Decades before cable, streaming or TMZ, Hollywood staged premiers of new films the old fashioned way – filling the house with an enthusiastic audience who were mostly employed by a specific studio and getting reactions as filmgoers left.
Obviously a marketing ploy; the stars would amble by the reporter’s microphone and utter superlatives, just so long as they were able to promote their own films as trade-off. Not sure if these reactions were scripted or genuinely off-the-cuff.
The premier of Paramounts latest; To Each His Own, starring Olivia De Havilland was one of those marketing ploys. There was a ring of truth to the superlatives, since it was Olivia De Havilland who won a much anticipated oscar for her role in this film.
Critics raved. Alt Film Guide said “To Each His Own is surprisingly direct in its handling of an unwed mother, paralleling Jody’s increasing coldness with the detached—but honest—flashbacks that comprise the bulk of the film.” One reviewer at Cinescene said “In To Each His Own, the sufferer is able to learn something from her mistakes and misfortunes, growing past her grief and distress into a kind of wisdom. The picture has style, but also a sincerity of sentiment that gives it distinction.” Another wrote, “Forthrightly feminist avant la lettre, the film is conscious of constraints, but committed to its movement forward: less resentful than resourceful, and more stalwart than strident, yet angry and determined nonetheless.”
Classic Film Guide deemed it “A marvelous sentimental (and now dated) story “. JigsawLounge wrote “Brackett’s screenplay is a wonder of intricate construction, with pretty much every minor detail of character and plot introduced for a reason which ‘pays off’ much later in the script. On sober reflection, it is a rather tall tale—and more than the usual degree of disbelief-suspension may be required here and there. But this should prove a very simple task for all but the most hard-headed of audiences: To Each His Own’s combination of emotional resonance and a lively wit is potent, and enduring.” San.beck said, “This maudlin drama explores the loneliness of a woman who is successful in business but has only one relative she rarely sees. The world wars made for some quick marriages and many widows.” NicksFlickPicks gave the film a rating of 3 stars out of 5. TV Guide said, “What might have been a trite soap opera is elevated to the status of superior emotional drama by a wise script, sensitive direction, and an Oscar-winning performance by de Havilland.”
Now that you have some idea of the background to “To Each His Own”, hearing the goings-on at this premier, done on the lot at Paramount in Hollywood gives you a better idea of what was happening in Hollywood at the time.
Stay tuned.
