On a superficial level - and come to think of it there isn't really a deeper one - this is Meet Me In St Louis without the songs and the story tilted towards the parents rather than the children. On the other hand Sally Benson's reminiscences of her life in turn of the century St Louis ran in the New Yorker sans words and music much as Clarence Day's hard-cover reminiscences of his own parents so the comparison holds. The forties were particularly rich in this kind of nostalgia and also included I Remember Mama. All require a certain amount of good will if one is to view them today but those who are able to surrender to the charm on display will be rewarded with a good old-fashioned wallow in a world without angst where a feisty heroine was a shot in the arm that wasn't addictive. Irene Dunne plays against Powell as well as Myrna Loy and trivia buffs will welcome the chance to catch Martin Milner in his debut. A decent print and we'd be off to the races.
Review of Life with Father
