There Goes My Heart (1938)

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

Ed Sullivan (original story)
Eddie Moran (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 October 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot Keywords:

Grandfather | Minister | Wristwatch | Police | Sea Captain

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Fredric March	...	Bill' Spencer
Virginia Bruce	...	Joan Butterfield
Patsy Kelly	...	Peggy O'Brien
Alan Mowbray	...	Pennypepper E. Pennypepper
Nancy Carroll	...	Dorothy Moore
Eugene Pallette	...	Mr. Stevens - Editor
Claude Gillingwater	...	Cyrus W. Butterfield
Arthur Lake	...	Flash Fisher
Etienne Girardot	...	Hinkley - Cyrus' Secretary
Robert Armstrong	...	Detective O'Brien
Irving Bacon	...	Mr. Dobbs
Irving Pichel	...	Mr. Gorman
Syd Saylor	...	Robinson (as Sid Saylor)
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Police Officer

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #4536) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:S

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Trivia:

According to a New York Times article on 16 October 1938, the Citizen's Chiropractic Committee of New York State sued the film producers, authors and Alan Mowbray for $100,000 claiming damages to the profession. One doctor was very upset that the film implied it was possible to go through a chiropractic school through a correspondence course. The outcome of the suit is not known.

Quotes:

Bill' Spencer: All stories start the same way. B, boy. G, girl.

Soundtrack:

A Life on the Ocean Wave

Recycled Runaway Heiress

Though the gimmick of the runaway heiress was beginning to wear thin by 1938, There Goes My Heart still is entertaining enough with a sparkling cast going through it's usual paces.

Virginia Bruce is our heiress in this one and reprising his role of hard hitting reporter from Nothing Sacred is Fredric March. Two leads of this magnitude is not usual for the Hal Roach studio which normally was doing two and three reel comedies. But even though this is recycled material it still is served up rather nicely. Best scene for March and Bruce is at the skating rink playing musical chairs on roller skates. March is good, but this was the kind of material Cary Grant would have relished.

Hal Roach did give his director Norman McLeod a fabulous supporting cast to work with all going through their various screen images that we love. Best in the group is Patsy Kelly playing the shop-girl who happens to work in Bruce's grandfather's department store and who takes in Bruce not knowing who she is and gets her job at the store. Nancy Carroll the former silent screen star is a jealous co-worker and Irving Bacon is the sexually harassing supervisor.

Others in this incredibly good cast are Claude Gillingwater as Bruce's tycoon grandfather, Eugene Palette as March's editor, Arthur Lake as March's friend and newspaper photographer and Alan Mowbray as Kelly's boyfriend studying to be a chiropractor. Yes, Alan Mowbray and Patsy Kelly as a couple. Until i saw this film I never would have believed them as a screen team. Patsy's best moments are demonstrating an exercise machine at the store. You should also see newly hired sales person Virginia Bruce waiting on Marjorie Main.

At the very end of the film, former silent screen comic star Harry Langdon plays a minister. At this point in his career, Langdon was accepting any kind of work and part he could get. Nothing especially hilarious about his performance, it's too brief and he's surrounded by too many other high caliber performers in this cast to shine in any way.

It's not one of Fredric March's best films, but it's still amusing enough and the ensemble can't be beat.