Tonight's Movie: Reunion in France (1942)

I've been gradually working my way through unseen John Wayne films, with the latest being REUNION IN FRANCE (1942). It's an interesting and somewhat unusual film from Wayne's early '40s career years.He had broken through to stardom with STAGECOACH (1939) but was still working his way up the career ladder in the early '40s. REUNION IN FRANCE, produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz at MGM, was one of seven films Wayne starred in released in 1942.I use the word "starred" advisedly, as while Wayne plays a key role, it's very much a supporting part. This is, more than anything, a Joan Crawford film, with Crawford in all but a handful of scenes, and Philip Dorn (ZIEGFELD GIRL, PARIS AFTER DARK) is her leading man.Crawford plays Michele de la Becque, a wealthy Frenchwoman whose life is turned upside down when the Nazis invade France. Her home is taken over by Nazi soldiers, and she is stunned to realize her fiance, Robert Cortot (Dorn), is a Nazi collaborator.One evening Michele meets Pat (Wayne),…