made nine films with Fred Astaire which revolutionized movie musicals of the day and made them both superstars. Rogers went on the star in dramatic and comedy films including Kitty Foyle which won her the Academy Award for Best Actress of 1940. She beat out Katharine Hepburn (The Philadelphia Story), Joan Fontaine (Rebecca), Bette Davis (The Letter), and Martha Scott (Our Town). During the 1940s, Rogers was a  top box office star and one of the highest-paid movie stars in Hollywood. Her film career slowed in the 1950s but she continued working on the stage and in television. Some other Rogers films include Bachelor Mother (1939), Primrose Path (1940), Tom, Dick and Harry (1941), The Major and the Minor (1942), Lady in the Dark (1944), and Week-End at the Waldorf (1945).

Joseph Cotten and Ginger Rogers meet on the train to Pinehill

Joseph Cotten (1905 - 1994) was an American film, stage, radio, and television actor. Cotten achieved fame on Broadway in the original stage productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair.  He became famous worldwide after appearing in Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). As one of the most popular leading men of the 1940s, Cotten starred in Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Gaslight (1943), Duel in the Sun (1946), and The Third Man (1949). Cotten alternated between work on stage and film into the late-1950s. Cotten also appeared on television guest-starring on The Name of the Game, Cimarron Strip, and Ironside. Cotten’s last film role was in 1981.

Shirley Temple (1928 – 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat. Temple was Hollywood’s number-one box-office star from 1934 to 1938. As the most famous child star of all time, Temple achieved worldwide fame. Her films are still popular today. Some of Temple’s movies during her child star period include Baby Take a Bow (1934), Bright Eyes (1934), Captain January (1936), Stowaway (1936), Heidi (1937), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938), and The Little Princess (1939). Her popularity as a top star at Twentieth-Century Fox ended with the release of The Blue Bird (1940). The film was Fox’s answer to The Wizard of Oz (1930) but it was a disaster with critics and more importantly with audiences. She had some success as a teen star in films like Since You Went Away (1944) and The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947). Temple turned to politics in the 1960s. She was the United States Ambassador to Ghana (1974 – 1976). She was the first female Chief of Protocol of the United States (1976 – 1977) where she was in charge of President Jimmy Carter’s inauguration and inaugural ball. She was appointed the United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia (1989 – 1992) by George H. W. Bush.

I'll Be Seeing You trivia

• Joan Fontaine was originally set to star but had to drop out due to other commitments.
• Joseph Cotten was Hitchcock's first choice for the male lead in Spellbound (1945) but due to his role in this film, Gregory Peck was cast.
• George Cukor was the original director but was replaced by Dieterle.
• Actor Tom Tully who plays Uncle Henry is twenty-two years younger than Spring Byington who plays Aunt Sarah.

To watch the film on YouTube click on the link below.

Discussion questions

1. How does this film match up with other World War II films about veterans suffering from trauma?
2. Do you think the relationship between Cotten and Rogers is believable?
3. What did you think of the film's production?
4. Were you surprised to see Shirley Temple in the role of Barbara?
5. How do you think audiences in 1944 reacted to this film?

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