Reunion at Fairborough

A reunion of former US Air Force buddies brings together men from all walks of life, who've been out of touch for 40 years, when they return to the English village where they were stationed during World War II. Robert Mitchum plays Carl Hostrup, whose wartime achievements are eclipsed by his more recent personal and business struggles. Hostrup returns on a whim, with former crewmate Jiggs Quealy (Red Buttons) in tow, to reconnect with his old mates and discover what happened to the woman he loved so many years ago. Reuniting with Sally (Deborah Kerr), Carl learns some surprising things about himself, his crew, and the world their heroism helped to shape. Revisiting the past leads to some unanticipated emotional revelations and, more importantly, reminds the ex-GIs to have hope for the future. Newly remastered.

Filmed in England, REUNION AT FAIRBOROUGH served as the fourth movie pairing of Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. Mitchum plays a disgruntled American, who arrives in England for a reunion with his old wartime bombing squadron. Ms. Kerr plays the local woman whom Mitchum had seduced and left behind forty years earlier. She greets her ex-love with the daunting news that he's a father -- and grandfather. Too verbose for its own good, REUNION AT FAIRBOROUGH fails to ignite the same sparks as the earlier Mitchum/Kerr teamings (HEAVEN KNOWS, MR. ALLISON (1957), THE SUNDOWNERS (1960), THE GRASS IS GREENER (1961)), but at least it's attractively photographed. Originally telecast as an "HBO Premiere" on May 12, 1985, REUNION AT FAIRBOROUGH was briefly released theatrically overseas.