''My Love Came Back'' is a 1940 American
comedy-drama film
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
directed by
Curtis Bernhardt
Curtis Bernhardt (15 April 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a Jewish film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt.
He trained as an actor in Germany, and performed on the stage, before starting as a film director in 1924, wi ...
and starring
Olivia de Havilland
Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...
,
Jeffrey Lynn
Jeffrey Lynn (born Ragnar Godfrey Lind; – November 24, 1995) was an American stage-screen actor and film producer who worked primarily through the Golden Age of Hollywood establishing himself as one of the premier talents of his time. Thr ...
,
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', ...
, and
Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)["Actress, P ...](_blank)
.
Based on the 1935 Austrian film ''
Episode
An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption.
The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning t ...
'' written and directed by
Walter Reisch
Walter Reisch (May 23, 1903 – March 28, 1983) was an Austrian-born director and screenwriter. He also wrote lyrics to several songs featured in his films, one popular title is "Flieger, grüß mir die Sonne". He was married to the dancer and a ...
, the film is about a gifted young violinist who considers leaving a prestigious music academy to play in a jazz band to earn money. The academy's new president—a distinguished wealthy patron of the arts—convinces her to stay after secretly arranging a scholarship for her out of his own pocket, and the two begin attending concerts together. Complications arise when he asks his young business manager to take his place at one of the concerts. The film is notable for
Heinz Eric Roemheld's musical direction and Ray Heindorf's unique
swing orchestral arrangements of classical pieces. ''My Love Came Back'' was released by
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of liv ...
in the United States on July 13, 1940.
Plot
A beautiful young violinist named Amelia Cornell (
Olivia de Havilland
Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...
) is a student at the prestigious Brissac Academy of Music in New York City. Unable to support her mother on her meager scholarship stipend, she is forced to provide music lessons in her spare time—something strictly forbidden by the school and enforced zealously by the dean of the school, Dr. Kobbe (
Grant Mitchell). Frustrated by her financial constraints and at being treated like a child by the dean, Amelia decides to leave the academy and join a jazz group led by her fellow student and swing bandleader Dusty Rhodes (
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', ...
).
Meanwhile, after seeing Amelia perform at a concert, a distinguished wealthy patron of the arts, Julius Malette (
Charles Winninger
Charles J. Winninger (May 26, 1884 – January 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals.
Life and career
Winninger was born in Athens, Wisconsin, the son of Rosalia (Grassler) and Franz Winninger ...
), finally accepts the academy's offer to make him president of the school—an offer inspired by Julius' wealth and influence. When he learns that Amelia is planning to leave the academy for financial reasons, Julius—who has a crush on the much younger violinist—secretly arranges for a second scholarship that will allow her to continue her studies. After Amelia meets her patron, the kind and gentlemanly president sends her a phonograph player and records, and escorts her to concerts to broaden her musical experience.
One evening, Julius is unable to attend a concert with Amelia and sends his young business manager, Tony Baldwin (
Jeffrey Lynn
Jeffrey Lynn (born Ragnar Godfrey Lind; – November 24, 1995) was an American stage-screen actor and film producer who worked primarily through the Golden Age of Hollywood establishing himself as one of the premier talents of his time. Thr ...
), to the concert hall to explain his absence. In the coming days, Tony and Amelia begin to fall in love, but Tony does not reveal his feelings, believing that Amelia is his boss's mistress.
The budding relationship between Tony and Amelia is further complicated when Julius' brash son Paul (
William T. Orr
William T. Orr (born William Ferdinand Quinn Jr.; September 27, 1917December 25, 2002) was an American actor and television producer associated with various Western and detective programs of the 1950s-1970s. In most of his Warner Bros. series, ...
) discovers that Tony has been mailing company checks to Amelia, unaware that these "scholarship" checks were mailed at his father's request. When Paul accuses Tony of misappropriating company funds, Tony protects his boss with his silence. Later, Paul sees his Julius entering Amelia's apartment, he believes that his father is being unfaithful to his mother. He apologizes to Tony and thanks him for trying to shield his family from the sordid news. When Paul tells Tony that Julius is with Amelia, Tony decides not to see Amelia again, nor answer her calls. His distrust is reinforced when he learns that the checks sent to Amelia have been cashed—he doesn't know that her friend Dusty "borrowed" the money.
Soon after, Julius and his wife organize a party and hire Amelia's roommate, Joy O'Keefe (
Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)["Actress, P ...](_blank)
), and her boyfriend, Dusty Rhodes, to provide an evening of innovative classical and swing music. At the party, Amelia confesses everything to Mrs. Malette, and then plays swing violin with the band, shocking Julius and her teacher. The music critic at the party, however, is impressed, which gives her new style legitimacy. When Amelia learns that Dusty "borrowed" her check, and how that must have looked to Tony, she demands that Dusty explain to Tony what had been going on. Afterwards, Tony approaches Amelia in the garden, apologizes for his suspicions, and kisses her passionately.
Cast
*
Olivia de Havilland
Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...
as Amelia Cornell
*
Jeffrey Lynn
Jeffrey Lynn (born Ragnar Godfrey Lind; – November 24, 1995) was an American stage-screen actor and film producer who worked primarily through the Golden Age of Hollywood establishing himself as one of the premier talents of his time. Thr ...
as Anthony 'Tony' Baldwin
*
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', ...
as Dusty Rhodes
*
Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)["Actress, P ...](_blank)
as Joy O'Keefe
*
Charles Winninger
Charles J. Winninger (May 26, 1884 – January 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals.
Life and career
Winninger was born in Athens, Wisconsin, the son of Rosalia (Grassler) and Franz Winninger ...
as Julius Malette
*
Spring Byington
Spring Dell Byington (October 17, 1886 – September 7, 1971) was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of ''December Bride''. She was a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player who appeared in ...
as Mrs. Clara Malette
*
Grant Mitchell as Dr. Kobbe
*
William T. Orr
William T. Orr (born William Ferdinand Quinn Jr.; September 27, 1917December 25, 2002) was an American actor and television producer associated with various Western and detective programs of the 1950s-1970s. In most of his Warner Bros. series, ...
as Paul Malette
*
Ann Gillis
Alma Mabel Conner (February 12, 1927 – January 31, 2018), known professionally as Ann Gillis, was an American actress, best known for her film roles as a child actress. She performed the voice of Faline in the 1942 Disney animated film ' ...
as Valerie Malette
*
S. Z. Sakall
Szőke Szakáll (born Jakab Grünwald, akas: Gärtner Sándor and Gerő Jenő; February 2, 1883 February 12, 1955), known in the English-speaking world as S. Z. Sakall, was a Hungarian-American stage and film character actor. He appeared in ...
as Geza Peyer
*
Charles Trowbridge
Charles Silas Richard Trowbridge (January 10, 1882 – October 30, 1967) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1915 and 1958.
Biography
Trowbridge was born in Veracruz, Mexico, where his father served in the ...
as Dr. Downey, the music critic
*
Mabel Taliaferro
Mabel Taliaferro (born Maybelle Evelyn Taliaferro; May 21, 1887 – January 24, 1979) was an American stage and silent-screen actress, known as "the Sweetheart of American Movies."
Early years
Taliaferro was born as Maybelle Evelyn Taliaferro i ...
as Dowager
*
William B. Davidson
William Beatman Davidson (June 16, 1888 – September 28, 1947) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1915 and 1947.
Early life
Davidson was born in Dobbs Ferry, New York. He attended Columbia University, w ...
as Music Agent
* Nanette Vallon as Sophie, Malette's maid
*
Sidney Bracey
Sidney Bracey (born Sidney Bracy; 18 December 1877 – 5 August 1942) was an Australian-born American actor. After a stage career in Australia, on Broadway and in Britain, he performed in more than 320 films between 1909 and 1942.
Early lif ...
as Ransom, Malette's butler
Production
Screenplay
''My Love Came Back'' is based on the Austrian film ''
Episode
An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption.
The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning t ...
'', which was directed by
Walter Reisch
Walter Reisch (May 23, 1903 – March 28, 1983) was an Austrian-born director and screenwriter. He also wrote lyrics to several songs featured in his films, one popular title is "Flieger, grüß mir die Sonne". He was married to the dancer and a ...
and starred
Paula Wessely
Paula Anna Maria Wessely (20 January 1907 – 11 May 2000) was an Austrian theatre and film actress. ''Die Wessely'' (literally "The Wessely"), as she was affectionately called by her admirers and fans, was Austria's foremost popular postwar actr ...
and
Karl Ludwig Diehl
Karl Ludwig Diehl (14 August 1896 – 8 March 1958) was a German film actor. He appeared in 66 films between 1924 and 1957. His father was Karl Diehl, the German professor of Anarchism.
Filmography
* ''Die Tragödie der Entehrten'' (1924) ...
. ''Episode'' was in fact a sequel to another Austrian film, ''
Maskerade
''Maskerade'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the eighteenth book in the ''Discworld'' series. The witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg visit the Ankh-Morpork Opera House to find Agnes Nitt, a girl from Lancre, and get ...
''—which was remade by MGM in 1935 under the title ''
Escapade''. The working titles for ''My Love Came Back'' were ''Episode'', ''Men on Her Mind'', and ''Two Loves Have I''.
Soundtrack
* "Overture" from ''Orpheus in the Underworld'' (Jacques Offenbach) performed by the student orchestra
* "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C Sharp Minor" (Franz Liszt) played on a record, swing version performed by Dusty (piano) and Amelia (violin)
* "Long, Long Ago" (Thomas Haynes Bayley) played when Julius tells Clara he has to go out
* "Wedding March" from ''A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61'' (Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy) played on piano by Valerie and Paul
* "An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314" (Johann Strauß) played at the Beaux Arts Ballroom, played by Clara (harp), Julius (bass violin), and Valerie and Paul (piano)
* "Pizzicato Polka" (Johann Strauß and Josef Strauß) played at the Beaux Arts Ballroom
* "Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald (Tales from the Vienna Woods), Op. 325" (Johann Strauß) played at the Beaux Arts Ballroom
* "Mazurka in G" (Henryk Wieniawski) played at the Beaux Arts Ballroom
* "Romantic Waltz" (Joseph Lanner) played at the Beaux Arts Ballroom
* "Ein Herz, ein Sinn (One Heart, One Mind), Op. 323" (Johann Strauß) played at the Beaux Arts Ballroom
* "Wein, weib und Gesang (Wine, Women and Song), Op. 333" (Johann Strauß) played at the Beaux Arts Ballroom
* "Nocturne No. 10 in A Flat, Op. 32 No. 2" (Frédéric Chopin) swing version played at the party
* "Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64" (Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy) played at the party by Amelia (violin), swing version played by Dusty and his band
* "Neapolitan Nights" (J.S. Zamecnik) played on the accordion during the first restaurant scene
* "The Rose in Her Hair" (Harry Warren) played on the accordion during the second restaurant scene
Critical response
In his review for ''
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 ...
'', Bosley Crowther gave the film a positive review, calling it "a featherlight frolic, a rollicking roundelay of deliciously pointed nonsense".
Crowther praised Kurt Bernhardt for his directing the film "in a spirit of pure delight",
and Ivan Goff, Robert Buckner, and Earl Baldwin for their effervescent writing.
Crowther also praised the cast for their "gayly scampering performance",
noting:
Crowther concluded that the film was as "refreshing as a gin fizz on a hot day".
In the ''New Masses'' review, published on July 30, 1940, the reviewer wrote that the film takes the "comedy of mistaken intentions" genre and returns some of the "freshness and spontaneity" of the original idea.
The review continues:
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:My Love Came Back
1940 films
1940s musical comedy-drama films
1940s romantic comedy-drama films
American black-and-white films
American musical comedy-drama films
American remakes of foreign films
American romantic comedy-drama films
American romantic musical films
Remakes of Austrian films
Films about violins and violinists
Films directed by Curtis Bernhardt
Warner Bros. films
Films scored by Heinz Roemheld
1940s romantic musical films
1940 comedy films
1940 drama films
1940s English-language films
1940s American films