It's Love Again (1936)

Elaine Bradford is a young singer and dancer, looking for her big break. Peter Carlton is a gossip columnist facing a deadline and a blank page. So, Peter invents "Mrs. Smythe-Smythe", a ... See full summary »

Director:

Victor Saville

Writers:

Marion Dix (screenplay), Marion Dix (story),

Stars:

Jessie Matthews, Robert Young, Sonnie Hale

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jessie Matthews	...	Elaine Bradford aka Mrs. Smythe-Smythe
Robert Young	...	Peter Carlton
Sonnie Hale	...	Freddie Rathbone
Ernest Milton	...	Raymond
Robb Wilton	...	Boys - Butler
Sara Allgood	...	Mrs. Hopkins
Cyril Wells	...	Gigolo
Warren Jenkins	...	Woolf
David Horne	...	Durland
Athene Seyler	...	Mrs. Durland
Glennis Lorimer	...	Montague's typist
Robert Hale	...	Col. Edgerton
Cyril Raymond	...	Montague

Storyline

Elaine Bradford is a young singer and dancer, looking for her big break. Peter Carlton is a gossip columnist facing a deadline and a blank page. So, Peter invents "Mrs. Smythe-Smythe", a mysterious Englishwoman who spends her days hunting tigers in India, jumping out of airplanes, and generally driving men mad with her beauty. Since no one in London has ever seen Mrs. Smythe-Smythe, Elaine decides to impersonate the lady, in hopes that the publicity will land her the big break she's been looking for.

---

Plot Keywords:

gossip columnist | imaginary person | impersonation | theater

---

Genres:

Comedy | Musical

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 May 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ainda o Amor

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont British Picture Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gaumont British, capitalising on the success of Evergreen, issued double-sided lobby cards advertising further Jessie Matthews vehicles - First a Girl and "Modern Masquerade" - on the same card, with the latter eventually released as It's Love Again.

---

Connections

Edited into Heroes of Comedy: Terry-Thomas (1995)

---

Soundtracks

"It's Love Again"
Written by Sam Coslow
Performed by Jessie Matthews

User Reviews

Another Jessie Matthews Impersonation

Once again, Jessie Matthews's character is conducting an impersonation, this time of a fictional high-society adventurer, whose identity Matthews assumes in a scheme to get on the stage. The fictional woman is created by a society-column newspaperman, portrayed by American actor, Robert Young, who needs a notorious subject for his column in order to keep his job.

The plot develops as Young's character learns of the charade and conspires with Matthews's character to conduct exotic exploits for this fictional society personality, so that Matthews can get attention, and Young can keep his job as society editor.

The music of this film has the typical 1930s melodies and lyrics. None of the songs seem to have survived beyond their use in the film, although they are pleasant enough. Keeping in mind that Matthews was reportedly a popular and prolific recording artist in England, as much admired for her singing as for her dancing, she performs these songs with charm and personality.

Matthews performs a wide variety of dancing styles here. One comic bit stands out when Matthews's character is coerced into performing an Indian temple dance that she supposedly knows. Hesitatingly, she begins to fake it, but it soon turns into a swing music tap dance when the swing band jazzes up the music of the Indian folk musicians.

There is a nice, lavish production number toward the ending, in which Matthews wears the sequined body stocking, including high heel shoes. You might have seen a picture of her in this costume in books about movie musicals.

I have recently seen all six of the musical films starring Jessie Matthews. If you can only see one Jessie Matthews film, I would recommend this one, because her dancing ability really stands out here. She was appropriately nicknamed "The Dancing Divinity." This film can be obtained on VHS.