The Hasty Heart

The Hasty Heart
Original film poster
Directed by	Vincent Sherman
Written by	Ranald MacDougall
Based on	The Hasty Heart 1945 play by John Patrick
Produced by	Russel Crouse Howard Lindsay
Starring	Richard Todd Ronald Reagan Patricia Neal
Cinematography	Wilkie Cooper
Edited by	Edward B. Jarvis
Music by	Jack Beaver
Distributed by	Associated British-Pathé (UK) Warner Bros. (US)
Release dates	13 September 1949 (1949-09-13) (Premiere, London)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	£248,584 (UK)

The Hasty Heart is a 1949 war drama film, an Anglo-American co-production starring Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, and Richard Todd and directed by Vincent Sherman. The film is based on the 1945 play of the same name by John Patrick.

The Hasty Heart tells the story of a group of wounded Allied soldiers in a Pacific theatre mobile surgery unit immediately after World War II ends who, after initial resentment and ostracism, rally around a loner, an unappreciative Scottish soldier they know is dying.

The title is taken from the proverb "sorrow is born in the hasty heart" which is stated several times in the film.

Plot

In Burma during the Pacific Theatre of World War II in 1945, a group of wounded Allied soldiers are at a makeshift British military hospital in the jungle. As they have all been there for some time, they have a strong bond. "Yank" (Ronald Reagan) is the lone American there, recovering from malaria, along with "Tommy" (Howard Marion-Crawford), an Englishman; "Kiwi" (Ralph Michael), a New Zealander; "Digger" (John Sherman), an Australian; and "Blossom" (Orlando Martins), an African. They are all under the care of Sister Margaret Parker (Patricia Neal).

Lt Col Dunn (Anthony Nicholls), the senior doctor of the hospital, tells the men that they will be receiving a new patient soon, and that they should be extra kind to him. He is a Scot, and, while he seems to have recovered from his operation, his abnormal kidney means that he will die within a few weeks. Dunn tells the men that the Scot will be outwardly healthy until one day he will suddenly die when his kidney fails. When the Scot arrives, Cpl. Lachlan "Lachie" MacLachlan (Richard Todd) is very gruff and mean. He is constantly suspicious of his fellow patients attempting to make friends with him.

Margaret tries to convince Lachie to buy a regimental kilt, something he feels is too expensive to purchase because he recently bought a house in Scotland to which he intends to return. However, during Lachie's 24th birthday party, Margaret gives him a kilt, and the rest of his friends contribute something for his uniform. Lachie is proud, and they all pose for photos, with the others trying to answer the question of whether he wears anything under his kilt.

Lachie warms to the soldiers and opens up about his past, telling them "They say sorrow is born in the hasty heart." He reveals to Margaret that his aloof and suspicious behaviour results from cruelty inflicted on him in his youth as an illegitimate child. Later he confesses to Yank that he is in love with Margaret and will propose to her. Yank tries to convince him otherwise, but when Lachie does propose she accepts because that is what will make him really happy.

Dunn comes to the ward and tells Lachie that he can return to Scotland immediately if he wishes. When Lachie asks why he is receiving special treatment, the doctor tells him the truth about his condition and that his death is imminent. Lachie explodes at his friends, thinking they befriended him only because he was sick and dying. He decides to return to Scotland. Blossom offers him a necklace, but when Lachie rejects it, Yank explains that Blossom does not speak English and therefore could not have known that Lachie was dying. As he is leaving he breaks down and says he does not want to die alone. With that realisation he softens and decides to stay on and have his picture taken in his uniform with the men, happy to be with true friends at last in his last few days.

Cast

• Richard Todd – Cpl. Lachlan "Lachie" MacLachlan, the Scot
• Ronald Reagan – Yank, the American
• Patricia Neal – Sister Margaret Parker
• Anthony Nicholls – Lieutenant Colonel Dunn
• Howard Marion-Crawford – Tommy, the Englishman
• Ralph Michael – Kiwi, the New Zealander
• John Sherman – Digger, the Australian
• Alfie Bass – Orderly
• Orlando Martins – Blossom, the African
• Robert Douglas – Off-Screen Narrator (uncredited)

Production

Warner Bros. bought the film rights to the play from American dramatist John Patrick for $100,000 and a percentage of the profits in 1945. It originally announced John Dall would play the lead of Lachie.

According to Vincent Sherman, the studio were hesitant to film the play as they were worried the public was tired of war stories. However Sherman liked the play. When Warners asked the director to make Backfire he agreed on the proviso that the studio would let him direct The Hasty Heart. Warners agreed, deciding to make the film in London, with Associated British a company it part owned. The studio would provide Sherman and two American stars, Patricia Neal and Ronald Reagan, but was open to the part of Lachie being played by a newcomer.

Gordon Jackson tested for the part of Lachie but Warners wanted someone who was more of a leading man to play the role. Richard Todd, who was under contract to Associated British, was cast instead, after a successful screen test. Sherman said Reagan hoped to play the role of Lachie and was unhappy to be assigned the part of Yank; he claims the actor was professional during the film but disliked it after Sherman tried to get Reagan to improve his acting in a scene.

"I wasn't right at all for the nurse", said Patricia Neal. "But it was my first sympathetic part, at least."

Reception

Box office

The film ranked tenth among popular films at the British box office in 1949. However it was a box office disappointment in the US.

Critical reaction

Richard Todd was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film also won two Golden Globes (Richard Todd for Most Promising Newcomer – Male and for Best Film Promoting International Understanding).

Todd later played the role on stage in the 1970s.

TV remakes

The Hasty Heart was remade for television in 1957 and 1983, the latter starring Gregory Harrison, Perry King and Cheryl Ladd. King won a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

External links

• The Hasty Heart at IMDb
• The Hasty Heart at the TCM Movie Database
• The Hasty Heart at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• 1952 Best Plays radio adaptation of original play at Internet Archive