Random Harvest went into production on April 21, 1942.

Like most Hollywood films of the era, it was shot entirely on a studio backlot, where designers and technicians created their own versions of the streets of Liverpool, London's Waterloo Station and the cottage where Paula and Smith found happiness.

For the picnic scene in which Smithy proposes to Paula, Garson wanted to ride her own bicycle, but for authenticity's sake, the art department found her a vintage 1918 vehicle. When production finished LeRoy gave her a new bike, which she gleefully rode through the streets of Beverly Hills to the astonishment of tourists.

Both Colman and Garson made suggestions on improving the script, though they never did so on set. Instead, they would either meet privately with LeRoy or send notes to him and Franklin. Garson's notes were so extensive and helpful, the producer jokingly offered her an office in the writers' building.

When the writers had trouble coming up with a scene to show Paula on stage (the book only mentioned the title of a patriotic play she was performing in), Garson suggested singing the Harry Lauder standard "She M' Daisy" in a short kilt. Franklin and studio head Louis B. Mayer hesitated, concerned that the show of leg would hurt her image as the perfect lady. They even tried kilts in three different lengths, finally choosing a medium-length one that wouldn't show too much leg.

Garson rehearsed the number with choreographers Ernst and Marie Matray for three weeks before shooting it on April 27, 1942, in front of an audience of 200 extras. She was nervous until the extras started whistling at her legs. That put her at ease, and she performed like a seasoned vaudeville trooper. At the end of the number, the extras burst into a spontaneous chorus of "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow." Studio acting coach Lillian Burns, who witnessed the performance, said that it was the kind of work Garson had always wanted to do. The dramatic star would have been much happier, Burns said, doing musicals. Franklin sent her a telegram reading, "I was simply delighted with our Scottish number and your performance was beyond what I thought possible. I think it will add great color to the picture and great warmth will be given to the character of Paula."

Despite their fondness for director Mervyn LeRoy and each other, Garson and Colman did little socializing on the set. They spent time between shots in their dressing rooms, working on the script or just relaxing.

The person Garson spent the most time with on set was cameraman Joseph Ruttenberg, who was her favorite photographer. She appreciated his using a woman's stocking over the lens to soften and glamorize her features. In addition, he quickly realized that she looked best shot from the right and made sure the sets were constructed so he could favor that side.

Production finished on May 8, 1942, with the film's final scene at the cottage gate where Charles finally remembers his lost years with Paula. When they finished shooting, the usually reticent Colman said, "This is one picture I hate to finish!"

James Hilton was so impressed with the film that he offered to record the opening narration.

The film's final budget was $2 million, large for a film at that time, but every penny of it shows up on screen.

The film's tag line: "He had found love -- lost it -- and now had found it again!"

Random Harvest was a hit from the moment it premiered on December 17, 1942. With a 12-week continuous run, it set a house record as the Radio City Music Hall's longest-running film to date. Demand for tickets was so great, they had to open the box office at 7:45 a.m. each morning. The theatre's manager told LeRoy it could easily have played another 12 weeks, but MGM's parent company -- Loew's, Inc. -- pulled it to play in their own theatres.

Random Harvest was the fifth in an amazing string of seven hits Mervyn LeRoy had directed since returning to the director's chair after a two-year hiatus to produce. His other hits from the period include Blossoms in the Dust (1941) and Madame Curie (1943), both with Garson, Johnny Eager (1942), and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944).

by Frank Miller