Sentimental Journey (1946)

Information from IMDb

Plot Summary
An actress becomes taken with Hitty, a young orphan prone to dreaming.
Julie soon finds out that she is ill and has only a short time to live.
She decides to adopt the child so that her husband Bill will not be alone when she dies.
Unfortunately, Bill is not charmed by Hitty. After Julie dies.
Bill is so grief stricken, he shuts out everyone in his life, especially Hitty.
Hitty begins to receive imaginary visits from Julie who offers
Hitty advice on how to make Bill happy.
Bill does not believe she's seen Julie and decides to send her back to the orphanage.
Rather than go back, Hitty runs away.
After Bill hears a record Julie recorded before she died,
he finally realizes he must move on with his life and find Hitty.
Written by Daniel Bubbeo

Full Cast
John Payne .... William O. Weatherly
Maureen O'Hara .... Julie Beck/Weatherly
William Bendix .... Donnelly aka Uncle Don
Cedric Hardwicke .... Dr. Jim Miller (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Glenn Langan .... Judson
Mischa Auer .... Gregory Petrovich Rogozhin
Connie Marshall .... Mehitabel, aka Hitty Weatherly
Kurt Kreuger .... Walt Wilson
Trudy Marshall .... Ruth
Ruth Nelson .... Mrs. McMasters
Dorothy Adams .... Martha
Mary Gordon .... Agnes
Lillian Bronson .... Miss Benson
Olive Blakeney .... Mrs. Deane
James Flavin .... Detective Sergeant McFarland
Mary Field .... Chaperon
Byron Foulger .... Mr. Tweedy
George E. Stone .... Toy Hawker
John Davidson .... Floorwalker
William Haade .... Bus Driver
Bert Hicks .... Actor
Shirley Jean Barton .... Orphan Girl (uncredited)
Carol Ann Beekly .... Orphan Girl (uncredited)
Mary Ann Bricker .... Orphan Girl (uncredited)
Donna Cooke .... Orphan Girl (uncredited)
Carol Coombs .... Orphan Girl (uncredited)
Teddy Infuhr .... Boy on Bus (uncredited)
Peggy Miller .... Girl (uncredited)

Writing Credits
Nelia Gardner White (story The Little Horse)
Samuel Hoffenstein
Elizabeth Reinhardt

Cinematography
Norbert Brodine

Trivia
"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on September 23, 1946 with John Payne reprising his film role.

Memorable Quotes

Filming Location
Laguna Beach, California, USA

Sentimental Journey is a 1946 film directed by Walter Lang

Remade in 1958 as The Gift of Love,
with Lauren Bacall and Robert Stack.

A lovely tearful tale, with Maureen
once again teamed with John Payne.
Cedric "Tycoon" Hardwicke is in there too

User Review

Lovely tale of two lost souls finding each other.
Author: rochelle-14 from Australia

Quote

Sentimental Journey is a beautiful but ultimately sad story about a married couple who are heavily involved in the theatre. The wife, Julie, cannot have children and suffers from a rare, life-threatening disease. Afraid that she will leave her husband alone, she decides to adopt a little girl. However she soon realises that her immature and possessive husband cannot accept the strange and dreamy child. In the stress of having to choose between the husband and the child, Julie succumbs to her illness and dies.

Overcome with grief, her husband withdraws from family and friends. Left alone, the little girl grieves for her adoptive mother and longs for the return of her adoptive father.

It is only when the little girl goes missing, in her attempt to find the ghost of Julie, that the husband realises just how much he loves the little girl.