MartinHafer
"If Tomorrow Comes" was a made for TV movie that dealt with the prejudices against Japanese-Americans that came to a head when WWII arrived. It's a very sad film but important one, as it's important we learn from the events of this time period.When the film begins, Eileen (Patty Duke) and her parents have just moved to California just before the United States became involved in WWII. She soon meets a nice Japanese-American guy, David (Frank Michael Liu) and they have a lot in common. But because he's not a white guy, they decide to start meeting in secret. After a while, they decide to marry and intend to tell their respective families about this. Unfortunately, their timing stinks because that same morning they marry, the war begins! Now they are afraid to tell anyone and keep waiting for the right time. But in the meantime, prejudices against the Japanese-Americans explode and laws are enacted taking away their rights and freedom. What's to become of the couple?This is a hard film to watch, as prejudices are nasty and painful...but thank goodness films like this were made to remind us of our past. Well made and very reminiscent of Romeo & Juliet in many ways.By the way, like too many films, the 'young people' in this movie are far from being young! Patty Duke's supposed to be in high school and she's 24 but even worse is Mako who also is supposed to be about that age...and he was nearing 40!
wolflair-1
TV movies back in the 70s were, well they were TV movies. Some good, some silly, some not so good. This was an excellent movie. When it came out in 1971, I was 15 going on 16 girl. The movie was done with compassion and let those who did not live it, the realization of what transpired in the US during WWII. Is is so relevant in this day an time when so much is spinning the world out of control again. Those that are old enough to remember that time have warned us this is what it felt like back then. This movie has stuck with me all my life. Years later after I left the Army I came home back to Sacramento and I had two good friends, one Japanese, one Chinese. I learned both sides of the story of WWII. May's parents immigrated from Hong Kong. Her mother absolutely hated Japanese for her whole family was wiped out during the war. Erin's parents were just kids when they were moved and put into the camps here in the US. I also worked with a gentleman who was one of the Japanese men allowed to be in the military. He had fought in Italy. I am a history buff and that era, and especially the war, has intrigued me. To think that a hundred million people died in the last century due to the prejudices of all the races. You would think by now that man would have gotten past all this. Now I am reading a free book I bought on my Kindle. It is "It Had to Be You" by Cheryl Bolen. It and the movie now playing with Claudett Colbert called "Three Came Home" brought this movie back into my mind. The other book is about a couple who marry right before WWII and she goes with him to the camps. This one is the story of a woman living in a camp in the East Indies. I do wish they would air the TV movies again, especially this one. The current generation should be able to see what the world was like and what it could be again if we do not learn from it.
khb1
This was an acting job like none other I've seen from Patty Duke. I remember the first time I saw the movie, it just blew me away. We need to keep these types of movies in circulation so that we as a people don't forget how bad prejudice is in time of war. The funny part, is it happens over and over again and we just don't learn the lesson. Would love to have a copy of this move. If you ever see it being shown on TV, by all means sit down and watch it from beginning to end.
Soledad-2
I have enjoyed this movie and wish to recommend it to everyone. Sometimes the movies made for television are by far much better than movies shown in theaters. If Tomorrow Comes is a good example.
AD
