Essentially a two-part movie about a small town barber. The first part is focused on the barber's marriage. The second part is about his relationships with his children. In the first part, the barber shows himself to be quite dishonest with his wife, though well liked by his buddies in the shop. He lied to her about many important matters just to keep her contented in the small town. Nellie and her suitor suffer a bad end when she finally seeks her dream of going to the big city. A dream her husband deprived her of. The first part ended with him showing more grief about his wife's imagined betrayal, than her demise. He blamed others as cause of her actions, rather than his deceptions. So the lying stuffed shirt lives into old age, while his wife dies young seeking her dream. Not a story of much interest to me. The theme song was overplayed throughout, but the song and dance routine by the son and his future wife was isolated entertainment. One can defend the movie as being representative of the time, made during blacklisting and a radically conservative swing in American politics. But the message of the movie is clear. Anyone who leaves the small town for the big city is doomed in those dens of inequity. And who doesn't love the corn of a barbershop quartet and small town parade to end a movie on an up note. The only redeeming part of this twisted, small town soap opera was Jean Peters in the initial half as the attractive female lead. But this is more of a vehicle for a very old popular song, than any actress.
Review of Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie
