Fallen Leaves

The Great British Year is the definitive portrait of the spectacular and dynamic nature of our country over the course of one year. As a nation we hold a deep affection for our seasons - they're so woven into our national character that we can almost feel their changing. But then, the range of seasons we have is as extraordinary as our climate is unique. The splendour of the autumn colour change is as magnificent as anywhere on earth.

Jerry Seevers returns from World War I service broken in health and his doctor tells him he has only six months to live. His fiancée jilts him and he sets out to drink himself to death. In one of his binges he wakes up to find himself married to what the assumes is a gold-digger after his money. He leaves her and goes to a ranch in Arizona and get rid of his new bride, who is really in love with him. He sets up divorce proceedings and then realizes he actually loves her.

Jane Froman (Susan Hayward), an aspiring songstress, lands a job in radio with help from pianist Don Ross (David Wayne), whom she later marries. Jane's popularity soars, and she leaves on a European tour… but her plane crashes in Lisbon, and she is partially crippled. Unable to walk without crutches, Jane nevertheless goes on to entertain the Allied troops in World War II.

Harriet Green, a beloved and radiant music hall star of the Edwardian era, has a guilty secret: She has a baby daughter, born out of wedlock. Harriet leaves her public and flees to South Africa to raise her daughter quietly. The years pass, and now her daughter, Harriet Hawkes, returns to London as a young show-biz hopeful. Tommy, a wily publicity man, knowing that young Harriet is a dead ringer for her famous mother, convinces a theater producer to star her in a new revue as none other than the original Harriet Green, miraculously untouched by old age. The ruse works too well: Now the public believes Harriet is a well-preserved 60-year-old and Tommy is her son. The deception is more than merely inconvenient, because now Harriet and Tommy have secretly fallen in love.

The ups and downs of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., famed producer of extravagant stage revues, are portrayed.