Love on the Run (1936)

A runaway bride and an undercover reporter get caught up in political intrigue as they lead a merry chase across Europe and uncover a spy plot.

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke

Writers:

John Lee Mahin (screen play), Manuel Seff (screen play)

Stars:

Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joan Crawford	...	Sally Parker
Clark Gable	...	Michael Anthony
Franchot Tone	...	Barnabus Pells
Reginald Owen	...	Baron
Mona Barrie	...	Baroness
Ivan Lebedeff	...	Igor
Charles Judels	...	Lieutenant of Police
William Demarest	...	Editor
Donald Meek	...	Caretaker

Storyline

In the company of reporter Michael Anthony, American heiress Sally Parker flees her planned wedding to Prince Igor; Sally is unaware of Mike's detestable occupation. The two steal an airplane that is part of a spy plot and discover secret plans. They are pursued by the spies as well as by Mike's pal Barnabas, who wants a piece of the hot news story.

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Plot Keywords:

love triangle | male male relationship | homosexual subtext | spies and secret agents | screwball comedy | 

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Taglines:

Joan Crawford - On the run! Clark Gable - Running after her! Franchot Tone - Running after both of them!

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Lockheed Electra seen in this film is the same one that was flown by Amelia Earhart on her ill-fated around-the-world flight attempt the following year.

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Goofs

When Crawford is "disguised as a boy" she is wearing full female make-up, including the wide "Crawford mouth" lipstick she made popular. No one would believe this was a boy.

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Quotes

Sally Parker: Who do you think you're talking to?
Michael 'Mike' Anthony: I'm talking to a fairly attractive dame with too much dough for her own good.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are shown over images of trains and autos.

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Connections

References Cardinal Richelieu (1935)

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Soundtracks

Gone
(1936)
Music by Franz Waxman
Lyrics by Gus Kahn
Sung by an uncredited singer in a nightclub in Nice, France
Played throughout as part of the score

User Reviews

Spies And Weddings

Love On The Run is yet another example of Louis B. Mayer trying to cash in on the success that eluded him when he 'punished' Clark Gable by sending him to Columbia Pictures for a minor comedy that turned out to be It Happened One Night. For the rest of the decade Hollywood saturated the American public with madcap heiress stories.

When you've got one of the leading players under contract to you however it's a bit easier. Gable is given a rival reporter to contend with in Love On The Run in the person of Joan Crawford's real life husband, Franchot Tone. These two room together, but are ready to do everything short of cutting each other's throats to scoop the other.

Two stories that they are both assigned to cover, heiress Joan Crawford's wedding to a prince, Ivan Lebedeff, and a trans-European flight by Baron Reginald Owen get mixed up together as Crawford gets cold feet and Owen turns out to be an international spy.

Gable and Crawford have done it all before, especially Gable. But I kind of feel sorry for Franchot Tone. If he wasn't in a dinner jacket in his MGM parts he was in a film like this, essentially playing the Ralph Bellamy role. It's a very one sided rivalry Gable and Tone have. It's like the Yankees and Red Sox of the last century with the Yankees constantly coming out on top. No wonder Tone left MGM to try for better acting roles. At MGM he showed what he could do in films like Mutiny on the Bounty and Three Comrades, but even these were in support of bigger stars.

There's some nice performances in the cast from Mona Barrie as Owen's wife, Donald Meek as a most eccentric caretaker and William Demarest as Gable's editor. But no new ground was broken here.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Love on the Run

Filming Locations:

Van Nuys Airport, 16461 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$578,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1