According to news items, Three Hearts for Julia (1943) was originally scheduled to be directed by Edward Buzzell, who became ill and was replaced by Richard Thorpe.
The movie takes place in Summer of 1941. Jeff tried to sneak into the rehearsal with a 1939 World Series ticket for Yankee Stadium.
Three Hearts for Julia (1943) was one of several M-G-M films that were backlogged in late 1942 and may not have been shown throughout the country until early 1943, but most likely because they knew they had a dud on their hands.