''Listen, Darling'' is a 1938 American

musical comedy film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

starring

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

Freddie Bartholomew Frederick Cecil Bartholomew (March 28, 1924 – January 23, 1992), known for his acting work as Freddie Bartholomew, was an English-American child actor. One of the most famous child actors of all time, he became very popular in 1930s Hollywood ...

Mary Astor Mary Astor (born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress. Although her career spanned several decades, she may be best remembered for her performance as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in '' The Maltese ...

, and

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) and ''Madame Curie'' (1943). Pidgeon also starred in ...

. It is best known as being the film in which Judy Garland sings "

Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" is a 1935 popular song with words and music by James F. Hanley. It was introduced by Hal Le Roy and Eunice Healey in the Broadway revue '' Thumbs Up!'' The most notable recordings were made by Judy Garland ...

", which later became one of her standards.

Plot

Pinky Wingate (

) is worried about her widowed mother, Dottie (

), who is pursuing a loveless relationship with the town's banker, knowing he can help her fund her children's lives. To help her realize this, Pinky and her friend Buzz (

) "kidnap" Dottie and her younger brother Billie (

Scotty Beckett Scott Hastings Beckett (October 4, 1929 – May 10, 1968) was an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in the ''Our Gang'' shorts and later costarred on ''Rocky Jones, Space Ranger''. Early life and career Born in Oakland, Califo ...

), taking them on a road trip to get away from the banker. While they do this, they meet two men, Richard Thurlow (

) and J.J Slattery ( Alan Hale), who they think would be nice husbands for her mother. Her mother falls in love with Richard Thurlow (

) and they go home.

Cast

Box office

According to MGM records, the film earned $381,000 in the US and Canada and $202,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $17,000.

References

External links

* * * * 1938 films 1938 musical comedy films 1938 romantic comedy films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Edwin L. Marin Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1930s romantic musical films Films with screenplays by Noel Langley 1930s American films {{romantic-musical-film-stub