I Love You Again (1940)

Boring businessman Larry Wilson recovers from amnesia and discovers he's really a con man...and loves his soon-to-be-ex wife.

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke (as W.S. Van Dyke II)

Writers:

Leon Gordon (original story), Maurine Dallas Watkins (original story) (as Maurine Watkins)

Stars:

William Powell, Myrna Loy, Frank McHugh

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Powell	...	Larry Wilson aka George Carey
Myrna Loy	...	Kay Wilson
Frank McHugh	...	'Doc' Ryan
Edmund Lowe	...	Duke Sheldon
Donald Douglas	...	Herbert
Nella Walker	...	Kay's Mother
Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer	...	Harkspur Jr.
Pierre Watkin	...	Mr. Sims
Paul Stanton	...	Mr. Littlejohn Sr.
Morgan Wallace	...	Mr. Belenson
Charles Arnt	...	Billings

Storyline

While alone on a cruise, the upstanding - and mean - teetotaler, Larry Wilson, receives a blow on the head, causing him to revert to his old, forgotten persona of man-about-town and swindler, George Carey. Deciding to get what he can out of his position as Wilson, he returns to Wilson's hometown to continue the pretense. The only trouble is he takes a serious shine to his wife, Kay, and doesn't at all agree that Larry should be letting her go.

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Plot Keywords:

crying woman | screwball comedy | looking at oneself in a mirror | male police officer | hometown | 

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Taglines:

It's one, long, loud l-a-u-g-h!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

When "Larry" is brought home after supposedly fainting and is lying on the bed, Doc Ryan shoos everybody out and says "All right, little Eva, you can ease up on the dying now". "Little Eva" was a character from the famous novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin"; in the play version she has a long dying scene.

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Goofs

When Larry hits Duke, the cigar in Duke's mouth disappears.

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Quotes

Duke Sheldon: Shut your trap, madam.

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Connections

References Northwest Passage (1940)

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Soundtracks

Auld Lang Syne
(1788) (uncredited)
Traditional Scottish music
Played by the band greeting Wilson at the station

User Reviews

sophisticated comedy/romance with a SILLY plot device

I wonder if this might be the great granddaddy of all amnesia films. If it's not, it's sure one of the first and has inspired countless sitcom episodes. William Powell is bonked on the head and suddenly he's a completely different person--one who apparently disappeared nine years earlier. Who he was during the last nine years is uncertain, but what IS certain is that the new personality is a crook. When this shady guy figures out that during the last nine years he's become a pillar of the community and has access to gobs of other peoples' money, he wants to steal everything he can and run. The problem is, he discovers he has a wife (Loy) and can't bring himself to leave--even when he finds out she hates him. Well, much of the movie is spent trying to win her back, though he still wonders whether or not to rob his "friends". What he does and how the entire mess is resolved is brilliant and a lot of fun. This isn't wacky fun like his other film, LOVE CRAZY, but is a little more sophisticated and deliberately paced. A wonderful old film with excellent acting, writing (aside from the dumb plot device) and direction. One of Powell's and Loy's best.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 August 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Love You Again

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1