They Meet Again (1941) Online

Well, this has to be the very strangest of all the Dr. Christian movies. I like the series -- Jean Hersholt, with his charming Danish accent, makes a warm, friendly small-town Minnesota Dr., his housekeeper Maude Eburn, with her Bride of Frakenstein hairdo, is always amusing (and this time she spouts a continuous line of astrological wisdom which is -- incredibly for a movie -- completely accurate, according to the principles of astrology, and i say this as a professional astrologer, no joke!), and the shy romance between Judy and Bob, the young lovers, is, as ever, fascinatingly off-kilter.

But this time all sorts of strange side-shows are encountered. We get Neil Hamilton at his Leyendecker suit model best (in formal wear, no less) as the Governor, and the great Imogene Coca (uncredited) in a rousing performance as Lulu the romantic maid. And who on earth was the vocal double for little Anne Bennett when she burst into an entire aria from "La Traviata"? I suspect i will never know.

How can i recommend this movie to anyone who is not as weird as i am? I mean, if you want to see Maude Eburn in Bride of Frankenstein hair giving a completely accurate astrological rundown while Imogene Coca swoons on a porch glider and Neil Hamilton proves once again that he has the slickest hair and the straightest posture in town -- and you can stand hearing an entire aria from "La Traviata" mouthed by cute little Anne Bennett as Janie, who had earlier received a Shirley Temple doll for her birthday (the perfect gift for an aspiring child actor, of course) -- then this one's for you.

Oh, did i forget to mention Leon Tyler as Dick the tiny tap-dancing Western Union delivery boy? I think i did. Well, he's in there too, and so is Arthur Hoyt as the golf-obsessed secretary to the governor.

This film ranks a solid 5 out of 10 for weirdness alone. The only thing that would have made it better, would have been to have had it end with Arthur Hoyt in Imogene Coca's arms on the porch glider, while Dick tap-danced his way into Janie's heart and Bob and Judy got married. As for the Shirley Temple doll, it's worth hundreds now on eBay -- hundreds, i tell you!

The Dr. Christian series that Jean Hersholt starred in for RKO Pictures came to an end with They Meet Again. As in the previous film Melody For Three it involves a musical prodigy. Young Anne Bennett is a road show version of Deanna Durbin who wants to represent River's End at the Minnesota State musical show. But young Anne has bigger problems, her widower father Barton Yarborough has been framed and convicted of embezzlement at the bank he works at. Of course he didn't do it otherwise Dr. Christian and staff wouldn't agree to help.

With Jean Hersholt going to St. Paul to see Governor Neil Hamilton for a conditional release Detective Christian with operatives Robert Baldwin and Dorothy Lovett go to work on seeing who did the deed. With a really clever ruse involving a singing telegram they flush out the real thief. And Baldwin is adept at worming evidence out of loose women to nail the perpetrator.

In the meantime young Ms. Bennett takes sick with one of those Hollywood maladies that Dr. Christian just calls a broken heart. He has his own problems trying to see Neil Hamilton.

Of course it all ends happily as these films do. But I have to say this one was the most maudlin of the Dr. Christian films I've seen and now I've seen them all.

I do hope Dorothy Lovett and Robert Baldwin eventually tied the knot, she waited for him long enough.

This is the sixth and final film of the Dr. Christian series and considering the film, I could see why this was the last. The film, sadly, does not follow the nice formula of previous films but is more a maudlin musical showcase and offers little in the way of enjoyment.

The film begins with Bob Webster being accused of embezzlement. The good Dr. Christian (Jean Hersholt) comes to his defense, as he can't believe this man would do such a thing. Then, and I am about to say something horrible--so hold on tight, shortly after this there is a birthday party. For absolutely no reason at all, we are "treated" to a boy who sings and dances. Frankly, he is an incredibly ugly and untalented little creep....there, I said it. Sadly, the girl, Janie (Anne Bennett), who sings next in this impromptu review is pretty bad also--and it's pretty obvious that this is a B-movie in more ways than one. Sadly, there is a musical angle to this film, so we are subjected to more semi-talented children throughout the film--making this, perhaps, the hardest Dr. Christian film to watch.

Now back to the accused embezzler. Despite the evidence appearing to be scant and Christian making a fine character witness, Webster is convicted. Pending an appeal, he's allowed to remain free. So the main themes here are proving his innocence and his daughter, Janie's, musical career. This kid, by the way, is a lot like a much less talented Deanna Durbin--and Universal Studios had nothing to worry about with Miss Bennett. I know I sound very harsh here, but I am not a huge fan of talented children performing--I hate children's' pageants.

Eventually, Webster is sent to prison and Janie becomes seriously depressed--much more than is normal. Christian decides something must be done and with Roy's help, they decide to investigate on their own who the real embezzler might be. In a tacky (but kind of funny scene), Roy romances the less than beautiful Lulu (Imogene Coca) to find out if her boss could be implicated in the crime. However, their contention that "there must be a woman involved" seems to come from no where and didn't make much sense--like the script writer was giving them some inside information!! Much of the rest of the film consists of Roy chasing more leads (and more women) as well as Christian meeting with the governor to try to at least allow Webster out of jail for a visit. During Webster's release, he goes to see Janie in a musical competition and the outcome of the contest was a huge surprise....not! And, as expected, there was also the happy ending of Webster ultimately being exonerated. They all lived happily ever after.

Overall, a weak script, too much awful singing and a very insignificant plot compared to other Dr. Christian films make this one tough going.