The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947)

Made 8 years later, you would swear at the film's beginning that Thomas Mitchell is spouting his words in a black and white version of the 1939 classic "Gone With the Wind."Surprisingly, there is little violence in this film dealing with 4 months after the civil war ended in Missouri. In the latter state, northern fighters for the state in the war are accused of burning the homes of those who fought and sympathized with the south. That in itself would be enough for violence. Later on, we learn that the old movie rascal, Charles Dingle, has been stirring up trouble between the groups for land speculation purposes.A drifter, well played by Van Johnson, drifts into the town and goes to work for a suspicious Mitchell, a true southerner during the war. Despite his hard work on the farm, Mitchell is suspicious of him as he doesn't know where his sympathies were during the conflict.The Mitchell Family anxiously awaits the return of their son from the war. Johnson thinks of a way to unite the people, and the former teacher eventually comes to fight the Dingle people.This was Janet Leigh's first film as Mitchell's daughter and she conveys quite well the young woman with aspirations of her home. Selena Royle is the determined mother.

"The Romance of Rosy Ridge" surprised me a bit. While I assumed it would be a pretty good film given its cast, it turned out to be even better. It's a wonderful little film and I strongly recommend you see it.The film is set in Missouri 1965--just after the Civil War. Rosy Ridge is a sad community because it was a divided town in a border state and folks fought on both sides during the war. Because of this, there is still a lot of acrimony among the locals--with someone burning barns of the ex-Confederates. One guy, Gill MacBean (Thomas Mitchell) has vowed NEVER to have anything to do with anyone who fought for the Union.One day, a stranger, Henry Carson (Van Johnson) wanders by the MacBean farm. While Gill isn't very friendly, the rest of the family invites the man in for dinner and soon he ends up staying for some time. Now this stranger isn't a freeloader--he works very hard around the place and he's also very likable. However, when it comes to politics, he says very little and Gill cannot figure out which side this young man might have fought for in the war. If he is a Yankee, this is a serious problem for Gill, as his daughter, Lissy (Janet Leigh--in her first film) is falling for Henry. There is MUCH more to the film than this--but frankly it's better if you just see it for yourself. Suffice to say, there isn't much not to like about this film. The acting is very nice (particular by Johnson), the script superb (offering lots of twists and a wonderful surprise ending) and it's a nice look at American history. Exceptional.By the way, although it's not the same, you do wonder if the film was the inspiration for the "Andy Griffith Show" episode "A Stranger in Town" as there are some similarities.

This film is set right after the civil war and somebody is going around burning barns. The people are still loyal and hate the other side. Thomas Mitchell is the father who fought for the south and so did his son but the son hasn't come home yet. Janet Leigh is the daughter and Dean Stockwell is their youngest son. Van Johnson is passing by one day and he winds up staying with them. Johnson and Leigh are attracted to each other but the father wants to know what side Johnson fought on. Johnson used to be a schoolteacher before the war and he wants to open a schoolhouse. It turns out that Johnson knows something about their son and when the father finds out Johnson fought for the north, he wants to kill him. This was Janet Leigh's first film and she's only OK but i have never liked Van Johnson but he's OK here.

I only learned of this film when Janet Leigh mentioned it once and I started my quest to see it. Eventually I was able to buy a 16mm print and see that this forgotten gem is a treasure! Van Johnson, as the wandering stranger and Thomas Mitchell as the suspecting father are at odds. Lovely Ms. Leigh radiates with charm and mystery, as she wants to accept the aid of this handsome young man. Events lead to test the hard felt feelings of this family trying to heal after the bitter War Between the States. In the end, truth, acceptance, forgiveness and love win out. I recommend it highly! THANKS JANET!