Hallmark film delight: Tonight Betty White's The Lost Valentine, preview

By April MacIntyre Jan 30, 2011, 18:38 GMT

Betty White is resplendent at age 89. The current star of TV Land\'s series “Hot in Cleveland” brings an emotional core to this lovely film.

One for the whole family tonight with the film “The Lost Valentine,” the romantic yarn featured on “Hallmark Hall of Fame" for CBS.

Betty White is resplendent at age 89. The current star of TV Land's series “Hot in Cleveland” brings an emotional core to this lovely film.

“The Lost Valentine” sees White cast as Caroline, a widow of a World War II airman.

Valentine's day sees Caroline return to the train station where she said goodbye to her sweetheart Neil.  The same train station Pullman porter sees her every year, and they visit.  Jennifer Love Hewitt is introduced as a TV reporter, eager to tell the story of Caroline’s sweet annual ritual.  According to Aaron Barnhart, a Kansas City TV critic who got to see a screening of this film, the director Darnell Martin cleverly uses different versions of  “Dream a Little Dream With Me” in flashback scenes with Neil and Caroline to set the tone of the film.

The film airs on CBS tonight, January 30, and is based on the book by James Michael Pratt.

The official Hallmark synopsis:

During World War II, Neil Thomas, a young navy pilot, bids his pregnant wife, Caroline, farewell at Union Station. Before their son is born, he's declared missing in action over the Pacific. But love never dies, and for the next 65 years, Caroline returns to Union Station on the anniversary of her loss. This touching story leads Susan, a TV journalist, to investigate what happened to the young pilot. Neil and Caroline's grandson, Lucas, encourages his reluctant grandmother to cooperate and while researching the past Susan and Lucas eventually fall in love themselves.