It Started with Eve (1941)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Henry Koster

Writers:

Hanns Kräly (story)
Norman Krasna (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 September 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Plot:

A young man asks a hat check girl to pose as his fiancée in order to make his dying father's last moments happy...

Plot Keywords:

Father | Son | Scam | Father Son Relationship | Playboy

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Deanna Durbin	...	Anne Terry
Charles Laughton	...	Jonathan Reynolds
Robert Cummings	...	Jonathan 'Johnny' Reynolds Jr.
Guy Kibbee	...	Bishop Maxwell
Margaret Tallichet	...	Gloria Pennington
Catherine Doucet	...	Mrs. Pennington
Walter Catlett	...	Doctor Harvey
Charles Coleman	...	Roberts
Leonard Elliott	...	Rev. Henry Stebbins
Irving Bacon	...	Raven (I)
Gus Schilling	...	Raven (II)
Wade Boteler	...	Harry, Newspaper Editor
Dorothea Kent	...	Jackie Donovan
Clara Blandick	...	Nurse

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Germany:16 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Of Deanna Durbin's 21 features released between 1936 and 1948, only this film opened at Manhattan's famed Radio City Music Hall, starting October 2, 1941.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Newspaper Editor: Ain't it pretty!
[shows staff the newspaper's front page mock-up with screamer headline "JONATHAN REYNOLDS DEAD"]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Opera Ghost: A Phantom Unmasked (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Lord's Prayer

Funny, Engaging Comedy With Deanna Durbin, Charles Laughton, & More

With Deanna Durbin's charm, Charles Laughton's energy, a decent supporting cast, and a worthwhile story, "It Started With Eve" is a funny and engaging comedy. It may seem like a weird idea to pair such dissimilar talents as Durbin and Laughton, but it does work. As Laughton's son, Robert Cummings gets mostly straight lines, but he performs his role well, and Walter Catlett also has some good moments as a rather high-strung doctor.

The story starts out a little slowly, but once it gets rolling it is interesting. It also has some thoughtful moments, as the characters try to figure out how to deal with all the dilemmas that start when Cummings's character has to improvise a way of comforting his seriously ill father. The actual plot developments are insubstantial in themselves, but are generally used to good effect. It could have been played as an all-out screwball comedy, but here the more balanced approach seems to work at least as well.

The movie builds up steam as things develop, and saves some of the best moments for the climactic sequence. It's a successful combination that makes for enjoyable viewing.