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ERA
Did you know
40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
On Valentine's Day
1986 1h 46m EN
😐
5.7
MID
★5.7TMDB · 3
Drama
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
In 1917, Elizabeth defies her wealthy parents by running off and marrying Horace Robedaux, a young man of humble prospects. Her parents have not spoken to her since - even though the couple lives in a rooming house nearby, they are struggling financially, and she is pregnant.
“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”
Where to watch · US
Cast
Hallie Foote
Elizabeth Robedaux
William Converse-Roberts
Horace Robedaux
Michael Higgins
Mr. Vaughn
Rochelle Oliver
Mrs. Vaughn
Richard Jenkins
Bobby Pate
Jeanne McCarthy
Bessie
Steven Hill
George Tyler
Irma P. Hall
Aunt Charity
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Ken Harrison
- Writers
- Horton Foote
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Ken Harrison directs. George Tirl behind the camera. Jonathan Sheffer scores. Nancy Baker cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 140 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2Part of the "The Orphans' Home Cycle" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
- 3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
- 4Directed by Ken Harrison, shot by George Tirl. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 5Original score by Jonathan Sheffer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 6Editor Nancy Baker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 7Hallie Foote and William Converse-Roberts and Michael Higgins carry the top of the cast.
- 8IMDB entry: tt0091676 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
- 10Classified under 12 themes, including "small town", "pregnancy", "texas", "marriage".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- George Tirl
- Original score
- Jonathan Sheffer
- Editing
- Nancy Baker
- Production design
- Howard Cummings
- Costume design
- Van Broughton Ramsey
- Runtime
- 106 min · 1h 46m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
Part of
The Orphans' Home Cycle
CORRECT VIEWING ORDER: (1) Convicts (2) Lily Dale (3) Courtship (4) On Valentine's Day (5) 1918 // The Orphans' Home Cycle is a 3-part drama written by Horton Foote. Each of the three parts in the trilogy comprises three one-act plays: The Story of a Childhood (Part 1), The Story of a Marriage (Part 2), and The Story of a Family (Part 3). The focus is on Horace Robedaux (inspired by Foote's father) and Elizabeth Vaughn (inspired by Foote's mother) at the turn of the 20th Century to the beginning of the Depression, following Horace through three decades, as "seen through three generations of three families." Some of these plays were made into movies, released individually and not in order.
Also by
Ken Harrison
Key crew
- Executive ProducerPeter Newman
- EditorNancy Baker
- Production DesignHoward Cummings
- Costume DesignVan Broughton Ramsey
- ProducerCalvin Skaggs
- ProducerLillian V. Foote
- Associate ProducerCarl Clifford
- Executive ProducerLewis M. Allen
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- small town
- pregnancy
- texas
- marriage
- based on true story
- based on play or musical
- in-laws
- family disapproval
- young couple
- 1910s
- rooming house
- semi-biographical
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1986-04-11
