''She Loves Me Not'' is a 1934 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Elliott Nugent Elliott Nugent (September 20, 1896 – August 9, 1980) was an American actor, playwright, writer, and film director. Life and career Nugent was born in Dover, Ohio, the son of actor J.C. Nugent. He attended Ohio State University. He successf ...

and starring

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

and Miriam Hopkins. Based on the novel ''She Loves Me Not'' by Edward Hope and the subsequent play by Howard Lindsay, the film is about a cabaret dancer who witnesses a murder and is forced to hide from gangsters by disguising herself as a male Princeton student. Distributed by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

, the film has been remade twice as '' True to the Army'' (1942) and as '' How to Be Very, Very Popular'' in (1955), the latter starring

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million, and for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she p ...

. The film is notable as one of Crosby's earliest starring vehicles. It was also the last film that Miriam Hopkins made under her contract to

. In 1935, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Love in Bloom", the theme song of comedian

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

Cast

as Paul Lawton * Miriam Hopkins as Curly Flagg * Kitty Carlisle as Midge Mercer * Edward J. Nugent as Buzz Jones *

Henry Stephenson Harry Stephenson Garraway (16 April 1871 – 24 April 1956) was a British actor. He generally portrayed amiable and wise Gentleman, gentlemen in many films of the 1930s and 1940s. Among his roles were Joseph Banks, Sir Joseph Banks in ''Mutiny ...

as Dean Mercer * Maude Turner Gordon as Mrs. Arbuthnot * Warren Hymer as Mugg Schnitzel * Lynne Overman as Gus McNeal *

Judith Allen Judith Allen (born Marie Elliott, February 8, 1911 – October 5, 1996) was an American actress. Early years Allen was born Marie Elliot in New York City, and she grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts. She attended Leland Powers School in Bos ...

as Frances Arbuthnot * George Barbier as J. Thorval Jones *

Henry Kolker Joseph Henry Kolker (November 13, 1874 – July 15, 1947) was an American stage and film actor and film director, director. Early years Kolker was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1874. (Some sources say 1870.) He came to America at age five and w ...

as Charles M. Lawton *

Vince Barnett Vince Barnett (July 4, 1902 – August 10, 1977) was an American film actor. He appeared on stage originally before appearing in more than 230 films between 1930 and 1975. Early years Barnett was born July 4, 1902, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylva ...

as Baldy O'Hara * Margaret Armstrong as Martha *

Ralf Harolde Ralf Harolde (born Ralph Harold Wigger, May 17, 1899 – November 11, 1974) was an American character actor who often played gangsters. Between 1920 and 1963, he appeared in 99 films, including ''Smart Money (1931 film), Smart Money'' with ...

as J. B. *

Matt McHugh Matthew O. McHugh (January 22, 1894 – February 22, 1971 ) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 200 films between 1931 and 1955, primarily in small parts. Career McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents ran a stock t ...

as Andy * Franklyn Cordell as Arkle

Production

Ida Lupino Ida Lupino (4 February 1918Recorded in ''Births Mar 1918'' Camberwell Vol. 1d, p. 1019 (Free BMD). Transcribed as "Lupine" in the official births index – 3 August 1995) was a British actress, director, writer, and producer. Throughout her 48-y ...

and Charles Ruggles were reported to have joined the cast in early 1934, but neither appeared in the film. Before filming commenced, Paramount announced plans to retitle the film ''College Rhythm'' but preserved the original title because of the notoriety of the novel and stage production. An unrelated film titled '' College Rhythm'' was also released by Paramount in 1934.

Reception

The film was one of Paramount's biggest hits of the year. In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', critic

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.Charley's Aunt,' but in the present production, instead of having a varsity student in skirts, they dress up a cabaret girl in male attire after she has invaded a dormitory room." A review in ''

The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, th ...

'' found the film to be "a gaily diverting bit of humorous fantasy" and "clean and unceasingly funny."

Songs

* " Love in Bloom" (

Leo Robin Leo Robin (April 6, 1895 – December 29, 1984) was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song " Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope and Shi ...

and

Ralph Rainger Ralph Rainger ( Reichenthal; October 7, 1901 – October 23, 1942) was an American composer of popular music principally for films. Biography Born Ralph Reichenthal in New York City, United States, Rainger initially embarked on a legal career, ...

) – sung by Bing Crosby and Kitty Carlisle * "After All You're All I'm After" (

Edward Heyman Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an American lyricist and producer, best known for his lyrics to " Body and Soul", " When I Fall in Love", and " For Sentimental Reasons". He also contributed to a number of songs for films. Bi ...

and

Arthur Schwartz Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz. Biography Early life Schwartz was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New ...

) (written for the film but not used) * "Straight from the Shoulder" (

Mack Gordon Mack Gordon (born Morris Gittler; June 21, 1904 – February 28, 1959) was an American lyricist for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times in 11 years, including five consecutive years between 1940 and 1 ...

and Harry Revel) – sung by Bing Crosby and Kitty Carlisle * "I'm Hummin', I'm Whistlin', I'm Singin'" (Mack Gordon and Harry Revel) – sung by Bing Crosby * "Put a Little Rhythm in Everything You Do" (Mack Gordon and Harry Revel) – sung by Miriam Hopkins Crosby recorded some of the songs for

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History 1916–1929 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing ...

. "Love in Bloom" topped the music chart for six weeks.

References

External links

* {{Elliott Nugent 1934 comedy films 1934 films American black-and-white films Cross-dressing in American films Films based on American novels Films directed by Elliott Nugent Films set in universities and colleges Paramount Pictures films American comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language comedy films