Good concept, poorly executed.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

A pleasant film about two damaged people. Mary Marshall (Ginger Rogers) was jailed for manslaughter and has been given leave to spend time with her aunt and uncle over Christmas.She meets on the train Zachary Morgan (Joseph Cotten) who is having treatment in a military hospital for shell shock. The two get along, exchange details, go for dinner, a movie but are reluctant to tell each other the truth about themselves.We see Zachary getting irritated when he is reminded of his experiences of the war. Meanwhile Mary tells her young cousin that she accidentally killed her boss who tried to seduce her.This is a slightly cliched, melancholic and hokey tale of two lost and rather vulnerable people.

This story is too slow, simple, and predictable for me. Furthermore, the premise of the plot is unrealistic. I can't believe any prison would let any inmates out on a holiday vacation, traveling wherever they wish! Either they are on parole or house arrest or they stay in prison until released. Similarly, I can't believe a mental hospital would allow a patient to go home or wherever during the holiday season unless they are considered an outpatient. As the story suggests, being out in a normal world may reduce mental symptoms if they find someone sympathetic to their problem. Shirley Temple is mainly decorative, exhibiting some of the characteristics of a teen at that time, but finally spilling the beans to Cotton that Ginger is a jailbird out on furlough..... Nearly a decade later, Joseph Cotton would again play a soldier suffering from lingering combat fatigue, in "Niagara", costarring Marilyn Monroe.The title song is a classic, and we hear it during the opening credits, as well as at a dance. It was published in 1938, included that year in the Broadway play "Right This Way". Along with the film, several artists recorded it in 1944.

I'LL BE SEEING YOU's origin in a popular radio drama of the time is betrayed by its occasional and generally superfluous narration, and there are other minor flaws, but they do little to dampen an emotional impact that must have been especially poignant for its contemporary audiences. IBSY gives us the classic story of two wounded souls finding strength and healing in their love for one another. It centers on the psychological phenomenon called 'shell shock' during the First World War, 'battle fatigue' during the Second, 'psycho-neurosis' in the movie and 'ptsd' today. The terms become longer and the words more abstract, but the problem remains. The symptoms of severe stress don't necessarily go away once the stress is over. That a popular film would concern itself with this subject while in the midst of a great war is especially impressive.Still, I'LL BE SEEING YOU is a romance more than anything, almost accidentally set in the middle of a war. Joseph Cotton is a returning soldier just out of a psychiatric hospital to see if he's ready to return to normal life. Ginger Rogers is out of a prison on a temporary furlough (the charges seem quite shaky from what we see in a flashback that is not a very successful part of the picture), one would guess as a prelude to a possible parole though that is never made clear. They both find themselves alienated from their surroundings. It's no surprise that they would be attracted to one another as lifelines if nothing else. It's also no wonder that such a drama would be set during the Christmas season.Cotton and Rogers both severely (and brilliantly) underplay their roles, always a good idea when playing a potentially sentimentalized subject, and they make the film a beautifully understated love story disguised by their respective traumas. One of the best scenes is their early date when they go to a movie. It's a blood and guts war drama. We see Rogers staring intently at the screen while Cotton mostly looks downward. Afterwards, outside the theater he placidly watches a few young boys running about playing soldiers. Walking away with Ginger, Cotton finally opens up in answer to her question as to whether the movie was what the war was really like. Obviously relieved, he takes her to a diner for a cup of coffee, but the waiter (Chill Wills), a victim of shell shock from the First World War, reminds him of himself and Cotton walks away upset, delivering Rogers to her uncle's house and then abruptly leaving her. It's a brilliantly understated sequence and typical of the film's low-keyed realism (speaking of realism, did you know that Ginger Rogers really had a husband who fought in the front lines on the Pacific island of Tarawa? She must have felt this the most hyper-realistic scene of her career).The alert viewer can pick up many tidbits about life on the home front during World War II. Chocolate bars are not available at news stands, alcoholic beverages are not easily available, either, and well-to-do retirees find themselves taking a bus and then walking some distance to the golf course instead of using up their gas rations. I'm not so sure that one could so easily procure fancy new dresses for a New Year's Eve party, however.That New Year's Eve celebration is an exhilarating one both for the audience watching and for the soldier played by Joseph Cotton. It's followed by the even greater excitement of the dog attack (not to mention the very different kind of excitement of some tender love scenes with his girl). Very realistically, this all combines to trigger a delayed anxiety attack which is brilliantly handled by Cotton. The modern film-goer may find it strange that such an attack does not immediately lead to mass murder, or at least attempted suicide.Director William Dieterle made a flock of excellent films during his long career and one or two great ones. If I'LL BE SEEING YOU isn't a great film, it comes within shouting distance of one. Joseph Cotton was at the peak of his career and Ginger Rogers at the tail end of the peak of her film career, and they are both perfect in their lead roles. Spring Byington and Tom Tully provide terrific support, and though I find Shirley Temple's performance to be more irritating than anything else, it may be more the fault of the character than the actress. I'LL BE SEEING YOU really ought to be a lot better known than it is. Thanks to TCM, there's still hope that it will be.

It isn't often that I give an "8", but this film has several attributes that make it worthy.First, most films are pretty run of the mill...which doesn't mean they are bad...in fact, can be quite good. But, occasionally a film comes along that is somewhat unique. This is one. A WWII soldier suffering from mild shell shock is on a furlough from the military hospital to relax in "real life". He meets a woman on the train who happens to be on furlough from a 6 year prison stint as a result of being convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Of course, neither is aware of the other's status. Let's see. How many times has this old plot been recycled? Well, never that I can recall.Second, an outstanding cast. For years I dismissed films with Ginger Rogers because I associated her only with a dancing partner with Fred Astaire. But more recently I have seen a number of her dramatic/romantic films, and she is consistently very good...and here she is great! Time has not been kind to Joseph Cotten's reputation as an actor. But every once in a while I am reminded of just how wonderful he was -- check out his filmography, and you'll recall many a substantive role. He's wonderful here, particularly a brief scene where he is overwhelmed with an attack from being shell shocked.The supporting cast is strong, as well. Shirley Temple does nicely as she is about to move into adulthood. Spring Byington is delightful, as she almost always was, though here her role is more serious than we sometimes find her. Tom Tully as the uncle...interesting to read up on him and how his patriotism led to a sad later life after some wonderful roles on-screen.I'm trying to think of some real criticism here...and it's difficult. Something about the scene with the dog struck me as not quite right, but it made a point. The ending is rather stark...but returning to prison would be a rather stark occurrence, wouldn't it? Yet, we do have a happy ending...of sorts.I hated seeing this film end. A sequel would have been nice...the further adventures of two people who are struggling to find happiness after their lives were turned upside down.Highly recommended. I'm going online now to see if it's on DVD.