Tomorrow Is Forever
At the end of World War I, on Armistice Day, Elizabeth MacDonald (Claudette Colbert) is waiting for her husband, John Andrew MacDonald (Orson Welles), to come home. However, she receives word of his death. Her boss, Lawrence Hamilton (George Brent), takes her home, where Elizabeth faints. He discovers she is pregnant with John's child. Already a little in love with her, Larry proposes to Elizabeth and she eventually agrees. They raise John Andrew Hamilton (Richard Long) as Larry's son, and have another son, Brian (Sonny Howe).However, John is not dead but severely injured and disfigured by an explosion. He refuses to reveal his name to the Viennese doctors, not wanting to be a burden to his wife or pitied. He agrees to experimental plastic surgery and re-establishes himself as a leading chemist, Erik Kessler. He remains friends with his surgeon, Dr. Ludwig (John Wengraf).Twenty years goes by. The Nazi's kill Dr. Ludwig and his wife, Erik adopts their daughter, Margaret (Natalie Wood) and flees to England. He obtains the chief chemist job at Larry's company and arrives back in Baltimore with Margaret in tow. On a visit, Erik discovers Elizabeth marriage to Larry; his son, Drew Hamilton, and their second son, Brian. But all is not quiet on the home front. Concerned about German aggression in Europe, Drew wants to join the Canadian RAF and fight the Nazis. Elizabeth refuses her consent, refusing to lose her son to another world war, even though Drew will turn 21 in a two months. Erik also disturbs her. She suspects he is John MacDonald, which he refuses to admit. He also brings an personal Nazi experience, undermining her objections to Drew joining the RAF.Drew decides to leave with his friends and join the RAF, anyway. He leaves a letter for this father (Larry) but does not tell his mother. In panic, Elizabeth calls the factory and asks to speak with Erik when she discovers Larry is in Washington, DC, on a business trip. Erik reads Drews' letter and hurries out into the rain storm, heading to the train station to stop Drew. He takes Drew home to his mother. Elizabeth tries one more time to get Erik to admit he is John MacDonald, but he tells her to forget the past, because it is beyond their reach to change. She should live for the future and her family. She finally accepts John's death and lets Erik go. Elizabeth helps Drew repack for a Canadian winter, letting him join the RAF with her consent. Erik goes home, but the cold, soaking rain and his already weakened health leads to his death. The next morning, Larry and Elizabeth arrives to thank Erik, but takes Margaret home with them upon hearing of his death.
melodrama, flashback