Tonight, July 5, 2010, this pleasant little comedy with music is getting a rare showing on TCM here in the USA.
The cast sparkles: Olivia de Havilland (fresh from GWTW), Jeffrey Lynn (he was almost Ashley in that film), Jane Wyman, Eddie Albert, Spring Byington, S.Z. Sakall, Charles Winninger.
"Somewhere along the line, the world has lost all of its standards and all of its taste."
The scene in the cafe in which he's trying to coax her from being a fallen woman and it slowly is dawning on her what he's talking about made me LOL indeed!
This is my first time seeing the movie, and I've enjoyed it very much throughout, especially the part in which they waltz across the background of sheet music. How clever!
~~MystMoonstruck~~
I loved that whole dance scene at the ball and that was the topping on the cake when they were shown waltzing across the sheet music. Olivia looked her radiant best and I enjoyed the comic timing of Eddie Albert and Jane Wyman in supporting roles. A minor gem.
"Somewhere along the line, the world has lost all of its standards and all of its taste."
It's much better than the reviews give it credit for! I found it a really delightful comedy (indeed!) that I definitely would not hesitate to watch again, especially with all of the misunderstanding going on.
I have to say: What an amazing, dazzling dress Spring Byington is wearing at the party at the end of the film! It's rare to see her so glamorous.
Olivia is so pretty and adorable in this one. She seems somehow far younger than in many roles though this was post-Melanie. Also, S.Z. Sakall was able to come across as tougher and fiercer, without much of his usual cuddly, dithery demeanor. I loved seeing that he could deliver lines with a real snap to them!
Good ol' TCM...
~~MystMoonstruck~~
I hadn't seen this film in a long time and thoroughly enjoyed it--especially all the misunderstandings that keep Olivia and Jeffrey Lynn apart.
You're right about Spring Byington and that dress--she never looked so glamorous before! I liked the scene she had with Olivia where she takes her aside to have a talk with her to smooth out things. So well played.
The man who directed this film, later directed Olivia and Ida Lupino in "Devotion" (the Bronte sisters story)--Curtis Bernhardt. This was his first film at the Warner studio and they kept him on under contract when the previews were successful.
"Somewhere along the line, the world has lost all of its standards and all of its taste."
Even though it's attacked for inaccuracies, I've always been fond of "Devotion", which doesn't get shown very often. In fact, when TCM aired it not long ago, it was the first time I had seen it for more than 25 years.
I'll have to check Bernhardt's filmography, as I have to admit that his name hasn't come to my attention before. Of course, there was a time before my illnesses that I might have known about him and his works, but fibro/CFIDS+ can be rough on the memory process.
I almost did not watch "My Love Came Back" but am happy that I did. Otherwise, I likely would have wound up doing a repeat viewing of a movie I've seen many times before, as I have that habit.
I have to agree to a certain point with your signature. However, filmmakers are giving us such wonderful movies as "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" and a number of others I could list. Sometimes, a film buff has to do some extra searching for something really worthwhile.
~~MystMoonstruck~~
I happen to be very fond of DEVOTION too despite the inaccuracies. Love the Korngold score that provided the brooding atmosphere.
Glad mentioning MY LOVE CAME BACK brightened your viewing experience. By all means look up Bernhardt's resume. He had some interesting films.
"Somewhere along the line, the world has lost all of its standards and all of its taste."
Thought you'd be interested to know that Warner Archives has just released this on DVD-R. You can order at wbshop.com, or many other online stores.
shareI really enjoyed this. The dialogue/script covered things which some other films tend to leave out, such as Amelia insisting that Tony would have to apologize in a big way for assuming the worst about her. In other films misunderstandings like that are resolved too easily and suddenly all is forgiven. Also, I adore seeing Eddie Albert and Jane Wyman during this era.