I believe every person on earth has some kind of wish to know the future. Sometimes I think it would be interesting to know if I am going in the right direction with my life. In the 1944 film It Happened Tomorrow, turn of the century reporter Larry Stevens (Dick Powell) get the chance to read the future.
Larry is an ambitious young reporter who like almost all reporters wants to out scoop other reporters. An older man working at the newspaper named Pop tells Larry he can read the future and gives Larry a printed copy of the next day’s paper. The old man cautions that serious consequences can come about but Larry does not really heed the cautions too seriously. Larry feels he has landed the opportunity of a life time. He reads the things in the paper the night before and the next day he excitedly asks his boss to cover the story.
In the midst of everything he meets a young woman named Sylvia Smith (Linda Darnell). She and her Uncle Oscar (Jack Oakie) are performers outing on a fake clairvoyant act. Larry is very taken with Sylvia asking her out and even bringing her home even though she is reluctant at first. The next day he takes Sylvia to the opera where he knows a crime will happen. He reports the whole deal but then he is later questioned in connection with the crime.
The more Larry reads the next day’s paper the more he gets in trouble. One day he reads a notice in the paper that he has died! He quickly marries Sylvia and just as quickly gets into big trouble that threatens his life.
I really liked the film I liked the story and the acting was very good. Dick Powell is so good in anything he does. He had the perfect touch of drama and comedy. Linda Darnell I had never seen before in a film but I liked her. Jack Oakie ever since I saw him in The Great Dictator just cracks me up he was so funny.
My favorite scene in the film is when Sylvia has to wear Larry’s suit, hat, and shoes because her clothes are wet. Her keys are in her dress but the dress is at Larry’s so she has to climb through the window to get to her room. Everything she touches is noisy and sets a dog off barking. One of the ladies living in the same boarding house as she sees Sylvia climbing in the window but because she is in Larry’s clothes the lady things a man is climbing into Sylvia’s room and robbing her!! The scenes after that are so funny.
It Happened Tomorrow is very good. I liked the story of Larry innocently wanting to be a good reporter and kind of cheating his way through it and experiencing the consequences. It Happened Tomorrow is light, short, entertaining film with a nice story.
The moral of the film is to take life a day at the time which we should all do and not rush to know what tomorrow will bring.
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