Vacation from Marriage (1945)
- kbroer
- Mar 22, 2024
- 3 min read
Robert Donat, Deborah Kerr, Glynis Johns
Directed by Alexander Korda
Available to stream on Prime Video
Wartime London is the setting for this tale of a bored-with-each-other married couple Robert Donat and Deborah Kerr, who are separated by their war service for three years (he in the navy, she in the WRENS) and are very different people when they see each other again toward the end of the war.
Why we love it: This is such a delightful romantic comedy -- one of our favorites! It's not very well known, but it is definitely worth watching over and over again. Robert Donat and Deborah Kerr are absolutely fantastic as the dull married couple and they both make convincing wartime transformations into much more adventurous, glamorous people. At the time, Donat was well-known and loved by American audiences for his Oscar winning portrayal of Mr. Chips in "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" (1939). Deborah Kerr was just beginning her American career. Glynis Johns, famous character actress, is wonderful as Kerr's friend in the WRENS.
Fun Facts:
This was a British production, originally released in England as "Perfect Strangers."
Clemence Dane, noted British novelist and playwright, won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Dane was the nom de plume of Winifred Ashton. She chose her pseudonym because of St. Clement Danes Church in London (which was destroyed during the Blitz in 1940.) She was great friends with Noel Coward who is said to have based his character of Madame Arcati in "Blithe Spirit" on her.
Glynis Johns plays Deborah Kerr's friend. Johns went on to have a highly successful career on stage and film and was especially known for her roles as the mermaid in Miranda (1948), Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins (1964), and the grandmother in While You Were Sleeping (1995). She just died in January of this year at the age of 100.
An 18-year-old Roger Moore (future 007) appears uncredited as a soldier.
This was Donat's last film for MGM and Deborah Kerr's first - she would go on to become one of MGM's major stars in the late 40's and throughout the 50's and 60's.
The movie was filmed at Denham Studios in London during the war and at one point a bomb fell on some of the studio offices.
For a review and article from the time, go to the Fan Magazine Reviews page.
Featured Cocktail:
Suffering Bastard
This drink has its origins in North Africa during World War II. The story goes that the bartender at Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo created it as a hangover cure for British troops (“the suffering bastards”). It proved so popular that soldiers supposedly telegraphed the hotel from the front lines asking for it be delivered to them in bulk. The original recipe probably called for brandy, but most bartenders now make it with bourbon. Trader Vic liked the name so much he appropriated it in the 1960s for a rum-based Tiki drink.
1 oz (30 ml) bourbon or brandy
1 oz (30 ml) gin
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2-3 oz (60-90 ml) ginger beer to top
mint sprig for garnish
Shake the bourbon, gin, lime juice, and bitters with ice. Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice. Top with ginger beer and stir lightly. Garnish with mint sprig.
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