A Letter for Evie (1946)

In a non-singing role, boorish John Carroll is rather cleverly cast in this occasionally mildly entertaining but mostly rather bland service comedy - although it is somewhat remarkable for the fact that the hero doesn't get the girl! Whilst Dassin's direction is capable, it doesn't in any way give us a hint of his later work. The film is also photographed in a very bland and surprisingly ordinary fashion by Karl Freund, of all people! True, Miss Hunt does look rather attractive. I know how difficult she was to photograph. She was a splendid actress who always knew her lines and said them well, but both her face and body looked rather gaunt unless photographed from exactly the right angles. The film also provides a nice cameo for Robin Raymond who brings breach of promise charges against Edgar "Wolf" Larsen. Hume Cronyn's drunk act is rather amusing, but, all in all, aside from a nice long tracking shot in which Hunt and Cronyn walk past her apartment, this film is no more than an innocuous, mildly pleasant yet also mildly boring Hollywood fairy tale. Although made in 1944, this movie was not released until June, 1946, when it served as a support to "The Bandit of Sherwood Forest".

You will think of Cyrano de Bergerac and John Alden when you view this 1945 film.Most of it is comedy and Hugh Cronyn steals the picture with his antics, especially when he pretends to be drunk.A comedy for the always dramatic Marsha Hunt is hard to envision, but she deftly handles it.Letters being written by the Cronyn character with John Carroll's pictures attached leads to a triangle when the three meet up.What makes the film a good one is that by its end, it turns very dramatic with a World War 11 death and two people realizing that they in turn were meant for each other.

Why wasn't Marsha Hunt a bigger star? What a sweetie! And what a smile! Really well written take on the mistaken identity romantic comedy. The scene with the great Spring Byington where Johnny's identity was finally revealed went from laugh out loud funny to sad and touching. And the scene with Evie on the bed weeping her confusion when she finally learns the truth was equally well done: both by script writer and Marsha Hunt. Hume Cronyn was perfect. Who would have thought the actor so often cast as a weaselly villain could be such a romantic hero? I loved the last scene where Johnny heroically tries to "Tell her what she wants to hear" ends at last with the romantic resolution. By the way, that scene at the rest home with the friend of the dead soldier added a bit of depth not usually expected in such a generally frothy romance. Another example of how well this was written and played.

Crisply paced, expertly directed, and boasting jewel-like performances by Marsha Hunt and Hume Cronyn, A Letter for Evie stands out among the wartime romances of the 1942-45 era.The plot is self-consciously breezy. A secretary for the Trojan Shirt Company, Evie O'Conner longs for romance. She places a "Dear Soldier" letter in the pocket of an extra-large shirt bound for the army training camps of Texas in the hopes that the soldier who finds it will be a strapping, heroic man. It falls into the hands of a decidedly short and bookish Private Johnnie McPherson. As they say in the business, hijinks ensue in a case of mistaken identity. But that's where the banality ends. In the guise of a light romp, Dassin explores themes of heroism, self-sacrifice, and honesty. In one plot point, Cronyn's comic turn pretending to be drunk to save Evie from the lecherous advances of his handsome army buddy is hilarious and deft. This movie is difficult to find, but fans of the genre should make the effort.