September Affair
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
William Dieterle
Joan Fontaine
Joseph Cotten
Francoise Rosay
Jessica Tandy
Robert Arthur
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In Rome, Italy, concert pianist Manina Stuart and manufacturing tycoon David Lawrence pick up airline tickets at the same office, but take no notice of each other. Manina and David coincidentally meet later aboard the same U.S.-bound flight, and when the plane lands in Naples because of engine trouble, Manina and David go off sightseeing together. David, who is estranged from his wife Catherine, and Manina, who is single, are delighted by each other's company. When they miss their plane by a few moments, they decide to stay in Naples for a few days. After sightseeing in Pompeii and Capri, David admits that he was traveling alone because he had lost his identity and become unfamiliar with his family after working so many years building his turbine factory. Although Manina and David fall in love, Manina insists they remain platonic friends, and David admits that Catherine, who had initially agreed to his request for a divorce, recently sent him a letter saying she had changed her mind. The next day, David and Manina prepare to return to the United States and are stunned to read a newspaper account about their previous flight, which went down in the Mediterranean. When they see that their names are listed among those presumed dead, David and Manina realize that they have been given a second chance at happiness. David and Manina rent a villa in Florence, and agree to give up their respective careers in order to be together. In the United States, meanwhile, Catherine and her son, David, Jr., mourn David's passing, and their attorney, Charles Morrison, informs Catherine that just prior to the plane accident, David made a large withdrawal from his account for an Italian woman named Maria Salvatini. Although Catherine admits that her marriage was in trouble, she is now distraught because she will never know if David was returning because he loved her, or merely to fulfill their marriage contract. Although David and Manina live in idyllic happiness, Manina's piano mentor, Maria, believes they are selfish and cowardly. She nevertheless remains close to Manina and disburses David's money as needed. Catherine decides to vacation in Italy with David, Jr., and goes to see Maria, believing that she was the "other woman." Manina is present when Catherine arrives and is disturbed when Catherine reveals that she feels responsible for David's death because he was returning to her when his plane crashed. Neither Maria nor Manina reveal the truth, but David, Jr. recognizes Manina from the newspaper reports about the accident, and later he and Catherine realize that David must be alive and living with Manina. Catherine's only response to the news of David's betrayal is joy that he is safe. David launches a project to create a dam for an arid Italian countryside, but is soon forced to abandon the idea because it would mean revealing that he is alive. Manina sees his disappointment and goes to see Catherine, but finds only David, Jr. in their hotel room. David, Jr. tells Manina that he and his mother know the truth and are returning home. He then gives her a letter for his father, who he bitterly insists no longer exists. That night, David reads the letter in which Catherine has written that she will grant him a divorce. Freed by this news, David renews his dam project, while Manina accepts a New York concert date, and prepares to return to the United States with David. Although Manina is glad to return to her career, she harbors a sense that her relationship may not survive the change. Back home, David thanks Catherine for her compassion and reveals that he is confused. Although Manina's Carnegie Hall performance of Rachmaninoff's Concerto Number 2 is a success, she books a flight for South America, where she is scheduled to play, and informs David that their pasts are too real to ignore. Unable to endure a love built on deception, Manina leaves David at the airport.
Director
William Dieterle
Cast
Joan Fontaine
Joseph Cotten
Francoise Rosay
Jessica Tandy
Robert Arthur
Jimmy Lydon
Fortunio Bonanova
Grazia Narciso
Anna Demetrio
Lou Steele
Frank Yaconelli
Walter Huston
Charles Evans
Jimmy Frasco
Michael Frasco
Charles Latorre
Gilda Oliva
Saverio Lo Medico
Jeanne Lafayette
George Nardelli
Nick Borgani
Dino Bolognese
Georgia Clancy
Dick Elliott
Rudy Rama
Franz F. Roehn
George Humbert
Harry Cheshire
Iphigenie Castiglioni
Inez Palange
Zacharias Yaconelli
Victor Desny
James R. Scott
Stan Johnson
Douglas Grange
Walter Merrill
Larry Arnold
Crew
Maxwell Anderson
Franz Bachelin
Claire Behnke
Guy Bennett
Richard A. Blaydon
Dick Brandow
Malcolm Bulloch
Frank Caffey
Paulina Carter
Frédéric Chopin
Sam Comer
John Cope
Ray Cossar
Ed Crowder
Hans Dreier
Pat Drew
Farciot Edouart
Daniel Fapp
Wolfgang Frankel
Ketti Frings
Grace Gregory
Cliff Hartley
Edith Head
Hazel Hegarty
Gordon Jennings
Stan Johnson
R. L. Johnston
Van Koughnst
Charles B. Lang
Ted Larsen
Sam Levine
Harold Lewis
Warren Low
Robert Mccrillis
Richard Mcwhorter
Victor Milner
Eddie Morse
Paul Nathan
Leonard Pennario
Glen Porter
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Bob Rogers
James Rosenberger
Fritz Rotter
Schuyler Sanford
Jack Saper
Art Sarno
Floyd Simonton
Andrew Solt
Lavaughn Speer
Victor Stoloff
Robert Thoeren
Kurt Weill
Wally Westmore
Dewey Wrigley
Victor Young
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was September. In a letter included in the Hal Wallis Collection at the AMPAS Library, writer Robert Thoeren protested about not being listed as co-author of the story in the screen credits. After reading their contract, Paramount responded that they had no legal obligation to credit him as co-author, despite Thoeren's claims that he did co-write the story. However, even though the final prints of the film had already been distributed, producer Hal Wallis notified the Academy and the Screen Writers' Guild to credit Thoeren as co-author, and instructed the Paramount publicity department to bill him as such in all advertising.
According to a Los Angeles Times news item, Ann Todd was initially considered for the lead, and information in the Paramount Collection at the AMPAS Library reveals that William Wyler was considered as director. The running time listed in the Variety review for the Venice, Italy premiere was 91 minutes. Additional scenes were shot after the Italian opening and added to the film before the U.S. release. Exteriors were shot on location in and around Rome, Florence, Naples, Pompeii and Capri, Italy, and featured various historical Italian landmarks. Walter Huston, who is heard singing "September Song" during the picture, made the number a hit in the 1939 Broadway play Knickerbocker Holiday, and according to a ParNews item, re-recorded it for this film. Huston died shortly before September Affair was released.
