To Each His Own - Star of the month... Olivia de Havilland

"We don't judge each other you and I, we love each other."


'To Each His Own' is a 1946 drama directed by Mitchell Leisen, and starring Olivia de Havilland with Mary Anderson, Roland Culver and John Lund in his first film.

John Lund and Olivia de Havilland
as the young lover

After Josephine "Jody" Norris (played by de Havilland) meets US Army pilot Captain Bart Cosgrove (played by Lund), the pair fall in love and spend a night together. Tragically Bart's plane is shot down and he is killed just as Jody finds out she is pregnant. 


She secretly gives birth to the baby, and plots an idea to enable her to innocently "adopt" the baby without scandal. In a bizarre twist of fate her plan backfires when a friend of hers looses her own newborn baby the same day, and adopts Jody's baby for her own.


The 20 year year saga is told by an ageing middle aged Jody through flashback.

Did you know...

• Lewis Allen was originally meant to direct the film, however Olivia de Havilland didn't feel he was right for the film, and requested Mitchell Leisen direct
• This was John Lund's first film
• Ginger Rogers declined the role of Josephine, and later regretted it when Olivia de Havilland won the Best Actress Academy Award
• Roland Culver's first film he made in America

Awards and nominations...

• Academy Award winner for Best Actress (Olivia de Haviland)
• Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, Original Story

Closing remarks

After years of fighting Warner Bros, Olivia finally got the great dramatic role she always wanted with Paramount. Olivia wins a much deserved Oscar for Best Actress in this, her best dramatic performance, in one of her best films. 


The make up and lighting effects add to the thirty year saga, causing de Havilland to look older and older throughout the film. 


"To Each His Own" is a wonderful film which I like very much. I am still baffled why this film has not yet been released on DVD. Although I have seen it three times now, the film's final scene is still an overwhelmingly emotional experience.