Lately I've been wondering about TCM's rating system. This is the second time I've been burned by a bunch of stars next to a film. I think they need to relook at some of these movies.
"Tomorrow, the World!" is based on the Broadway play. The film stars Frederic March, Skippy Homeier, Betty Field, Agnes Moorhead and Joan Carroll. Skippy is Emil (recreating his Broadway role), a German boy who comes to America to live with a scientist, Mark Frame (March), his sister (Moorhead) and his daughter (Carroll) - she's the same age as Emil. Field plays Leona Richards, a schoolteacher who is engaged to Mark. Emil has been indoctrinated by the Nazis to hate and to be prejudiced and also to lie and manipulate. The fact that Leona is Jewish and that Mike's insecure sister seems uncomfortable about the marriage plays right into Emil's hands, as he doesn't want Leona around.
Skippy was Skip by the time I became aware of him, and he was always a very likable actor and for baby boomers, a constant television presence. This was my first exposure to him as a child. He was a beautiful young boy, with a mane of blondish hair and enormous eyes. "Tomorrow, the World!" a propaganda film directed with a sledgehammer, is his screen debut.
In the beginning I was suspicious that it might be a comedy due to Skippy's totally outrageous performance as a Hitler Jugend. For one thing, tiny Natalie Wood could have taught him something about German accents and speaking German - she was perfect in "Tomorrow is Forever." He says his lines in a sing-song voice, often sounding Swedish, sometimes American; only sometimes is there a hint of German, and he speaks German like an American. In the second part of the film, however, he's very effective, really showing what he can do acting-wise. It's just a shame he was directed as he was. In his faux nice moments, he comes off like a German Eddie Haskell or a male Patty McCormick - you just don't buy it.
The biggest bone I have to pick with this film is the stupid soap opera part, which is the argument between Leona and Mark. Mark for reasons known only to himself thinks that Emil is becoming nicer and more acclimated to the American way; Leona disagrees with him passionately and says she cannot live in the house with the boy, thus breaking their engagement. Mark feels she's being unreasonable. Now, if only she'd thought to mention that precious little Emil had written "Miss Richards is a Jewish tramp" on a bunch of sidewalks, Mark might have understood that Emil's attitude wasn't improving as rapidly as he thought. But she fails to mention this nugget of info.
The second part of the film is far superior to the first. March, Field, and Carroll are very good in their roles. I agree with several posters here that Skippy dominates the film, but that isn't always for the right reasons.
The ending is too pat - that often happens when you only have less than two hours to make a point and you've spent most of it talking about America and its strengths. I suspect "Tomorrow, the World!" had more impact in 1944, though it's hard for me to accept that anyone ever believed Herr Skippy in his sweet, friendly moments.
