Freedom Comes High; Director: Lewis Allen. Photographed by Stuart Thompson. “Steven Blanding” — James Craig; “Mrs. Blanding” — Barbara Britton. Destroyer captain: Walter Abel. Also with: Donald Cook, Cecil Kellaway, Mabel Paige, Charles Quigley.; ; A fast-paced drama about a young married couple, Steve and Ellen, who are divided by Steve’s enlistment in the Navy during World War II. While entering enemy waters, Steve’s ship is struck during battle. Steve’s spirit appears as Ellen reads the last letter he wrote to her: “I am sure you’ll understand that whatever I do for you and the baby is more important right now than anything else in the world. The value of these things can’t be measured ordinary ways, but must be paid for in dollars and cents — sometimes in lives. Freedom comes high. No matter what happens, I shall always be with you.” These words console Ellen as she receives the telegram announcing his death. Vice Admiral John H. Towers, Commander Air Force Pacific Islands then appears to encourage the buying of war bonds (“You do your share, we’ll do ours”) to drive the Japanese troops from the sea and the air, so that then they will “be utterly doomed”. ; ; ; ; Ken Smith sez: James Craig plays a character aptly named Steve Blanding, a patriotic “old man” who runs off and joins the Navy, leaving behind his young wife (Barbara Britton, yum-yum). People with judgment as poor as Steve deserve to have something horrible happen to them, and that’s exactly what occurs in this film. “But…Lieutenant Blanding! That’s suicide!!!” ; ; Soldiers lifting cargo onto a ship; A couple embrace and kiss next to a grand piano; Night time cannon blasts and explosions; A young woman reads a letter in a comfortable living room while a double exposure of a soldier appears over her
Barbara Britton, James Craig, Walter Abel, Donald Cook, Cecil
Kellaway, Mabel Paige, Charles Quigley. A woman at home & a man in
the war; Ellen works in a war plant while Steve is aboard a
destroyer in the South Pacific. Navy combat. (EFL).
Barbara Britton, James Craig, Walter Abel, Donald Cook, Cecil
Kellaway, Mabel Paige, Charles Quigley. A woman at home & a man in
the war
Ellen works in a war plant while Steve is aboard a
destroyer in the South Pacific. Navy combat. (EFL).

00:00:48:00 B W 1945
- MS – Dramatization of Home Front and fighting men. Wife of
naval officer returns home from job at a war plant to find mother
who has spend day caring for her baby.

00:01:16:00 B W 1945
- MS – War wife receives letter from naval officer husband.

00:01:32:00 B W 1945
- MS – Checks on sleeping baby.

00:01:40:00 B W 1945
- MS – Sits on bed and reads husbands’ letter and with his
VO she is transported to events of past time.

00:01:53:00 B W 1945
- MS – It is a home scene with wife, Barbara Brittion, playing
the piano as father searches for his pipe and husband James Craig
stands by and it “was” the time he proposed marriage – as the
father, Cecil Kellaway, smokes his pipe.

00:02:59:00 B W 1945
- WS – VO continues letter as scene unfolds of a sailor engaged
in a destroyer “build-up.”

00:03:53:00 B W 1945
- MS – Craig and the captain discuss a nightfall mission…and
there is another flashback of “when he enlisted”….and concludes
his letter before the mission.

00:05:34:00 B W 1945
- MS – Officers wearing helmets go over plans in the bridge.

00:05:56:00 B W 1945
- CU – Captain speaks to “all hands” on loudspeaker …CU
loudspeaker.

00:05:59:00 B W 1945
- WS – Frontal view of cruisers bows at night with helmeted
seasmen at night of screen.

00:06:03:00 B W 1945
- MS – Combat geared seaman standing behind “4″ anti 7 aircraft
guns.

00:06:10:00 B W 1945
- MS – Signalman in darkness.

00:06:19:00 B W 1945
- MS- Captain focuses binoculars on bridge.

00:06:25:00 B W 1945
- CU – Radio man reading radar range of enemy bearings.

00:06:37:00 B W 1945
- MS – The ship’s control room on the bridge.

00:06:50:00 B W 1945
- WS – Warship formation in night darkness.

00:07:20:00 B W 1945
- MS – Gunners rotate and position guns.

00:07:30:00 B W 1945
- MS – Torpedo release and quick scene cups between bridge and
gun action.

00:08:06:00 B W 1945
- MS – Ship firing main battery of gun blasts at night with

00:08:18:00 B W 1945
- WS – Continued night guns action scene.

00:08:40:00 B W 1945
- MS – A contact hit blast is recorded.

00:09:08:00 B W 1945
- MS – Continued quick clip scenes of bridge and planning
room…as well as gun action and night blasts.

00:09:23:00 B W 1945
- MS – Craig leave control room after a “hit” and sees wounded
sailors and dying captain on bridge.

00:09:46:00 B W 1945
- MS – …he takes command of ship.

00:10:21:00 B W 1945
- MS, WS – Continued night blast action and torpedo launches.

00:10:41:00 B W 1945
- MS – Crew at the controls in the engine room.

00:11:07:00 B W 1945
- MS – Screen is consumed by a huge blast scene as bridge
control room is hit.

00:11:25:00 B W 1945
- MS – Dramatization scene shifts to the home front as wife
returns home to receive a letter from naval husband.

00:11:41:00 B W 1945
- MS – ….she opens letter and reads it in the husband’s VO.
It is his last letter to her. He appears in image and consoles her
that “freedom comes right.”

00:12:17:00 B W 1945
- MS – At this moment, a telegram arrives and in her intuition
she holds the message from the Navy Department and in a sadly
triumphant tone says she will “be alright” — as they

00:13:09:00 B W 1945
- MS – Musical score – swells to “The End.”",,02/15/09 02:30 PM,”1940s