Lady in the Dark

Lady in the Dark is a 1944 American musical film directed by Mitchell Leisen, from a screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett that is based on the 1941 musical of the same name by Moss Hart. The film stars Ginger Rogers as a magazine editor, who although successful, finds herself on the edge of a breakdown while juggling her feelings for three prospective suitors, played by Ray Milland, Warner Baxter, and Jon Hall. Paramount won the screen rights to the musical in February 1941, after a bidding war with Columbia, Warner Bros., and Howard Hughes. The studio initially purchased the property as a vehicle to reunite Rogers with Fred Astaire. However, after negotiations with Astaire failed, the studio cast Milland, who had recently starred with Rogers in Paramount's The Major and the Minor. The film was first released on February 10, 1944, and was a critical and commercial success. It was nominated for three Academy Awards; for Best Cinematography, Best Music, and Best Art Direction (Hans Dreier, Raoul Pene Du Bois, Ray Moyer). Plot Liza Elliott (Ginger Rogers) is the successful editor-in-chief of fashion magazine Allure, being published by Kendall Nesbitt (Warner Baxter). Elliott is a no-nonsense workaholic, who is involved in a relationship with Nesbitt. And while the two wish to marry, they cannot, as Kendall's estranged wife has refused to grant a divorce. Liza has recently developed a series of headaches and strange, bad dreams. On top of all this, she is having to deal at work with marketing manager Charley Johnson (Ray Milland), who annoys her greatly and takes pride in doing so. She reluctantly sees and undergoes psychoanalysis with Dr. Alex Brooks, who suggests that her no-nonsense approach to life is caused by something from her past, which has made her avoid all attempts at ever being as glamorous as the models in her magazine. Liza discounts this theory, and after Kendall announces his wife has finally agreed to a divorce, she dreams of a wedding to him where she is chased to the top of a large wedding cake where Charley questions whether she wishes to marry him.