One Sunday Afternoon

One Sunday afternoon in turn-of-the-century New York, Biff Grimes (Dennis Morgan) falls for a luscious strawberry blonde (Janis Paige). When she throws him over for a shallow glad hander (Don DeFore), Biff marries her sensible friend (Dorothy Malone) and pines for the girl who got away. Then years later, she comes back to town. Raoul Walsh first filmed this endearing comedy-drama in 1941 as The Strawberry Blonde with James Cagney as Biff, then stepped behind the camera again for a Technicolor musical remake. The period-perfect score is by Ralph Blane (Meet Me in St. Louis), who captures in song the timeless charm of romance and the irresistible nostalgia of barbershop quartets, straw boaters and bicycles built for two.