jacobs-greenwood This terrific little gem of a drama puts forth the idea that we all "settle" in life, for a life (or person) more "stable" or, at least, more comfortable (e.g. per our upbringing). Though we may passionately believe we want that something (or someone) else, for practical reasons (or other circumstances) we'll accept "less". We may even hold onto an old dream, which we've romanticized about to the point that all the negatives are gone and only the positives remain in our memories, such that we believe it can still be made to work ... only to find that the moment has passed, we've changed, and/or the "air is out of the balloon":Such was the relationship portrayed between the staid title character, played by Robert Young, and a businesswoman, whose character was intentionally given the male name of Marvin, but is played by the decidedly unmasculine Hedy Lamarr. Though Pulham was raised to marry a woman like Kay (Ruth Hussey), whom he eventually does, he spends his early years in the advertising business pursuing co-worker (and artist?) Marvin, who's a bit too "modern" for his conservative family's values.The story is told in flashback, with Pulham examining his life while writing his Harvard class biography. Coincidentally, he's just gotten a call from Marvin, who's also married and just wants to meet for drinks after all these years.Produced and directed by King Vidor (who co-wrote the screenplay, based on the John Marquand novel with his wife Elizabeth Hill), the cast is excellent and includes Charles Coburn as Young's father, Van Heflin as his longtime friend, classmate and business associate, Fay Holden as his mother, Bonita Granville as his sister, Douglas Wood as his boss, and Sara Haden as his secretary. Charles Halton plays a client of the ad agency, Leif Erickson a football playing friend of Pulham's, and Anne Revere (uncredited) his father's secretary. Frank Faylen, Byron Foulger, Ava Gardner (her second film), Connie Gilchrist, and Grant Withers also appear uncredited.

mark.waltz So faces the reflective Robert Young, a wealthy Bostonian heir who is asked by old college chums to write out biographies of some of the most influential class men. The film does not concentrate on the reunion at all, only the life of the seemingly stuffy Young who counts each step he takes to get to his office, shares two peanuts with the squirrels and has a cigar waiting for him as he arrives at the office building. Sitting back for a minute and relaxing, he begins to remember everything from day one, including his internship at an advertising firm in New York where he met the beautiful Hedy Lamarr. But family responsibilities took him back to Boston, and that re-paired him with an old flame (Ruth Hussey) who twenty years later makes him feel as if he's in need of something new. Will his reunion with the still lovely Lamarr threaten the staidness of the marriage he's seemingly stuck in, or will it light a fire under his belt to try to make things a little better?Every glamorous trick in the MGM book was pulled out for this initially dull version of the John P. Marquand novel that somehow springs to life in the second half. The film is cinematically beautiful to look at, but certain aspects of it leave uncomfortable feelings, particularly Young's frequent hearing of the voices of his past within his own imagination, the sounds of these voices seemingly coming out of nowhere and rather piercingly recorded. Lamarr is a spitfire from the minute we meet her, and she lights up his stuffy world, especially when they go on a public relations trip to push the greatness of a soap detergent they are promoting. Washing socks leads to romance between the two and when Lamarr tries to fit into Young's world outside of New York, it is clear that the two could never be happy.The wonderful Charles Coburn is only briefly seen as Young's tycoon father, but even in his few scenes, he is completely touching. "Ma Hardy", Fay Holden, takes a different turn as Young's stuffy mother, and it is ironic that "Aunt Millie" (Sara Haden") has a small role as Young's secretary. When first seen, Ruth Hussey's character of Young's matron wife seems lifeless, like one of those cold society women of old who have no passion for anything but shopping, country clubs and fake good breeding. But there's something different in her as the second half of the film reveals, and it is apparent that she realizes that in order to get her man back, she has to practically loose him. The finale reunion between Young and Lamarr is heart-breaking, and for one of the few times (other than as Tondelao), Lamarr is quite alive, perhaps better directed for a change, here by King Vidor, not the usual beautiful "Ice Princess" of most of her MGM films. Van Heflin and Leif Erickson offer interesting characterizations as two of Young's pals. There's a great snow sledding sequence which sped up the film quite a bit, and a subtle underlying message when Lamarr briefly meets Ma Pulham. The problem is that the film just takes too long to get going, even though the three stars are trying their best to sparkle things up. It's like a ballet with too many slow dances and not enough up-beat music to keep the attention going, or a play where the second act is much better than the first and makes you say, "Now that was worth waiting for!".

Andy (film-critic) Throughout this project of watching nearly every movie ever made, or at least in every attempt possible, I am beginning to discover which films speak to me. There are those that entertain, those that mentally challenge, and those that transform your cinematic experience all together, but for me, the type of film that excites me these days are the delicate semi-biographical pre-1950s story. With a cautious blend of "Citizen Kane" and "Magnificent Ambersons" with that of the modern "Mad Men", the barely watched film, "H.M. Pulham, Esq." finally arrived at the doorstep. Unbeknownst that this film would be reminiscent of such films, I began with the unknown. Available only via Warner's print-on- demand DVD Vault, there was a level of uncertainty as to why this had never been released, or would the print be so destroyed the experience would be lost (see review of "The Lady and the Monster"). To my surprise, it wasn't – and this two hour epic ("epic" is correct; due to the emotion, landscape, and themes of this film) quickly filled the cannon that was once overpopulated by Orson Welles. With dry characters like Harry Pulham and Kay Motford countered with the exciting Marvin Myles and Bill King as well as the quintessential sledding scene (needed in every semi-biographical film), "H.M. Pulham, Esq." pulled ahead in the ranks as I settled down for an amazing feature. It was shocking, intelligent, slow, predictable, and a bit pioneering for the date – and I loved every minute of it."H.M. Pulham, Esq." tells the story of a man, Harry Pulham (played simply by Robert Young) as he randomly gets a call from a Harvard friend requesting that he write a bit of a biography for the upcoming reunion. Coincidentally, he gets a call the same day from an old flame, and Harry uses the entire day to give us the "It's a Wonderful Life" flashback scenario where we learn about his life, and current consequences. As we travel back and forth, we fall in love with a core of four characters, Harry (of course), Marvin Myles the sassy co-worker, Bill King the obnoxious lady-killer, and Kay everyone's safe bet. It is these four characters that take us from New York to the country, from love to hate, and from passion to comfort. As Harry continues to look back onto his life, he begins to question his decisions, and the world of possibilities available."H.M. Pulham, Esq." would not have worked had it not been for these four characters. It is a driven character drama, thus without our actors taking full opportunity, it would have transformed into this two-hour snooze-fest, but instead they embraced, and allowed us to get to know each one individually, as well as a whole. Robert Young's Harry is probably the easiest to swallow, because is portrays him as this unguided everyman, lured by the life of NYC, but focused on family and dedication. His friends pull him in every direction, but he is grounded must make the decision between love and comfort. Each one of our characters builds upon this story, and where it succeeds the most is that director King Vidor (you know, the one that gave us the Kansas scenes in "Wizard of Oz" as well as "War and Peace") isn't afraid to push the limits. Or, at least the limits allowed in 1941. Again, I cannot stress that this is a fictional biography story that melds well within the folds of society. Vidor has succeeded greatly in this little feature because he has taken the great elements of "Magnificent Ambersons" and "It's A Wonderful Life" and plopped them into this unknown feature. Yes, at times it is long - and you better believe that there are moments that date this film - but in the end, it will warm your heart, but also make you look within your own life."H.M. Pulham, Esq" feels like a universal film. It is one of those movies that goes great with snow outside and a warm glass of cider. It shows a side of cinema that we forget about when we think of classic cinema. During this project, I have watched two films that stood beyond the norm - that Hollywood seemed to snub - and fell in love with both of them. One was the film I have repeated throughout this review, "The Magnificent Ambersons", and the second is this little film. Again, it is a simple film that presses a message relevant in 1941 or 2009, the idea of choices and consequences.Overall, I may sound repetitive with this, but I loved with this film had to offer. Perhaps it was my mood for the evening, or the sense of nostalgia for this style of film, but this film took me back to a simple cinematic experience. There was booze, talk of sex, and infidelity all within the two hours, which surprised me greatly. The actors did their parts with great effort, and each point went to the next. There was a purpose behind each person's actions, and it was developed. Not just dropped to the floor. King Vidor did a fantastic job behind the camera giving us lush landscapes and power driven characters. If you don't mind spending some money for this film, I would suggest a viewing. It was impressive.Grade: **** out of *****

jdcsr123 This movie is very thought provoking about how life is or how it could have been. It helped me appreciate life, the good and the bad, most of everyday life is actually quite good especially when we don't dwell on the could haves. It was very nostalgic for me. I especially liked the spontaneity as thats something we like to do as a couple, but we don't see a lot of it these days. The idea of taking a chance was a little scary for me. The romance was soft and touching, very clean. It actually gave me some ideas on how to be more romantic. It was a kick seeing Van Heflin so young and skinny. The movie really was a fantasy, but so close to the truth that it just grabbed me. Being older, the film quality was worn, some of the pan scenes were distorted. That Robert Young smile is contagious, thats how I'll remember this movie in my mind's eye.