Never Say Goodbye (1946 film)

Divorced New York couple Phil and Ellen Gayley each buy a winter coat for their seven-year-old daughter Phillippa, known as "Flip". Flip has spent the last six months with her father, but is about to move in with her mother for six months, according to their shared custody arrangement. Flip adores her father, who charms her with whimsical stunts and play-acting, such as escorting her as "Robin Hood" (an allusion to Errol Flynn's famous role) to her mother's home astride a New York police officer's horse to console Flip at their parting. When Phil delivers Flip to her mother, Flip receives the two coats and points out that they need to coordinate better, pleading with her parents to reconcile since during her six-month's stay with each she misses the other parent.

Phil asks Ellen to dinner at Luigi's, their favorite restaurant, to attempt a reconciliation, and Ellen once again begins to fall under Phil's charm. Unfortunately, Phil, a successful artist, has forgotten a previous date with his current girlfriend/model, Nancy Graham, who turns up for their date at Luigi's, complicating matters. With proprietor Luigi's help, Phil tries to juggle both women, but Nancy and Ellen each discover that they are not the only date and leave in a huff.

On Christmas Eve, Phil dresses up as Santa Claus to sneak into Ellen's apartment and see his daughter. Ellen assumes he is her divorce lawyer, Rex De Vallon, who earlier agreed to play Santa. When Rex arrives, Phil locks him in the bathroom and a fight ensues. Ellen then insists Phil stay away from Flip for the next six months.

Still attempting a reconciliation, Phil manages to persuade Ellen and Flip to go away together to a rural cabin in Connecticut that is owned by his friend, Jack Gordon. However, Jack turns up with his fiancée and Nancy, ruining the trip.

Meanwhile, Flip has been writing letters to Fenwick Lonkowski, a Marine, pretending to be older than she is, and sending him a picture of Ellen instead of one of herself. A tall, attractive Fenwick arrives to have lunch with Flip and assumes Ellen is her. After Flip explains the situation to her mother, Ellen decides to let Fenwick think she has been writing to him all along and flirt with Fenwick to get revenge on Phil. A jealous Phil pretends to be Flip's uncle―his own brother―to impede Fenwick's courting of Ellen while "advising" Fenwick on how to win his "sister-in-law" on the premise that it would be hard for any man to compete with the memory of Ellen's "extraordinary" ex-husband.

Eventually Phil tells Fenwick that Flip wrote the letters and that he is Ellen's ex-husband. When Fenwick learns how much Flip wants her parents to reunite, he decides to help her. Fenwick takes Flip to Luigi's, and she refuses to return unless her parents make up. Ellen finally agrees to take Phil back, and Fenwick consoles himself with Luigi's hatcheck girl. On their second honeymoon, Phil and Ellen receive a telegram from Flip asking them to provide her with a brother.

The film was originally known as Don't Ever Leave Me and was based on an original story by Norma and Ben Barzman. The idea was Norma Barzman's and she worked on it with her husband Ben. It was purchased by Warner Bros. Pictures in June 1944 as a vehicle for Claire Foley, who had appeared in the play Janie, which had just been acquired by Warners for filming. Jesse L. Lasky was assigned to produce.^[2][3] Then in September, it was announced William Jacobs would produce instead.^[4] According to Norma Barzman, Warner Bros insisted Ben Barzman work on the script with S.K. Lauren rather than her.^[5]

The project remained in development until June 1945, when it was announced that Errol Flynn would star. Flynn had been set to star in two action films, Adventures of Don Juan and The Frontiersman, but both had been postponed. (Don Juan was shot some years later; The Frontiersman - postponed because "of the wartime travel problem, many location sequences being necessary for the story"^[6] - was never made.) The article mentioned that the plot of Don't Ever Leave Me was about a young girl who sends a photo of her widowed mother to a serviceman, which was also the plot of another film going to be made at Columbia around this time, Dear Mr Private.^[7] James Kern was assigned to direct.^[8]

Eleanor Parker was allocated the female lead opposite Flynn. Newcomer Patti Brady was given the role of their daughter.^[9] Forrest Tucker was borrowed from Columbia to play his role.^[10] He later signed a long-term contract with Warners.^[11]

In July 1945 the title was changed to Never Say Goodbye.^[12]

Filming took place in August 1945.

For the scene in which Phil puts on a "tough guy" front to intimidate Fenwick, Humphrey Bogart (uncredited) overdubbed Flynn's dialogue.^[13][14]