Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has a slate of new-to-Blu-ray film library selections heading home during the month of April.
We begin with the Apr. 20 Blu-ray debut of director Victor Saville’s 1947 film adaptation of Elizabeth Goudge’s 1944 novel, “Green Dolphin Country,” which arrived in theatres as Green Dolphin Street. This is a new 4K restoration.
As with many studio-produced films of the 1930s into the 1960s, the original casting announcements in the trade press often changed dramatically once production began in earnest. After the novel was acquired, as part of a short-lived publicity program at MGM, early trade reports from the period had Gregory Peck, along with either Katharine Hepburn or Laraine Day, in the starring roles.
Of course, history records that these film roles went to Richard Hart (in his film debut) and Lana Turner, with Donna Reed stepping in for MGM studio favorite June Allyson. Much of these casting shuffles had to do with who was “hot” at the time … Lana Turner had just scored sensational reviews for The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Donna Reed came off a starring role in It’s a Wonderful Life.
In this period piece (circa 1840), father and son (played by Frank Morgan and Richard Hart) return to one of the Channel Islands and that causes quite the stir. It seems that the father once had a relationship with a now-married woman (Gladys Cooper), who has two daughters (Lana Turner and Donna Reed). William (Hart) falls in love with Marguerite (Donna Reed), but through a series of events is forced to find refuge in far-off colonial New Zealand.
Once settled, he writes a letter to Marguerite’s father, asking for her hand, but accidently writes the name of her sister, Marianne (Lana Turner), who was also smitten with the dashing William. She agrees and makes the long journey to New Zealand … imagine William’s surprise when the wrong daughter gets off the ship.
At the urging of his friend and now business partner, Timothy (Van Heflin) — who is also connected to the island and just happens to be a wanted man for murder (a knife-fight years ago) — William is to keep the secret of the wrong sister and marry Marianne. They settle in, and then two disasters strike — the first is the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake (the film won the Oscar for Best Special Effects … and was also nominated for cinematography, sound and editing) that nearly kills William.
Second, after they recover from that disaster (and now have a young daughter), there is the Maori uprising that makes New Zealand unsafe … they eventually return to the Channel Island where it all began. It is here, as Marianne goes through her now deceased father’s estate, she discovers the letter and learns of William’s deception.
After all of this turmoil, there is a happy “Hollywood” ending.
Bonus features include the 1949 Lux Radio Theatre broadcast featuring Joan Banks in the Donna Reed role and newcomer Peter Lawford as William, with Lana Turner and Van Heflin reprising their roles of Marianne and Timothy respectively.
Also to be found among the new-to-Blu-ray releases in April from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment are new 4K film restorations for Broadway Melody of 1940 (with Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell, Apr. 20), William Powell and Myrna Loy are back as Nick and Nora Charles in Another Thin Man (Apr. 20), Betty Hutton stars as Annie Oakley in Annie Got Her Gun (Apr. 20) and tough guys George Raft and Jimmy Cagney star in the prison drama, Each Dawn I Die (also on Apr. 20).
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