Ruth Roman came to Warner Bros. at the wrong time. Had she arrived earlier she might have taken Bette Davis as a model and developed her own line of histrionic honesty. But though she was there in time to make BEYOND THE FOREST (1949) and figure in Davis’ most honest scene in the film, it was the end of the star’s reign. Her departure left Joan Crawford as the studio’s reigning dramatic diva, and Roman often seemed to be copying her worst affectations — the heavy-breathing silent close-ups that telegraph emotion rather than playing the moment. She was capable of much better, and with a few lapses she delivered it in Felix E. Feist’s TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY (1951, TCM). She’s a bitter dance-hall hostess (“I was going to be a dancer. Started on my toes, ended up on my heels.”) who resists but then finds herself charmed by ex-con Steve Cochran’s innocence (he killed his abusive father at 13 and spent the next eight years in prison). When they run afoul of her possessive cop boyfriend, Cochran gets knocked out, and Roman shoots the cop in self-defense. She takes off, letting Cochran think he did it, but then the story takes a turn. They end up on the lam together and start falling in love. The scenes in which their relationship grows have a beautiful sweetness about them. The actors work off each other simply, and Robert Burks’ exterior shots have a lyrical feel. TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY falls short of being a great film noir. Feist had to compromise on the ending after previews, though there’s no record of what the original ending was. Lurene Tuttle delivers a terrific performance as a migrant worker they meet on the road, and Lee Patrick has a nice bit as Roman’s nagging sister-in-law.
“Why are they doing this? Why are they doing this? They said when you got here the whole thing started. Who are you? What are you? Where did you come from? I think you're the cause of all of this. I think you're evil. EVIL!”