''I Love You Again'' is an MGM comedy released in 1940. It was directed by

W.S. Van Dyke Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke II (Woody) (March 21, 1889 – February 5, 1943) was an American film director and writer who made several successful early sound films, including ''Tarzan the Ape Man'' in 1932, ''The Thin Man'' in 1934, ''San Francis ...

and starred

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the '' Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters cr ...

and

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...

, all three of whom were prominently involved in the '' Thin Man'' film series.

Plot

In 1940, while on a cruise, stodgy, overly frugal businessman Larry Wilson is hit on the head with an oar while rescuing a drunk "Doc" Ryan from the water. He wakes up and remembers that he is actually a suave

con man A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have def ...

named George Carey. George's last memory is of going to place a large bet in 1931. When the ship docks at New York, he is met by Kay, whom he discovers is his wife. She however is in the process of divorcing him to marry Herbert. They go home to the small town of Habersville, Pennsylvania. George talks Doc (who is also a con artist) into masquerading as a physician treating him, partly out of curiosity, but mostly because of greed, after seeing the enormous balance in his checking account. That turns out to be a dead end (the money is only held in trust for the Community Chest), so he decides to swindle people using his

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...

's sterling reputation. He sends for his old crony Duke Sheldon, who plants oil on a lot George owns. A complication arises when he falls in love with Kay a second time. She however wants nothing further to do with her boring cheapskate of a husband. George attempts to win back Kay's affections, while also trying to sell his land to several greedy leading citizens of the town. George uses his other persona as a celebrated

woodsman Woodsman (also, woodsmen, pl.) is a competitive, co-ed intercollegiate sport in the United States, Canada and elsewhere based on various skills traditionally part of forestry educational and technical training programs. In North America, the s ...

to have his troop of Junior Rangers (many of them the sons of local businessmen) stumble upon the oil. This gets back to their fathers, who quickly offer to buy the land. In the end, wanting to remain with Kay who now loves him as George, he decides to abort the swindle, but Duke will not let him. They fight, and George is knocked out by a punch. When he comes to, he seems to be Larry once more. Duke leaves in disgust, but having hooked the biggest scammer of the citizens in a side deal. When Doc muses that one knock on the head reversed the effect of another, Kay, who knows all and wants George back, picks up a vase. Before she can bring it down on his head, "Larry" proves that he was only faking to get rid of Duke.

Cast

as Lawrence 'Larry' Wilson / George Carey *

as Katherine 'Kay' Wilson *

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A ...

as 'Doc' Ryan *

Edmund Lowe Edmund Dantes Lowe (March 3, 1890 – April 21, 1971) was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film. Biography Lowe was born in San Jose, California. His father was a local judge. His childhood home was a ...

as Duke Sheldon * Donald Douglas as Herbert *

Nella Walker Nella Walker (March 6, 1886 – March 22, 1971) was an American actress and vaudeville performer of the 1920s through the 1950s. Biography The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Walker, she was born and raised in Chicago. In 1910, she marrie ...

as Kay's mother *

Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer Carl Dean Switzer (August 7, 1927 – January 21, 1959) was an American singer, child actor, dog breeder, and guide. He was best known for his role as Alfalfa in the short subjects series ''Our Gang''. Switzer began his career as a child ac ...

as Leonard Harkspur Jr. *

Pierre Watkin Pierre Frank Watkin (December 29, 1887 – February 3, 1960) was an American character actor best known for playing distinguished authority figures throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood. He is best remembered for his roles of Mr. Skinner the ...

as W.H. Sims * Paul Stanton as Edward Littlejohn Sr. *

Morgan Wallace Morgan Wallace (born Maier Weill, July 26, 1881 – December 12, 1953) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1914 and 1946, including W.C. Fields' '' It's a Gift'' (1934) Introduction by Arthur Knight where he p ...

as Phil Belenson *

Charles Arnt Charles E. Arnt (August 20, 1906 – August 6, 1990) was an American film actor from 1933 to 1962. Arnt appeared as a character actor in more than 200 films. Arnt was born in Michigan City, Indiana, the son of a banker. He graduated from ...

as Mr. Billings

Reception

Reviews of the film were generally positive. ''

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 ...

'' critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

praised the film writing: "Mr. Powell and Miss Loy, no matter what their names, are one of our most versatile and frisky connubial comedy teams, and, given a script as daffy as the one here in evidence, they can make an hour and a half spin like a roulette wheel." W.S from ''Motion Picture Daily'' stated that the audience was in "continuous laughter and applause throughout the film" and claimed that “M-G-M has made the funniest motion picture this industry has seen in 10 years." Other critics agreed. Laura Lee, critic for the '' Philadelphia Bulletin'', wrote, "Too ridiculous for words, but ‘I Love You Again’ is extremely funny. You may feel silly for laughing but laugh you must." Gilbert Kanour of the ''Baltimore Evening Sun'' said, "William Powell and Myrna Loy have lost none of their skill in provoking laughter...a witty and inventive plot." According to ''Motion Picture Daily,'' the film did above average business at the box office during its first two weeks.

Radio adaptations

Lux Radio Theatre ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...

'' adapted the film twice, first in 1941 with Loy and

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...

, then in 1948 with Powell and

Ann Sothern Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920 ...

(Loy was supposed to reprise her film role in this adaptation, but had to drop out due to retakes on a film).

References

External links

* * * * {{Loy Powell Films 1940 films 1940 romantic comedy films 1940s screwball comedy films American romantic comedy films American screwball comedy films American black-and-white films Films scored by Franz Waxman Films about amnesia Films based on American novels Films directed by W. S. Van Dyke Films set in Pennsylvania Films set in 1940 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films with screenplays by Charles Lederer Films with screenplays by Harry Kurnitz 1940s English-language films 1940s American films Films about con artists