Tomorrow is Forever

[The Voice of Cornstarch]

In his book, McBride writes that "despite several months of trying to locate a print" he was unable to see this film. Does it not exist?

[NoFake]

It certainly exists, or at least did; I have a video (MGM/UA Home Video). Got it about 5 years ago...

[Chuck Kane]

In his book, McBride writes that

Are you referring to McBride's new book?
How to get a copy??

[Roger Ryan]

"Tomorrow Is Forever" was shown on Turner Classic Movies during their big Welles tribute in May, 2005 and a number of times afterward.

McBride's quote about not being able to locate a print appears in his 1977 book "Orson Welles" from the Illustrated History Of The Movies series (this one focused squarely on Welles' work as an actor). The book was written prior to the advent of home video, so I have the feeling McBride has since seen the film in question.

McBride's new book "What Ever Happened To Orson Welles?: A Portrait of an Independent Career" is scheduled to be published in October.

[The Voice of Cornstarch]

Is it like "The Stranger"

[Roger Ryan]

Is it like "The Stranger"

It's much less interesting than "The Stranger" in my opinion. A ridiculously plotted tearjerker, "Tomorrow Is Forever" contains the kind of sentimental claptrap that Welles kept out of his own films. Welles plays a dashing young soldier in the first part of the film who leaves his wife (Claudette Colbert) to fight in the war. After being horribly disfigured by a landmine, Welles' character believes it would be better for him to simply disappear than to return home and be a burden to his wife. Years later his does return with a young daughter in tow (Natalie Wood) only to find his wife has remarried. The truly absurd aspect is that the "horrible disfigurement" is represented by dark charcoal marks under Welles' eyes. He grows a beard (and with graying hair resembles Welles as he actually looked in the 70s) and adopts a pronounced eastern European accent. He returns home and becomes a houseguest of Colbert who never suspects the man is her supposedly dead first husband. Anyway, you get the idea...

[Terry]

Absurd film, yes, but Welles' performance is very good.

It will be on TCM again on September 13th and October 16th if you haven't seen it.