''Born to Love'' is a 1931 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...

melodrama film A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

, directed by

Paul L. Stein Paul Ludwig Stein (4 February 1892 – 2 May 1951) was an Austrian-born film director with 67 films to his credit. Stein began his career in Berlin in 1918 and worked exclusively in the German silent film industry until 1926, when he first w ...

from an original screenplay by

Ernest Pascal Ernest Pascal (January 11, 1896 – November 4, 1966) was an English-born American screenwriter, author, playwright, and poet. Originally an author, he became involved in the film industry when his novels began to be optioned into films during th ...

. It starred

Constance Bennett Constance Campbell Bennett (October 22, 1904 – July 24, 1965) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress and producer. She was a major Hollywood star during the 1920s and 1930s; during the early 1930s, she was the highest-paid ...

Joel McCrea Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he beca ...

and

Paul Cavanagh William Grigs Atkinson (8 December 1888 – 15 March 1964), known professionally as Paul Cavanagh, was an English film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1928 and 1959. Life and career Cavanagh was born in Felling, ...

in a lovers' triangle set in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was only the second film produced by RKO Pathé after the merger of the two studios, and according to RKO records, it made a profit of $90,000.

Plot

Doris Kendall (Constance Bennett) is an American nurse working in London during World War I. During an air raid, she meets a young American Aviator, Captain Barry Craig, who is enjoying a brief leave from his duties. The two hit it off and fall in love. They plan to marry after the war, but for the moment, they simply enjoy each other's company. After a short while, Craig has to return to the front. It is not long before Doris receives notice that her lover has been shot down behind enemy lines and is presumed dead. Disconsolate, she turns to a long-time friend and admirer, Sir Wilfred Drake (Paul Cavanagh). Soon it is apparent that the nights she spent with Craig are more than a memory, as she is pregnant with his child. On Armistice Day Drake proposes to Doris, who at first refuses, but he eventually convinces her that it will be best for both her and the baby. They all seem happy for a time after she has the baby. The child will be the official heir to the Drake estate, and the couple get along quite well. That is, until Craig re-appears. When she finds out, she is torn by her marriage to Drake versus her love for Craig. Eventually, she can't help herself and goes to see Craig. When Drake discovers that not only did Doris go to see Craig but that she is still in love with him, he divorces her and takes custody of their son. But she still does not return to Craig, hoping that she will at some point be reunited with her child. Two years later, Doris is still distraught over the way things have turned out. She has been forbidden to see her son during this time, but finally gets permission from Drake. However, when she arrives, she discovers that her son has died. Suicidal, she begins to wander the streets, until she is found by Craig, who is still in love with her, and whom she finally agrees to marry.

Cast

as Doris Kendall *

as Barry Craig *

as Sir Wilfred Drake *

Frederick Kerr Frederick Kerr (born Frederick Grinham Keen, 11 October 1858 – 3 May 1933) was an English actor who appeared on stage in both London and New York and in British and American films; he also worked as a major theatrical manager in London. Early ...

as Lord James Ponsonby *

Louise Closser Hale Louise Closser Hale (October 13, 1872 – July 26, 1933) was an American actress, playwright, and novelist. Early life Louise Closser was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 13, 1872. Her father was Joseph Closser, a grain dealer, and her ...

as Lady Agatha Ponsonby *

Anthony Bushell Anthony Arnatt Bushell (19 May 1904 – 2 April 1997) was an English film actor and director who appeared in more than 50 films between 1929 and 1961. He played Colonel Breen in the BBC serial ''Quatermass and the Pit'' (1958–59), and als ...

as Leslie Darrow *

Mary Forbes Mary Forbes (born Ethel Louise Young; 1 January 1883 – 22 July 1974) was a British-American film actress, based in the United States in her latter years, where she died. She appeared in more than 130 films between 1919 and 1958.

as Duchess * Elizabeth Forrester as Evelyn Kent *

Claude King Claude King (February 5, 1923 – March 7, 2013) was an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for his million selling 1962 hit, "Wolverton Mountain". Biography King was born in Keithville in southern Caddo Parish south ...

as Major General *

Edmond Breon Edmund Breon (born Iver Edmund de Breon MacLaverty; 12 December 1882 – 24 June 1953) was a Scottish film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1907 and 1952. Life and career Born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Br ...

as Tom Kent * Reginald Sharland as Foppish Gentleman *

Daisy Belmore Daisy Belmore (30 June 1874 – 12 December 1954) was an English stage and film actress. Born in England, Belmore moved to the United States in 1910 where she settled, achieving citizenship in 1939 and fame as a leading stage actress, as well a ...

as Tibbetts *

Martha Mattox Martha Mattox (June 19, 1879 – May 2, 1933) was an American silent film actress most notable for her role of Mammy Pleasant in the 1927 film '' The Cat and the Canary''. She also played a role in ''Torrent'' (1926). She died from a heart ...

as Head Nurse *

Fred Esmelton Fred Esmelton (22 June 1872 – 23 October 1933) was an Australian-born American film actor, as well as a stage actor and director. He appeared in 30 films, usually in supporting roles, between the years 1916 and 1931. He was born in Melbo ...

as the butler, Roberts (cast list as per

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

database)

Reception

In an abysmal year, financially, for RKO Pictures, this film was one of the few financial successes for the studio, making a profit of $90,000. The film received mixed reviews,

Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

calling it, "A commonplace and inadequately motivated yarn ...", while

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

enjoyed it somewhat better, applauding the acting, directing and story, describing it as "... a smooth and rather attractive entertainment, remarkable chiefly for its generally adult outlook on things and for a certain quiet restraint in its more tempestuously dramatic moments."

References

External links

''Born to Love''
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Born To Love (Film) 1931 films 1931 romantic drama films American black-and-white films American romantic drama films Films directed by Paul L. Stein Films set in London Films set in the 1910s Melodrama films RKO Pictures films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films