Random Harvest - 1942

Random Harvest - released December 17, 1942. Directed by Melvyn LeRoy.

Random Harvest - 1942

Ronald Colman plays a war veteran who is shell-shocked and kept at an asylum. He can barely speak and he can't remember who he is or how he got there. Frustrated and helpless as the asylum attempts (and fails) repeatedly to find family that can come and claim him, he makes a spur of the moment decision to escape from the facility. Wandering blindly, he finds himself in a nearby English city.

Greer Garson is a visiting entertainer traveling with a stage show who encounters Colman at a small British shop where he is about to be betrayed to the police by the shop's proprietor (the diminutive Una O'Conner) who is petrified when she realizes Colman is an asylum escapee. Garson takes Colman under her wing and secrets him out of town as part of the traveling troupe.

Her nursing slowly returns him to health and a kind of mental stability, but he still has amnesia, a problem tragically reversed during a trip into London when he is knocked down on the street by a vehicle.

The remainder of the tale is full of twists as Greer Garson's character (Paula) and Colman's (Ranier) are brought back together in a strange circumstance where Ranier doesn't realize who she is. A unique melodrama which won many awards at the time of its release in 1942.

The film is full of the classic, luminous black and white photography that marked that era of film - cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg

Amazon Streaming in HD: Random Harvest 1942

Original page March 2014 | Updated March 2018

You will see Amazon links on this web site because I am an Amazon affiliate. I earn from qualifying purchases.

Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon - 512 Pages

"A dazzling portrait of an incredible woman. Elizabeth's life was more captivating than any film could ever be."— Demi Moore

"Brower’s book takes the reader into the private world of the most famous celebrity of the 20th century. Elizabeth’s heart, mind, and passion come vividly alive on each page. We see her as a woman who struggled and ultimately survived to rewrite the playbook on celebrity and power. I never wanted it to end!" — Brooke Shields

"Brower is quickly becoming a brand-name Washington writer because of her ability to deliver juicy tidbits and insider information while steering her books toward a mainstream audience without sacrificing historical credibility." — Christian Science Monitor on TEAM OF FIVE

Amazon Link to order Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon Hardcover

Audio Book version - Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon

[This is an affiliate Amazon link which may provide a commission earned for this site. If that happens, we'll probably buy an old movie on Blu Ray with the proceeds.]

What's Recent