A war hero and his assigned female guide fall in love while on tour selling war bonds. [ You Came Along credits: Dir: John Farrow/ Robert Cummings, Lizabeth Scott, Don DeFore/ 103 min/ Romance/ Ayn Rand]
Ayn Rand coauthored the script for this World War II romance/tear-jerker. Although her influence was less than complete, the film has a strong element of trademark Randian respect for life’s potential.
As the story goes, three Air Force heroes have been ordered to tour the U.S. selling war bonds. An accompanying aide has also been assigned to take care of all their arrangements. The twist comes in when the aide they are given just happens to be a beautiful young woman. At first, the interaction within this little group is lighthearted and cute. They sell plenty of bonds and have fun along the way. However, a romance gradually develops between the young woman and one of the fliers. At the same time, we learn that this particular flier is doomed by a terrible illness that will soon take his life.
“Lizabeth Scott was an ideal choice for the female lead and is reminiscent of other Rand characters and of Rand herself, a strong, independent woman who is nonetheless feminine.”
So the question is, should the two give up on their romance to avoid the grief its inevitable undoing will bring? Or should they live life heroically, seizing every moment of happiness in spite of the pain that will await them when death will tear them apart? For a film with Ayn Rand’s name on the script, there can be only one answer.
Lizabeth Scott was an ideal choice for the female lead and is reminiscent of other Rand characters and of Rand herself, a strong, independent woman who is nonetheless feminine. Robert Cummings is charming as her jovial beau, always trying to keep the conversation moving just fast enough to prevent the tragedy of his own medical condition from spoiling the time he has left. Also in the plus column, the film has more intelligent dialogue than most. There are some slow moments in the first half, but it’s nonetheless satisfying and likely to be of particular interest to Rand fans. For a B picture made half a century ago, You Came Along remains unusually popular.
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