Released
1945
Runtime
90
Category
Language
Director
Actors
The Clock
What's it About
On a two-day pass in New York City, G.I. Joe Allen (Walker) meets
perky office girl Alice Mayberry (Garland) when she breaks her heel on
an escalator at Penn Station. Charmed by Joe's wholesome airs and
Midwestern naivete, Alice agrees to meet him later under the clock at
Astor Place. Over the next 48 hours, they romp through the city
together, and unexpectedly fall in love. Looming over their innocent
affair, however, is Joe's imminent return to the European front.
Why we love it
Minnelli's sentimental, spirited and touching wartime romance was a small picture by MGM standards, but Garland's star power and the backdrop of bustling Manhattan (actually Hollywood sound stages) give the picture a dynamic, worldly feel. Walker is likable as the earnest hayseed, and doe-eyed Garland is grand as ever without once singing a tune. (Minnelli, of course, married Judy as soon as the film wrapped!) Great support work from James and Lucille Gleason as a milkman and wife round out this sweet film about love on a very tight schedule.