Homecoming, 1948

In this WWII film, we see a contrast between two doctors. Dr. Sunday, played by John Hodiak, is passionate about the local community. Dr. Johnson, played by Clark Gable, is trying to enjoy life. When war breaks out, Dr. Johnson does the expected. He enlists and becomes an army surgeon. He tries to keep his marriage going while he’s away, but sassy nurse “Snapshot” doesn’t help. His wife begins to get jealous over her husband’s attractive nurse since he writes home about her.

When Dr. Johnson finally comes home, he tries to sort out his life, his marriage, and the ways the war has changed him. He thinks about Dr. Sunday and the local community, people who have been in a different kind of war.

Clark Gable in his late forties still looked good, believable as a love interest for Lana Turner, who was twenty years younger. Lana Turner, as “Snapshot” McCall, didn’t wear the big Hollywood dresses, but rather a military uniform. But she looked good enough to make another woman jealous.

Gable’s wife was played by the fabulous Anne Baxter. She’d already won an Oscar for her work in The Razor’s Edge in 1946. In just two years, Baxter would be nominated for an Oscar for playing the title role in All About Eve. In eight years, Baxter would play beautiful Nefretiri in the classic Charlton Heston film The Ten Commandments.