Love Me Tonight (1932)

Director:

Rouben Mamoulian

Writers:

Samuel Hoffenstein (screen play) &
George Marion Jr. (screen play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 October 1932 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Warm Love! Hilarious fun! Sweet music! Hot lyrics!

Plot:

A Parisian tailor finds himself posing as a baron in order to collect a sizeable bill from an aristocrat, only to fall in love with an aloof young princess.

Plot Keywords:

Tailor | Nymphomaniac | Soldier | Apache | Baker

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Maurice Chevalier	...	Maurice 'Baron' Courtelin
Jeanette MacDonald	...	Princess Jeanette (as Jeanette Mac Donald)
Charles Ruggles	...	Viscount Gilbert de Varèze (as Charlie Ruggles)
Charles Butterworth	...	Count de Savignac
Myrna Loy	...	Countess Valentine
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Duke d'Artelines
Elizabeth Patterson	...	First Aunt
Ethel Griffies	...	Second Aunt
Blanche Friderici	...	Third Aunt (as Blanche Frederici)
Joseph Cawthorn	...	Dr. Armand de Fontinac (as Joseph Cawthorne)
Robert Greig	...	Major Domo Flammand
Bert Roach	...	Emile
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tyler Brooke	...	Composer (uncredited)
Marion Byron	...	Bakery Girl (uncredited)
Cecil Cunningham	...	Laundress (uncredited)
Carrie Daumery	...	Dowager (uncredited)
George Davis	...	Pierre Dupont (uncredited)
Mary Doran	...	Madame Dupont (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Bridge Player (uncredited)
George 'Gabby' Hayes	...	Grocer (uncredited)
Mel Kalish	...	Chef (uncredited)
Tony Merlo	...	Hatmaker (uncredited)
Herbert Mundin	...	Groom (uncredited)
Edgar Norton	...	Valet (uncredited)
Rita Owin	...	Chambermaid (uncredited)
Rolfe Sedan	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
William H. Turner	...	Bootmaker (uncredited)
Ethel Wales	...	Madame Dutoit - Dressmaker (uncredited)
Gordon Westcott	...	Credit Manager of the Association of Retail Merchants (uncredited)
Clarence Wilson	...	Shirtmaker (uncredited)
Florence Wix	...	Party Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Rouben Mamoulian

Writing credits
Samuel Hoffenstein		(screen play) &
George Marion Jr.		(screen play) and
Waldemar Young		(screen play)
Léopold Marchand		(based on a play by) (as Leopold Marchand) and
Paul Armont		(based on a play by)

Produced by
Rouben Mamoulian	....	producer

Original Music by
John Leipold		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Victor Milner		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Rouben Mamoulian		(uncredited)
William Shea		(uncredited)

Casting by
Fred A. Datig		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Hans Dreier		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
A.E. Freudeman		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Travis Banton		(uncredited)
Edith Head		(uncredited)

Sound Department
M.M. Paggi	....	sound (uncredited)

Stunts
Audrey Scott	....	riding double: Jeanette MacDonald (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Buddy Longworth	....	still photographer (uncredited)
William C. Mellor	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Guy Roe	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Editorial Department
William Shea	....	negative cutter (uncredited)

Music Department
Lorenz Hart	....	music and lyrics by
Richard Rodgers	....	music and lyrics by
Nat W. Finston	....	musical director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents: A Rouben Mamoulian Production) (as Paramount)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1932) (USA) (theatrical) (as A Paramount Picture)
• Paramount Pictures (1950) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MCA/Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (TV)
• Kino Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Pay Television (????) (USA) (TV) (An MCA Company)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

104 min | 96 min (re-release) | USA:88 min (Turner Library Print) | USA:89 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:U | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Among the deletions in the film's 1949 reissue was Myrna Loy's portion of the "Mimi" reprise. In the Production Code era, Miss Loy's negligee was deemed too revealing.

Goofs:

Continuity: Just before the "Isn't It Romantic?" number begins in the tailor shop, Maurice reacts with pleasure as his customer Emile steps out of the dressing room, supposedly wearing his new suit. But in the mirror's reflection we can see that actor Roach is still wearing his long-johns from earlier in the scene. In the next shot, he is suddenly wearing the suit.

Quotes:

Princess Jeanette:What are you doing now?
Maurice Courtelin:I'm thinking. I'm thinking of you without these clothes.
Princess Jeanette:Open your eyes at once!
Maurice Courtelin:Oh no, pardon madam. With different clothes. Smart clothes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in George Stevens: The Filmmakers Who Knew Him (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

That's the Song of Paree

Superb-brilliant-a masterpiece.

This has eluded me for forty years. Yet all I ever heard about it were unqualified raves. Now I have finally found a copy and they are all right, folks - it is a masterpiece - way ahead of its time - one of the freshest, brightest, breeziest musicals ever made and technically state of the art for the forties, not 1932 when it was made. Brilliant, imaginative direction, superlative cinematography, elaborate art direction, full sound capturing the spectrum, a brilliant score by Rodgers and Hart boasting three standards (Isn't It Romantic?; Mimi; Lover)plus six others (Soul of Paree/How Are You?; The Examination; I'm An Apache; Love Me Tonight; Son of a Gun Is A Tailor). About the only quibble one could make is that the highly delightful opening, the rhythmic sounds of a city coming to life, is a direct steal from PORGY AND BESS which premiered a decade before the film. Go out of your way to see this one. Not a single Oscar nom but it deserved six of them: Direction; Cinematography; Art Direction; Score; Sound; Song.