Foreign Correspondent (1940).

Foreign Correspondent(1940). Spy/thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, George Sanders, Albert Bassermann and Robert Benchley and Edmund Gwenn.

The film was Hitchcock's second Hollywood film, the first was Rebecca and had many writers: Robert Benchley, Charles Bennett, Harold Clurman, Joan Harrison, Ben Hecht, James Hilton, John Howard Lawson, John Lee Mahin, Richard Maibaum, and Budd Schulberg, with Bennett, Benchley, Harrison, and Hilton the only writers credited in the finished film. It was based on Vincent Sheean's political memoir Personal History (1935), the rights to which were purchased by producer Walter Wanger.

The film was one of two Hitchcock films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1941, the other being Rebecca, which went on to win the award. Foreign Correspondent was nominated for six Academy Awards, including one for Albert Bassermann for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, but did not win any.

Foreign Correspondent tells the story of Johnny Jones, an American newspaper writer who travels to England to report on the war as, Huntley Haverstock for the New York Globe. The young reporter's, first assignment is at an event held by Fisher, in honour of a diplomat named Van Meer. On the way to the party, Haverstock sees Van Meer and runs to interview him. Van Meer invites him to ride along in his car. At the party, Haverstock meets Fisher's daughter, Carol . Later, after Van Meer disappears, Fisher informs the guests that the guest of honor, Van Meer, will not be attending the party, instead he will be at a political conference in Amsterdam.

At the conference, Van Meer is shot by a man posing as a photographer. Haverstock, wanting to follow the assassin jumps into Carol and reporter Scott's car. They follow the assassin to a windmill in the countryside. Carol and Scott decide to go for help, Haverstock searches the windmill and is surprised who he finds. Will he be able to escape the kidnappers?


In my opinion the cast is very good, the settings are wonderfully put together. It has everything I look for in a Hitchcock film: action, suspense and humor.


Fun Facts:

Director Alfred Hitchcock wanted Gary Cooper for the lead instead of Joel McCrea, but Cooper wasn't interested in doing a thriller. Which he later regretted.

Alfred Hitchcock had wanted either Barbara Stanwyck or Joan Fontaine for the female lead.

Alfred Hitchcock's eccentric marriage proposal to Alma Reville was written into the script.

Herbert Marshall's, first film was, Mumsie (1927). The actor spent many years playing romantic leads opposite stars: Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Bette Davis, and starring in such classic films: Trouble in Paradise (1932), The Little Foxes (1941), and The Razor's Edge (1946). He was featured in both the 1929 and the more famous 1940 version of The Letter, first as the murdered lover, then the wronged husband.

Happy Birthday Laraine Day (1920-2007)

Happy Birthday Laraine Day (1920-2007)


Born into a prominent Mormon family in Utah on October 13th, 1920 Laraine Day's acting career began after her parents moved to Long Beach, California, where she joined the Long Beach Players. She appeared in her first film in 1937 in a bit part, then did leads in several George O'Brien westerns. Signing a contract with MGM, she achieved popularity playing the part of Nurse Lamont in that studio's "Dr. Kildare" series. An attractive, engaging performer, she had leads in several medium-budget films for various studios, but never achieved major stardom. She was married for 13 years to baseball manager Leo Durocher, and took such an active interest in his career and the sport of baseball in general that she became known as "The First Lady of Baseball".

Laraine Day

Laraine Day, a popular actress who performed in almost two dozen MGM movies during Hollywood’s Golden Age. One of my favorite moves that she did was, A Bride by Mistake(1944). Director: Richard Wallace. Cast: Laraine Day, Marsha Hunt, Phil Vernon and Edgar Buchanan.

At the La Playa Hotel in Santa Barbara, soldiers from the U. S. Air Force wait for their new reassignments. Officer Tony Travis, notices heiress Nora Hunter and wonders what it would be like to be rich. Nora's secretary, Sylvia Lockwood, who often impersonates her, informs Nora that she plans to leave for Washington with her new husband. Nora asks Sylvia to stay until she marries her fiancee Donald, who has just returned from the war. Sylvia agrees but when she meets up with Donald, he tells her that he has fallen in love with someone else. He tells Nora to marry a man who does not care about money. Sylvia suggests inviting the servicemen to a party, and Nora agrees only if Sylvia pretends to be her. At the party, Nora, posing as Sylvia, is charmed by Tony, but he seems to be more interested in Sylvia. After Nora and Tony catch a cold after being trapped in the sprinklers, Tony gives them a alcoholic drink. Tony tells Nora that he would never marry without love. Nora decides to continue to test him and invites him for a weekend at her beach house with Sylvia.

I just finished watching: A Bride By Mistake for the first time, mostly to see Laraine Day. There certainly are not any surprises in this fun movie, and you could guess the plot all the way through. Laraine Day, brings some wonderful energy to the story. I have not watched many of her movies, but in this film, I can see why she was so popular.



Laraine Day, began her acting career with the Long Beach Players. In 1937 her first onscreen performance was in a bit part in Stella Dallas. Soon she landed lead roles in several George O'Brien westerns, in which she was billed as "Laraine Hays" and then Laraine Johnson.

In 1939 she signed with MGM, where she changed her name to, Laraine Day where she played the character, "Nurse Mary Lamont", the title character's fiancee in seven "Dr. Kildare" movies beginning with, Calling Dr. Kildare (1939), with Lew Ayres.

Laraine Day roles, for other studios were sometimes better roles than those MGM gave her, including: My Son, My Son! She also performed in the Alfred Hitchcock, Foreign Correspondent (1940) with Joel McCrea. A thriller film which tells the story of an American reporter who tries to expose enemy spies in Britain, a series of events involving a conspiracy that eventually leads to the events of a fictionalized Second World War.



She also performed in the suspense film, The Locket(1946), with Robert Mitchum, Brian Aherne, and Gene Raymond. It is told in a number of flashbacks from different points of view, this psychological drama tells the story of a bride-to-be who, as a child, was falsely accused of theft and grows up to become a kleptomaniac and eventually a murderess.






She performed in the drama/adventure film, The High and the Mighty(1954). Which starred and was co-produced by John Wayne. Director: William A. Wellman. Written by: Ernest K. Gann who was also the author of the novel on which the film was based. Composer: Dimitri Tiomkin won an Academy Award for his original score and his title song in the film was also nominated for an Oscar.

The film tells the story about the lives of the passengers and crew on board a Douglas DC-4 airliner while making a the flight between Hawaii and California. During which a prop failure and engine fire leads all to what could be a disaster. The High and the Mighty was one of the first "disaster" themed films: Airport series (1970-79), The Towering Inferno (1974), The Hindenburg (1975) and Titanic (1997).

Laraine Day, also hosted a TV show called, Daydreaming with Laraine or The Laraine Day Show (1951).

Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Laraine Day.