''Hers to Hold'' (aka ''Three Smart Girls Join Up'') is a 1943 American romantic

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

and is the third film in the unofficial ''

Three Smart Girls ''Three Smart Girls'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Barbara Read, Nan Grey, Deanna Durbin (her feature film debut), and Ray Milland. The film's screenplay was written by Adele Comandini and Austin P ...

'' trilogy. In ''Hers to Hold'',

Deanna Durbin Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With t ...

reprises her role as Penny Craig, who is the only sister remaining at home."Overview: 'Hers to Hold' (1943)."
''IMDb'', 2019. Retrieved: July 7, 2019.

Plot

Vega Aircraft Corporation The Vega Aircraft Corporation was a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Company in Burbank, California responsible for much of its parent company's production in World War II. History The company was first formed in August 1937 as the AiRover ...

employees pilot Bill Morley, a former

Flying Tiger The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

is awaiting commissioning with the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. Along with his sidekick Rosey, he is donating blood for the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

. During their mandatory rest period following the donation, the pair sight a bevy of photographers following singing

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

Penny Craig giving her donation. As all donors are given the temporary use of hospital

white coat A white coat, also known as a laboratory coat or lab coat, is a knee-length overcoat or smock worn by professionals in the medical field or by those involved in laboratory work. The coat protects their street clothes and also serves as a simple ...

s, wolf bachelor Bill sees his chance to get Penny's address and details by impersonating a doctor. Bill continues his doctor charade when he and Rosey crash a society soiree held by Penny's parents. Penny decides to get her revenge by attempting to humiliate Bill by turning him over to one of the Craig family's raving

hypochondriac Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. An old concept, the meaning of hypochondria has repeatedly changed. It has been claimed that this debilitating cond ...

friends and introducing him to a real medical professional. The embarrassed but still cool Bill takes his leave but not before publicly kissing Penny. Penny instantly falls in love with Bill and tracks him down by getting a job herself at the Vega Aircraft Factory as a

riveter A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite to the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the rivet is placed in a punched ...

that also satisfies her desire to help the

war effort In politics and military planning, a war effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and human—towards the support of a military force. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative size ...

. Between working and singing, Penny schemes to keep Bill from going on active service and although Bill is slowly finding his way with Penny he is afraid of leaving her a widow during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Cast

Production

''Hers to Hold'' was originally planned to be filmed in 1942 and titled ''Three Smart Girls Join Up'' to be directed by

Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent film, silent era to the end of the 1960s. ...

and produced by Bruce Manning with a screenplay by

Paul Gallico Paul William Gallico (July 26, 1897 – July 15, 1976) was an American novelist and short story and sports writer.Ivins, Molly,, ''The New York Times'', July 17, 1976. Retrieved Oct. 25, 2020. Many of his works were adapted for motion pictu ...

and

Richard J. Collins Richard J. Collins (July 20, 1914 – February 14, 2013) was an American producer, director and screenwriter prominent in Hollywood during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He worked on several notable television programs including '' Bonanza'', ...

. It was based on a story by RAF pilot Derek Bolto, who sold it to Universal's office in London. The studio announced it in April. It was to be Durbin's first film following her suspension by Universal in October 1941. The pair were replaced when the producer felt that the film should be about the relationship of the three Craig sisters at home rather than the submitted screenplay about Penny's relationship with the other workers at the aircraft plant. In April Kay Van Riper was signed to do the script. Filming was to start 15 May 1942. Then in April Universal decided to put Durbin in ''The Amazing Mrs Holliday'' first and assigned Renoir to that film. (He would not complete it.) In December 1942 Universal announced that Bruce Manning, who produced and took over direction of ''Holliday'' would possibly produce and direct ''Smart Girls''. In January 1943 Universal revived the project, announcing that Frank Ryan, who had worked on the script for ''The Amazing Mrs Holliday'', would direct, and that it would be called ''Hers to Hold''. The title was changed as the screenplay concentrated on Penny's romance with a flier and Penny being the only one of the Craig sisters to appear in the film; a line in the screenplay mentions that she will write letters to her unseen sisters. Reference to the other films of the series appear as Penny's father shows home movies of scenes from those films. In March 1943 Joseph Cotten was borrowed from David O Selznick to play Durbin's leading man. Evelyn Ankers was given the second female lead.

Shooting

Filming took place in May 1943. ''Hers to Hold'' was shot on location at the Vega Aircraft Factory in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

on Sundays, to avoid disruption of aircraft manufacture and at the

Lockheed Air Terminal Lockheed (originally spelled Loughead) may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Lockheed Corporation, a former American aircraft manufacturer * Lockheed Martin, formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta ** Lockheed Mar ...

. The

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

shown being built in the film flew several combat missions with the

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...

over Europe, where it was named ''Tinkertoy''. ''Tinkertoy'' was considered a "jinx ship" that no one wanted to fly in, due to its crews suffering an unusual number of frequent and gruesome deaths. Durbin was particularly proud of the music numbers in the film.

Soundtrack

* ''Seguidilla'' from ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

''
Music by

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...

Libretto by

Henri Meilhac Henri Meilhac (23 February 1830 – 6 July 1897) was a French dramatist and opera librettist, best known for his collaborations with Ludovic Halévy on Georges Bizet's ''Carmen'' and on the works of Jacques Offenbach, as well as Jules Massenet' ...

and

Ludovic Halévy Ludovic Halévy (1 January 1834 – 7 May 1908) was a French author and playwright, best known for his collaborations with Henri Meilhac on Georges Bizet's '' Carmen'' and on the works of Jacques Offenbach. Biography Ludovic Halévy was born in ...

Sung by Deanna Durbin * ''

Begin the Beguine "Begin the Beguine" is a popular song written by Cole Porter. Porter composed the song between Kalabahi, Indonesia, and Fiji during a 1935 Pacific cruise aboard Cunard's ocean liner ''Franconia''. In October 1935, it was introduced by June Knig ...

'' Written by

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

Sung by Deanna Durbin *''Say a Prayer for the Boys Over There'' Music by

Jimmy McHugh James Francis McHugh (July 10, 1894 – May 23, 1969) was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by many artists, including Chet Baker, J ...

Lyrics by

Herb Magidson Herbert A. Magidson (January 7, 1906 – January 2, 1986) was an American popular lyricist. His work was used in over 23 films and four Broadway revues. He won the first Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1934. Life and career Magidson was ...

Sung by Deanna Durbin * ''

Kashmiri Song "Kashmiri Song" or "Pale Hands I Loved" is a 1902 song by Amy Woodforde-Finden based on a poem by Laurence Hope, pseudonym of Violet Nicolson. The poem first appeared in Hope's first collection of poems, '' The Garden of Kama'' (1901), also kno ...

'' Music by Amy Woodforde-Finden
Lyrics by Lawrence Hope
Sung by Deanna Durbin

Reception

A contemporary review in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', noted that "In 'Hers to Hold', Deanna Durbin successfully and permanently completes transition from cinematic sub-deb to young ladyhood. ... Durbin again demonstrates capabilities in carrying acting responsibilities of lead, with her four song numbers neatly spotted along the way." The review also indicated, "Story, although lightly contrived, generates audience attention through the deft business generously inserted in the script and carried through via direction." Although concentrating on the aviation aspects of the production, aviation film historian James M. Farmer in ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation'' (1984), characterized that ''Hers to Hold'' (was) "a lightweight formula romance."Farmer 1984, p. 314.

Awards

The song "Say a Pray'r for the Boys Over There" from ''Hers to Hold'' was nominated for Best Song at the

16th 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

."The 16th Academy Awards (1944) Nominees and Winners."
''oscars.org'', 2019. Retrieved: July 7, 2019.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Beck, Simon D. ''The Aircraft-Spotter's Film and Television Companion''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2016. . * Ceplair, Larry. ''The Marxist and the Movies: A Biography of Paul Jarrico''. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2007. . * Farmer, James H. ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation'' (1st ed.). Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Books, 1984. . * Henderson, Stuart.''The Hollywood Sequel: History & Form, 1911-2010''. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017. . * Kaplan, Philip. ''With Wings as Eagles: The Eighth Air Force in World War II''. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2017. . * Michael, Paul. ''The Great American Movie Book''. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1980. .

External links

* * * * * * {{Mojo title 1943 films 1943 musical comedy films American aviation films American black-and-white films American musical comedy films American sequel films 1940s English-language films Films scored by Frank Skinner Films set on the home front during World War II Universal Pictures films World War II films made in wartime Films directed by Frank Ryan