Help me identify this film from the John Lewis advert?

[BOFster]

It's driving me crazy

Here's a link to the John Lewis advert- take a look at the old movie showing on the television at 1 minute in, please.

Everybody thinks it's from It's A Wonderful Life, the embrace you can see at 3:21 in this clip:

But it really really isn't.

Perfect

I've just read this whole thread and can't believe there's no definite answer!
It was bugging me too (before finding this thread) so made dds watch IAWL with me this afternoon to check it wasn't that.

If it is a mock up made specially, I propose that it's the actors who play the parents in the ad! The Mum's eyebrows look kind of right . . .

That's a whole new world of pain, Lobster

Fuck it! bring on more gorgeous matinée idols, I need cheering up

James Dean ought to do the trick. There's something about his life story that intrigues me. I think it's because he died with no idea how famous he was to become and yet that fame was at least partially fuelled by his premature death.

I deny having just added a JD boxset to my Christmas list

Let me put another couple up which are similarly bittersweet: Dorothy Dandridge and Linda Darnell.

Dorothy Dandridge was a megastar who pissed Hollywood off by refusing to accept roles she felt demeaned black women. Her promising career floundered as a result, and she died young with only a couple of dollars in the bank.

Linda Darnell was also chewed up and spat out by the studios, and died in a house fire, allegedly drunk watching one of her old movies.

Dorothy Dandridge

Linda Darnell

Grrrrr, after all that. How disappointing.

Here's a you Sinatra sating good morning.

*young
*saying

The disappointment has broken my typing.

Oh no!

Still no answer?

Was it decided who the actress is?

My dad who is an absolute film buff is convinced it's not a real film. He doesn't recognise the actress and is now frustrated for the first time in his 70 years by a MN thread .

KenDoddsDadsDog My DF is 82 and is totally frustrated by this puzzle. I haven't mentioned MN though, he is not of the internet generation

Well, until we hear from the horse's mouth I won't regard it as settled.

Meanwhile, just to pass the time, here's Robert Donat...

... and James Mason...

and finally, a still from a strong contender for the best love film ever made.

Oh well, JL will now know how to get lots of viewers next year, include a clip of some long forgotten black and white movie and leave the country argue it out!

Ooh, I nearly posted that very same picture of James Mason. Another of my DM's crushes.

Instead I have posted a picture of Esther Williams, my grandfather's favourite.

Loretta Young

My mum phoned me and begged me to call DD1 Loretta after Ms Young. I was in labour at the time . What an AIBU that would have been if MN had been around then

OK, BOF, we've become friends on the previous fred and this, so I'm busting out the to cheer you up.

Not the Ye Olde Tyme cinema star you might have been asking. But easy-on-the-eyes for all that. And the proof that may help you get over this that modern things can look like old stuff (apparently they called the lighting guy out of retirement and nearly off his death bed to make this).

Enjoy.

Oooh, James Mason - doesn't he resemble Billy Bob Thornton a bit? Thanks, mimsy.

Billy Bob Thornton!? No Pedant he doesn't. BBT is weird looking.

enrique

I said it could be a new clip too. only a guess.

sorry BOF but at least you know

Well, thank god we've got an answer, however disappointing. Shame on the BBC if they really did just airily say it was from IAWL. Very poor show in my humble (pedant's) opinion.

Re: Dorothy Dandridge, has anyone seen her in Carmen Jones? It has one of the great movie bloopers of all time when she sashays down a street in front of a big row of glass shopfronts, and you can see the entire camera crew reflected in it

She was a great sashayer, though!