Identity Unknown (1945 film)

Identity Unknown
Directed byWalter Colmes
Written byRobert Newman
Richard Weil
Produced byHoward Bretherton (associate producer)
Walter Colmes (associate producer)
StarringRichard Arlen
Cheryl Walker
Roger Pryor
CinematographyErnest Miller
Edited byJohn F. Link Sr.
Music byJay Chernis
Distributed byRepublic Pictures
Release date
  • April 2, 1945 (1945-04-02)
Running time
71 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Identity Unknown is a 1945 American war film starring Richard Arlen and Cheryl Walker, and directed by Walter Colmes.

Plot

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World War II is ending. On a hospital ship heading home, Major Williams, a doctor, talks to a soldier suffering from amnesia. He is the only survivor of a group of four men defending a French farmhouse that was dive-bombed by German aircraft. All their dog tags were blown off. He chooses the name Johnny March for himself, and asks for the names and addresses of the men. The train taking him to an Army hospital stops at Bridgeton, Conn., the first on his list. Unthinkingly, he gets off, and is reported as AWOL.

At the house, he introduces himself to Sally as a friend of her late husband. She and her housemates invite him to stay. He asks her out for dinner, and she soon realizes that he did not know her husband at all. Johnny stops her from committing suicide and  explains everything, showing her the list. When he heads for West Virginia, they kiss goodbye.

A young boy opens the door and throws his arms around him enthusiastically, believing he is his father, inspite of being told he would not return from the war. The boy unlocks the door to his father's office. The man was an architect. Johnny tries to draw and realizes he is not Tommy's father. The boy's babysitter arrives. Johnny tells him his father was a brave man and salutes him goodbye.

Johnny goes on to Chicago, only to reach another dead end. The soldier's younger brother, Joe, is a ne’er-do-well, a cashier in a bookie joint who defrauded a local gangster out of $6000. Now the gangster, Rocks Donnelly shows up to collect. A hitman gunning for Donnelly puts two bullets in Joe. At the hospital, Johnny learns that the penniless Joe desperately wants to become a physician, as his late brother hoped to be. A grateful Donnelly forgives the debt and offers to pay for Joe's education. At a party to celebrate Donnelly's survival, Johnny talks to Wanda, Donnelly's girlfriend. She realizes he is pining for someone, and tells Johnny to call the girl and tell her so. Johnny does, renewing the bond between him and Sally. Johnny realizes he must be the last soldier on his list, and invites Sally to join him at the upcoming reunion in Iowa. She says he must find out if he is married.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have received a telegram confirming the loss of their son. They are about to sell their farm. Johnny stops the auction, convincing the Andersons that the greatest way they could honor their son’s legacy would be to perpetuate the happy times they had together on the farm.

Sally calls from a nearby train station, and a jubilant Johnny borrows the Andersons’ pickup to meet her. In mid-embrace, he is arrested for speeding and reckless driving; then two MPs take him into custody, saying that the Army has precedence. He is whisked off to an Army hospital.

Sally is summoned to help break the news that they’ve discovered who he is. They want him to discover his true identity for himself. A couple of seemingly obscure questions trigger his full recollection of his prior life. He is Charles Aldrich, Captain in the Army Air Corps. He had been flying over the farmhouse in France in an attempt to drop supplies to the beleaguered soldiers when the German dive bombers struck. The Army cannot explain how he survived being blown out of his plane. At this point, having his identity back, and being free to marry Sally, are all that matters to both of them.

Cast

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Soundtrack

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References

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