Love Me or Leave Me (1955)

A fictionalized account of the career of jazz singer Ruth Etting and her tempestuous marriage to gangster Marty Snyder, who helped propel her to stardom.

Director:

Charles Vidor

Writers:

Daniel Fuchs (screenplay), Isobel Lennart (screenplay),

Stars:

Doris Day, James Cagney, Cameron Mitchell

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Doris Day	...	Ruth Etting
James Cagney	...	Martin Snyder
Cameron Mitchell	...	Johnny Alderman
Robert Keith	...	Bernard V. Loomis
Tom Tully	...	Frobisher
Harry Bellaver	...	Georgie
Richard Gaines	...	Paul Hunter
Peter Leeds	...	Fred Taylor
Claude Stroud	...	Eddie Fulton
Audrey Young	...	Jingle Girl
John Harding	...	Greg Trent

Storyline

In 1920's Chicago, Ruth Etting wants to be a renowned singer, which is a far step away from her current work as a taxi dancer. Upon walking into the dance hall and seeing her, Chicago gangster Marty Snyder immediately falls for Ruth, and works toward being her lover, which he believes he can achieve by opening up singing opportunities for her. Ruth is initially wary of Marty, but makes it clear that she is not interested in him in a romantic sense. Regardless, he does help her professionally, and through his opportunities, which are achieved through intimidation and fear, Ruth does quickly start to gain a name as a singer, which she is able to do because of her talent and despite Marty's intimidation tactics. However, the greater her success, the more reliant she becomes on him. This becomes an issue in their relationship as she believes he can take her only so far before he becomes a liability, however he will never let her go that easily. The one person who tried and tries to get ...

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Plot Keywords:

singer | gangster | singing | dancer | 1920s | 

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Taglines:

...The dramatic musical love story of Ruth Etting!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ama-me ou Esquece-me

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm optical prints) 4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System) (35 mm magnetic prints)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After this film was released, Doris Day was deluged with mail from fans attacking her, a Christian Scientist, for playing a lewd woman who smoked, drank, and wore scant costumes in the nightclub scenes. Day cared about everyone who was disturbed by her characterization, and she answered every piece of mail, explaining the necessity for realism, and that it was essential to separate actress Doris Day from character Ruth Etting. She felt that as a performer, she had the same responsibility to the public that a politician has to the electorate.

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Goofs

During one scene late in the film where Cagney is speaking, the audio/visuals are off by more than a second.

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Quotes

Martin Snyder: [Indignantly to Ruth] Now look here, you stupid liyyle broad, do you know who I am? Do you think I let dames talk to me that way?

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Connections

Referenced in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show: A Visit from Charles Vidor (1958)

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Soundtracks

"Stay On the Right Side, Sister"
(uncredited)
Music by Rube Bloom
Lyrics by Ted Koehler
Sung by Doris Day

User Reviews

James Cagney gave a brilliant performance: gritty and tough with nuances of pathos

I am NOT a fan of Doris Day - there is just something about her that annoys me. But in this movie she acted very different from the usual Doris Day movie. And the way she sang those ballads breaks your heart. But the acting job that truly amazes - and has through the years made me a fan - is that of James Cagney. One wonders if he had a parent that was abusive or an Uncle or someone he had intimately observed. Because from somewhere that man understood something about an abusive relationship and put it in his performance. It was positively beyond extraordinary. He deserved an Academy Nomination at the very least. While he was cruel, vile, despicable, certainly repulsive and yet you felt at the same time he was pitiful, sad, pathetic. It was an extremely complex performance. When I saw "Love Me Or Leave Me" as a teenager I didn't appreciate the subtlety of his acting. It wasn't until I saw it many, many years later and had gone through a lot of living that I comprehended the true magnitude of his performance.