For the Love of Mary

1948

Technical Information:

Studio: Universal-International
Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Black and White
Video Availability: Available on MCA/Universal home video.

Cast:

Deanna Durbin...Mary Peppertree
Edmond O'Brien...Lt. Tom Farrington
Don Taylor...David Paxton
Jeffrey Lynn...Phillip Manning
Ray Collins...Harvey Elwood
Hugo Haas...Gustav Heindel
Harry Davenport...Justice Peabody
Griff Barnett...Timothy Peppertree
Catharine Alexander...Miss Harkness
James Todd...Justice Van Sloan
Morris Ankrum...Adm. Walton
Frank Conroy...Samuel Litchfield
Leon Belasco...Igor
Louise Beavers...Bertha
Raymond Greenleaf...Justice Williams
Charles Meredith...Justice Hastings
Adele Rowland...Mrs. Peabody
Mary Adams...Marge
Adrienne Marden...Hilda
Beatrice Roberts...Dorothy
Harry Cheshire...Colonel Hedley
Donald Randolph...Asst. Attorney General
William Gould...Senator Benning

Credits:

Original Screenplay by...Oscar Brodney
Director of Photography...William Daniels, A.S.C.
Art Direction...Bernard Herzbrun, Robert Boyle
Film Editor...Ted J. Kent
Sound...Leslie I. Carey, Jack A. Bolger, Jr.
Set Decorations...Russell A. Gausman, John Austin
Music Supervisor...Milton Schwarzwald
Orchestrations...David Tamkin
Gowns...Orry Kelly
Dialogue Director...Joan Hathaway
Hair Stylist...Carmen Dirigo
Make-up...Bud Westmore
Assistant Director...Fred Frank
Special Photography by...David S. Horsley, A.S.C.
Music...Frank Skinner
Miss Durbin's Songs Conducted by...Edgar Fairchild
Staged by...Nick Castle
Produced by...Robert Arthur
Directed by...Frederick de Cordova

    Mary Peppertree (Deanna Durbin) is a young woman whose father, Timothy (Griff Barnett) works as a security guard at the White House. She has just left her job as a switchboard operator at the Supreme Court, to take on the same job at the White House. This upsets some of the Chief Justices (Harry Davenport, James Todd, Raymond Greenleaf, Charles Meredith), who have relied on the very efficient Mary for practically everything!
    Mary has a hard day at work. The Justices keep calling, begging her to return to the Supreme Court, but she refuses. The Justices also want her to marry Phillip Manning (Jeffrey Lynn), a young attorney to whom she was previously engaged. She broke off the engagement when she realized that she just wasn't in love with him. She also receives calls from a man named David Paxton (Don Taylor), who insists on speaking to the President of the United States since the U.S. Navy won't allow him to travel to Cocopango Atoll to study fish. She has instructions not to let him speak to the President, and so she tells him to stop calling. After work, she goes to a Gustav's, a restaurant owned by her friend, Gustav Heindel (Hugo Haas), a foreigner who is studying with the Justices to take his citizenship exam. She talks to Phillip and explains to him why she doesn't want to marry him, and also has a chance meeting with David.
    The next morning, David presents Mary with a bouquet of flowers. While at the switchboard, Mary receives a call from the President's secretary, Harvey Elwood (Ray Collins), who brings her a cure for her hiccups. Phillip then calls and asks to escort her to a party being given that night by Justice Peabody. She turns him down, opting to go by herself instead. She talks to him while still cut in on the President's line, allowing the Chief Executive to listen to the entire conversation!
    Meanwhile, David is thrown out of the White House when he decides to see the President face to face. Mary tells him that she'll arrange a meeting between he and Elwood if he takes her to the party that night. He agrees. However, that night, it's not David but Lt. Tom Farrington (Edmond O'Brien) who picks Mary up. Mary is bewildered until Tom explains that he was ordered by the President to take her to the party (since the President thought she'd be going alone). They arrive at the party, and Phillip is jealous of Tom. Tom also runs into Samuel Litchfield (Frank Conroy), his girlfriend's father. Litchfield doesn't understand why Tom is with Mary instead of his daughter.
    After they leave, Mary finds out that Tom is stationed at the White House for one year, which he doesn't want. When they get home, Mary discovers David waiting for her. He is upset, but they kiss, anyway.
    The next morning, Elwood is sent by the President to see Mary after he calls her. She doesn't sound convincing enough for him that she had fun at the party with Tom. Mary also arranges the meeting for David. She then decides to put an end to her burgeoning relationship with David, since the President informs her that he is not impressed with him. While out having lunch together, Mary learns that Paxton's father had bought an island, Cocopango Atoll to study fish. Then, the War started, his father died and the Navy took the island over. They built an important base there, preventing David from getting to his island. She promises to get Phillip to help him, since he knows about the legal side of things.
    That night, Tom takes Mary to a movie on the President's insistence. She thus is forced to break another date with David. At David's meeting with Phillip, Phillip will only talk about Mary, which upsets David. Phillip tells the Justices to find out what is happening between Mary and Tom.
    Elwood then meets with Phillip and they hatch a plan in order to get David out of Mary's life, since the President doesn't like him. Phillip makes David mad by asking about his involvement with Mary. David thus leaves the city for good. Just then, Litchfield enters and talks to Elwood about Tom's involvement with Mary. Mary and Tom then show up. Tom then talks to Litchfield, trying to explain the situation. Mary is angry when she learns that Phillip threw David out, since she wanted to help him. Tom informs Elwood that he is taking Mary to the opera, instead of his girlfriend. Elwood must now bring back David to get rid of Tom, since he is already in a relationship.
    Phillip calls David and tells him not to unpack. David returns to the city and picks Mary up for a date on Elwood's orders, which surprises Mary, who was expecting Tom again. They decide to take a tour of the city and end up kissing again. When they get back to Mary's house, they find Phillip waiting there. He has fixed everything for David, who has now decided to stay. Tom is also there. He realizes that there is some sort of a conspiracy. Tom was brought in to split up Mary and Phillip, and David was then brought in to split up Mary and Tom. David is angered and leaves. Phillip apologizes to Mary and Tom proposes. Mary then finds out that people think she is engaged to two different men - Gustav believes she is marrying Phillip, and the President thinks she's marrying Tom!
    Litchfield is mad when he finds out about Tom's engagement to Mary. David plans to leave the country, which upsets Elwood, who was planning on breaking up Tom and Mary's relationship with him. Elwood is informed that David was never actually a United States citizen, because of his father's treaty with the Cocopango Atoll natives. Mary is upset when she finds out he is going to be deported. She tries to stop it, when he tells her that he doesn't want to go to Cocopango Atoll after all, since he's changed his mind. Elwood manages to get him out temporarily and then finds out from Admiral Walton (Morris Ankrum) that if David is deported, the Carlson Island (formerly Cocopango Atoll) base will have to be moved! The President calls a quick meeting. Phillip and Tom take David to the White House. He plays along with their assumptions that he wants to return to the island. The messy situation will hurt all of their careers if a war is started between the United States and Cocopango Atoll.
    David goes to talk with Mary, Justice Peabody and Gustav in the kitchen of Gustav's restaurant. They write a proposition, keeping the others in suspense. The finished proposition has special arrangements for everyone - Tom will be placed on active duty as he desired, Phillip will get his own legal practice outside of Washington, D.C., David will become Director of Fish and Wildlife Research, and Gustav will become a citizen (he previously failed his test). Mary then phones the President telling him how everything has worked out fine and ends up in David's arms.

Songs:

[Songs performed by Deanna Durbin in boldface]
"Viennese Waltz" (Unknown)
"On Moonlight Bay" (Madden, Wenrich)
"I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen" (Westendorf)
"Largo al Factotum" (Rossini, Sterbini)
"Big, Wide, Wonderful World" (Unknown)

My Review:

For the Love of Mary is a cute little film, though not really worthy of Deanna's talents. There is nothing really spectacular about it. Everything from the acting to the sets and costumes to the music is pretty routine, though it has its moments. The plot may be a little hard to follow but all in all, its pretty worthwhile viewing. It'll be rather sad viewing for die-hard Deanna fans, as this was the last time she would ever appear in front of the movie cameras. One song, "Big, Wide, Wonderful World" was cut from the final print, though it has been restored on video.

Picture credits:
1. Video cover scanned by webmaster.
2. Movie still scanned by webmaster.

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