''Never Say Goodbye'' is a 1956 American

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

romance film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

directed by

Jerry Hopper Harold Hankins Hopper (July 29, 1907 – December 17, 1988), known professionally as Jerry Hopper, was an American film and television director, active from the mid-1940s through the early 1970s. Early life Jerry Hopper was born in Guthrie, ...

starring

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular film stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades, and was a prominent figure in the G ...

. The film is loosely based on the play ''Come Prima Meglio Di Prima'' by

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; ; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italians, Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his bold and ...

. It is a remake of ''

This Love of Ours ''This Love of Ours'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by William Dieterle and starring Merle Oberon, Maris Wrixon, Claude Rains, Charles Korvin and Carl Esmond. The film's composer, Hans J. Salter, was nominated for an Academy Award f ...

'' (1945).

Plot

Dr. Mike Parker departs California to speak at a conference in New York. A widower, he and daughter Suzy have a deal with each other to never actually say goodbye. She remains behind with Miss Tucker, her governess. While Mike is having a drink after the conference, a caricature artist, Victor, comes to Mike's table along with a woman who plays piano at the nightclub, Dorian Kent. To their mutual shock, Mike recognizes Dorian as his late wife, Lisa. Dorian flees into the street, where she is hit by a car. While he waits for her injuries to heal, Mike recalls how they met in Vienna, Austria in 1945, when Mike was a US Army doctor. At that time, Lisa and Victor also had an act together as entertainers. Mike treated her for a sprained ankle and ended up marrying Lisa, who gave birth to Suzy. A jealous Mike, however, continually suspected Lisa of having an affair with Victor, and when she went to the Russian sector of the city to seek advice from her father, Lisa became trapped there when the border was temporarily closed and was never seen or heard from again. Unwilling to renew their marriage but eager to see Suzy again, a recovered Lisa agrees to accompany Mike back to his home. The little girl misunderstands, however, believing her father is bringing home a new wife. She becomes hysterical. Later, she takes a dislike to Lisa and refuses to believe any suggestion that this is her real mother. Victor visits and charms Suzy with his drawings. Mike gets an inspiration that Suzy should describe to the artist whatever memories she has of what her mother looked like. Lisa is about to leave when Suzy, having seen Victor's sketch, realizes who she is and calls out to Lisa to come back.

Cast

as Dr. Michael Parker * Cornell Borchers as Lisa Gosting *

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous charac ...

as Victor *

Shelley Fabares Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares (; born January 19, 1944) is a retired American actress and singer. She is known for her television roles as Mary Stone on the sitcom ''The Donna Reed Show'' (1958–1963) and as Christine Armstrong on the sitc ...

as Suzy Parker * Ray Collins as Dr. Bailey *

David Janssen David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer; March 27, 1931 – February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen a ...

as Dave Heller *

Helen Wallace Dame Helen Sarah Wallace, Lady Wallace of Saltaire, DBE, CMG, FBA, MAE, FAcSS (born 25 June 1946 in Whalley Range, Manchester), née Rushworth, is a British expert in European studies and, by marriage to William Wallace, Baron Wallace of Sa ...

as Miss Tucker *

John Wengraf John Wengraf (23 April 1897 – 4 May 1974) was an Austrian actor. Early years Wengraf was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. Career Wengraf became a matinee idol in the 1930s, and was director of the Vienna State Theatre. He emigrated to Brit ...

as Prof. Zimmelman (as John E. Wengraf) *

Raymond Greenleaf Raymond Greenleaf (born Roger Ramon Greenleaf; January 1, 1892 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor, best known for ''All the King's Men'' (1949), '' Angel Face'' (1952), and '' Pinky'' (1949). Early life He was born as Roger Ramon Gre ...

as Dr. Kelly Andrews *

Max Showalter Max Gordon Showalter (June 2, 1917 – July 30, 2000), sometimes credited as Casey Adams, was an American film, television, and stage actor, as well as a composer, pianist, and singer. He appeared on more than 1,000 television programs. One ...

as Andy Leonard (as Casey Adams) *

John Banner John Banner (born Johann Banner, January 28, 1910 – January 28, 1973) was an Austrian-born American actor, best known for his role as Sergeant Schultz in the situation comedy ''Hogan's Heroes'' (1965–1971). Schultz, constantly encou ...

as Oskar, the Baker *

Jerry Paris William Gerald Paris (July 25, 1925 – March 31, 1986) was an American actor and director best known for playing Jerry Helper, the dentist and next-door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie, on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', and for directing the majo ...

as Joe * Else Neft as Frau Hempel *

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

as Will (uncredited)

Notes

In the interviews book "Sirk on Sirk. Conversations with John Halliday" (II ed., Faber and Faber, 1997, ), Douglas Sirk remembers how he took part in the preparation of the film, and how he was responsible for bringing to Hollywood from Germany the leading lady, Cornell Borchers. He states that he had to leave to shoot ''Written on the Wind'', but later was called back by the head of the studio to reshoot some George Sanders scenes, probably at the request of the actor (who was a close friend of Sirk). In the filmography of the book, the film is stated as produced in 1955, and "© MCMLV" can be read in the main titles.

References

External links

* * * {{Douglas Sirk , state=collapsed 1956 films American films based on plays Films based on works by Luigi Pirandello Films directed by Jerry Hopper Films directed by Douglas Sirk 1956 romantic drama films American romantic drama films Remakes of American films Universal Pictures films Films scored by Frank Skinner 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language romantic drama films

Plot

Cast

Notes

See also

References

External links