My Reputation, starring Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent, is a 1946 romantic drama which explores the theme of finding new love after the death of a spouse. Jessica (Jessie) Drummond (Barbara Stanwyck) has just buried her husband, Paul, a man who had been her whole world for fifteen years. Although Jessie has two sons, they are unable to fill the void left by Paul's death; besides the fact that they want to spend time with their friends, they are about to depart for a boarding school their dad had attended.
Distraught and lonely after the boys leave for school, Jessie agrees to accompany a friend and her husband to Lake Tahoe. While skiing, she meets Major Scott Landis (George Brent), and the two of them enjoy several wonderful days together; however, Jessica is not quite ready for romance again, and when Scott makes a move to kiss her, she backs away. Shortly thereafter, they go their separate ways...Jessie back home to Lake Forest, Illinois, and Scott to his new post.
As it turns out, Scott has been stationed right there in Illinois, and he and Jessica soon meet up again. This time, Jessica is interested, and she accepts his dinner invitation. Unfortunately, disapproval and criticism are rampant...even her mother condemns the new romance. The tongues of Jessie's society friends begin to wag, and she finds that her reputation is being tarnished. Ultimately, Jessie will need to determine if she is going to allow herself to love again or if she is going to live her life based on the opinions of others.
While there is no high drama in My Reputation, it is, nevertheless, a very solid 4-star film with likeable characters and an interesting storyline. I am a huge fan of both Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent, and I think they were great together. This movie is out on DVD and should be quite easy to track down.
Happy viewing!!
