It's Love I'm After (1937)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Archie Mayo

Writers:

Maurice Hanline (story) and
Casey Robinson (writer)

Release Date:

20 November 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Listen, You...it's LOVE I'm after! - ...and it's love you're going to get -- in the neck!

Plot:

Basil Underwood and Joyce Arden have postponed their marriage eleven times. Henry Grant's fiancée Marcia is infatuated with Basil...

Plot Keywords:

Affair | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Leslie Howard	...	Basil Underwood
Bette Davis	...	Joyce Arden
Olivia de Havilland	...	Marcia West
Eric Blore	...	Digges, Basil's Valet
Patric Knowles	...	Henry Grant, Jr.
George Barbier	...	William West
Spring Byington	...	Aunt Ella Paisley
Bonita Granville	...	Gracie Kane
Georgia Caine	...	Mrs. Kane (as Georgia Craine)
Veda Ann Borg	...	Elsie, a Maid
E.E. Clive	...	First Butler
Valerie Bergere	...	Madeleine, Joyce's Maid
Sarah Edwards	...	Mrs. Hinkle
Thomas Pogue	...	Mr. Hinkle
Grace Field	...	Mrs. Babson (as Grace Fields)

Also Known As:

Gentlemen After Midnight (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Vitaphone

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (certificate #3297)

Company:

First National Pictures

Quotes:

Basil Underwood: Have you seen a mad woman 'round here?
Butler: Which one sir?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in All About Bette (1994) (TV)

I laughed so hard, I cried

I bought this film on video cassette online, not knowing what to expect, but since I liked all the stars involved - Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland - I figured I would probably enjoy the film. Enjoy is not the word, I relished it. It was like eating a dark chocolate ice cream cone with chocolate syrup and cherry and whipped cream piled on top. And nutty! Oh, so nutty! What a delight! Other reviewers here have mentioned the plot about a couple of bickering thespians, so I won't repeat it here in detail. I'll just mention my favorite scenes: ALL of them! :)

It's Love I'm After is Leslie's funniest film. He is hilarious, his comedic timing perfect. I burst out laughing whenever he started going on his Shakespeare routines, like picking up the burnt fish at dinner and reciting lines from Taming of the Shrew. I loved the way he and Bette Davis punched each other around, I can just imagine what fun they had playing this couple! And Olivia de Havilland looked so beautiful and sexy, she had great clothes in this film, and her part was all sweetness and light. The one who really steals the picture though is Eric Blore, who almost always plays butlers or waiters in films. The scene where Bette comes upon Leslie and Olivia kissing in the garden and sees Eric desperately doing turkey imitations to warn him of her arrival had me in conniption fits of laughter! Please see this film, you'll love it. 9 out of 10.