NR | 1 h 30 mins | Romance, Drama | 1945
On Nov. 5, time falls back an hour in most of the United States as Daylight Savings Time ends. This focus on turning back time made me think of the classic movie, “The Clock,” from 1945. This charming romantic comedy stars Judy Garland and Robert Walker as two young people who meet in New York by chance during World War II.
Besides the title, this movie is appropriate for the end of Daylight Savings Time because of its wartime theme. President Franklin D. Roosevelt turned the entire nation’s clocks an hour ahead in 1942 for the duration to save energy for the war effort. Then, it was called War Time.
Judy Garland was a popular singer and starred in colorful musicals like “The Wizard of Oz” (1938), “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1943), and “A Star is Born” (1954). “The Clock” is one of her only movies in which she doesn’t sing at all; it was also her first dramatic part, and her last, until “The Trial at Nuremberg” in 1961. The film was directed by her future husband, Vincente Minnelli.
A Story about Time
Joe Allen (Walker) is a young soldier on his last leave before going overseas. He’s a small-town boy, so he’s overwhelmed by the big city’s crowds. In the train station, he accidentally trips Alice Maybery (Garland), a working girl coming home after a weekend out of town.Her shoe is damaged, so Joe gets it repaired for her. The lonely soldier asks if he can walk along with her, and she soon finds herself showing him all over town. They spend hours together and end up becoming good friends.
Afraid he’ll never see her again, Joe persuades Alice to meet him for dinner that evening, and they agree to rendezvous under the clock at the Hotel Astor. Alice’s roommate, Helen (Ruth Brady), almost talks her out of keeping the date, but she can’t disappoint him.
After having a romantic dinner and stroll in the park, they get a ride from a friendly milk truck driver, Al Henry (James Gleason), and end up having to deliver all of his milk for him. Through all their adventures, they realize that they are beginning to care about each other very deeply, but their time together is running short.
Recreating the Big Apple
This movie takes place entirely within Manhattan, and the city is a very important part of the story. It begins when Joe arrives in New York for the first time and ends when he leaves a couple of days later.Because of wartime budget restrictions, MGM couldn’t afford extensive location shooting. Although a few exterior shots were taken in New York, all the actors’ scenes were shot on the Culver City lot.
The hardest set to create was Penn Station, which features in multiple scenes. It’s mind-boggling that the crowded train station isn’t the real one in New York, since it looks so vast and authentic. Nevertheless, it was a very elaborate, expensive set.
“The Clock” is charming because its characters seem so genuine. Natural dialogue, random incidents, and unique personality traits fit together beautifully to transform roles into real human beings. The bond between the lead couple is one of beautiful understanding, yet the romance isn’t overdone.
Their relationship begins slowly but naturally builds into an inexplicable connection. James Gleason’s portrayal of the friendly milkman is one of the best parts of the movie. He’s an average hardworking American, reminding us how we’re supposed to treat our neighbors, whether they be strangers or old friends.
Racing the Clock
When Joe wants to meet Alice for dinner on their first evening together, she chooses the clock at the Astor Hotel as their meeting place. Later, when they are separated, he goes back there, thinking she may have returned to the clock in search of him. The predictable solution would be for him to find her there, but he doesn’t.The clock in the title isn’t referring to the physical timepiece in the Astor Hotel. It’s the abstract representation of time itself, since this young couple is fighting the clock for every moment together. In the minute-to-minute reality of wartime, these comparative strangers find each other and discover a very unexpected but deep love.
Knowing that their time together is fleeting, they decide to get married before he goes into combat. They must race the clock to jump through all the legal hoops before the end of the business day at 4 o’clock. Even if they make it, they know their time together will be fleeting.
