''Journey for Margaret'' is a 1942 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

set in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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 opposing ...

. It stars Robert Young and

Laraine Day Laraine Day (born La Raine Johnson, October 13, 1920 – November 10, 2007) was an American actress, radio and television commentator, and former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) contract star. As a leading lady, she was paired opposite major film sta ...

as a couple who have to deal with the loss of their unborn child due to a bombing raid. It is an adaptation of the book of the same name in which

William Lindsay White William Lindsay White (June 17, 1900 – July 26, 1973) was an American journalist, foreign correspondent, and writer. He succeeded his father, William Allen White, as editor and publisher of the '' Emporia Gazette'' in 1944. Among White's most no ...

and his wife described their experiences adopting an orphan in London. This is reflected in the introduction to the film, which begins: “The Margaret of this story is real... “ This was the final film of the prolific director W. S. Van Dyke.

Plot

During

, American war correspondent John Davis leaves

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

for safer London with his wife, Nora, who is pregnant. John wants her to go back home to

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, but she decides to stay on by his side. John is worn down by the war, and Nora has her doubts about his conviction as a reporter. During

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

, John is walking around London in the rubble, moved when discovering a desperate young boy. As he returns home, he learns that his wife has been hurt in the bombings and taken to hospital. It turns out Nora has lost the baby and is permanently injured, meaning that she will never be able to bear another child. Nora is devastated when she hears the news about her condition. It takes months for Nora to recover; and, when she does, John tries to put her on a flight home to the United States. She agrees; but John's colleague, Herbert V. Allison, tries to convince her to stay on and fight to get over the ill fate that has befallen her. Despite this, she goes home. John continues his work writing about war orphans. He meets with the director of the

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...

, Trudy Strauss, and starts caring for the children. He also meets Peter, the boy he saw during The Blitz, who has been mute since he arrived at the orphanage. John gives Peter a toy he found after The Blitz, which causes the boy to see him as a

father figure A father figure is usually an older man, normally one with power, authority, or strength, with whom one can identify on a deeply psychology, psychological level and who generates emotions generally felt towards one's father. Despite the literal te ...

. Another child, Margaret, comes to the orphanage after being in

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family ...

. She has a bomb casing in a chain around her neck. She has to learn to cry for her dead parents. At tea time, Peter comes around and starts communicating with the other children. Both Peter and Margaret open up to John in the evening and want him to help them. Later, when bombers fly over the orphanage, John helps calm the children. London is bombed again during the night; and John and Allison go around looking for stories to write, when they encounter a woman carrying a dead baby. John, increasingly upset, is inspired to write stories. Back at the orphanage, Peter and Margaret are to meet their prospective parents. John agrees to accompany them; but they cling to him, even though the potential adopters are very nice. Via

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

, John asks Nora if he can adopt the two children and bring them back with him. Nora's mother answers that Nora is ill but "certain will want children". Nora had a breakdown after receiving his telegram but recovers and writes to confirm she wants him and a home and children, "two, four, ten, bring them". It turns out the flight from London to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

is full. John tries to negotiate with the passengers not to use their full baggage allowance, but it doesn't work. John is allowed to bring only one child and is advised to let the children perform an

IQ test An intelligence quotient (IQ) is a total score derived from a set of standardized tests or subtests designed to assess human intelligence. The abbreviation "IQ" was coined by the psychologist William Stern (psychologist), William Stern for th ...

to determine which to bring with him. Margaret scores higher, and John must return Peter to foster care. Heartbroken, John still goes to the airport with Margaret; but, when John is about to board the plane, one of the other passengers has given up her baggage allowance to make room for Peter. Later, after a long trip, John and the children arrive by ship to the port in New York, watching the shimmering lights of the city in the distance. Nora comes to meet them on the ship. There is an air raid alarm, but Nora tells the children that, once the war is over, they will never have to worry that the lights in the city will be turned off.

Cast

Reception

The film was a surprise hit - according to MGM records it made $779,000 in the US and Canada and $755,000 elsewhere, earning a profit of $561,000.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Journey For Margaret 1942 films 1942 drama films American drama films Battle of Britain films American black-and-white films Films scored by Franz Waxman Films about orphans Films based on American novels Films directed by W. S. Van Dyke Films set in London Films set on the home front during World War II Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films with screenplays by William Ludwig World War II films made in wartime 1940s English-language films