Maybe It's Love (1935)

Fresh and Exciting

As Good As It Gets

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

MAYBE IT'S LOVE, a 1935 programmer, was taken from Maxwell Anderson's early success SATURDAY'S CHILDREN which starred Ruth Gordon and (late in the run) Humphrey Bogart at the Booth and Forrest Theatres for 326 performances from 26Jan1927 to April1928. The resemblance of the film's "Rims," Ross Alexander, to the very young Bogart is a delightful plus to a film possibly best remembered today as a vehicle for the young Gloria Stuart - of TITANIC fame late in life as Alexander's love interest.Given the play's success - establishing Maxwell Anderson's reputation on Broadway - it is remarkable that it took this many years into the sound era for Warner Brothers to get around to using it as grist for their mill (changing the title and the character names along the way as if to disguise the origins). For a plot (up and coming boy and boss's handsome son wrangle over the affections of boss's secretary set against the background of the secretary's parents and meddling sister) which remains mild even after the ministrations of the usual crew of three Hollywood screenwriters, there are a bountiful hour (and three minute)'s charm, banter and surprises.Don't expect a 21st Century comedy, but as a fairly honest portrait of a bygone era when Saturday wasn't a day off but a standard half day, with classic performances from the Warner Brothers' stock company (comedians like Frank McHugh and Henry Travers) and the ghost of a pre-Hollywood Bogart performance, MAYBE IT'S LOVE is hard to beat.

"Titanic" actress Gloria Stuart is one of the stars of "Maybe It's Love," a 1935 comedy from Warners based on the Maxwell Anderson play "Saturday's Children" and remade in 1940. Stuart was then 25 years old; big fame would elude her until 62 years later.Here, she's a secretary, Bobby, in love with Rims (Ross Alexander) who doesn't declare himself. To move things along, she pretends to be interested in another man, Adolph Jr. (Phillip Reed) to make him jealous.Bobby and Rims marry, but find the going difficult. Bobby's big family (Frank McHugh, Ruth Donnelly, Helen Lowell, and Henry Travers) always seems to be around, and they're having trouble making ends meet. The two separate.This movie has a lot of warmth and charm, but it's not exactly original. The pretty Stuart was a fresh, amiable actress. Phillip Reed at some angles looks like Tyrone Power - the hair, the hairline, the eyebrows, even the clothes, though he wasn't anywhere near as handsome. Ross Alexander, in the role played on Broadway by Humphrey Bogart, is cute with a real character face. Such a short, sad life, it was almost hard to watch him. Frank McHugh and the rest of the cast were delightful.The movie is short and was probably cut, due to what looks like an editing problem - the couple goes from being in love to breaking up -- it really seems like something was left out.See it for the cast.

Maybe It's Love (1935) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Predictable but amusing romantic comedy from Warner has Gloria Stuart (The Invisible Man) playing a secretary who is waiting for the man she loves (Ross Alexander) to marry her but she must use another man to make him jealous. After they're finally married, both realize that the married life is harder than they thought. The story here certainly isn't anything new but the glowing charm of Stuart really makes this film a lot better than the script deserved. There's also some great character actors who add wonderful support and they include Cagney's buddy Frank McHugh as the brother-in-law, Henry Travers as the father and Ruth Donnelly as the sister. All three add some nice laughs to the film with McHugh stealing the film as the dimwitted sap. There are a couple problems with the film and one of them is Alexander who just isn't charming enough for the role. Another problem is that the film runs 63-minutes, which is too short because it leads to a major plot gap towards the end of the film. One scene the couple is happily married and then out of no where they are fighting and breaking up. This film certainly isn't a classic but if you're a fan of any of the actors then it's worth viewing once.

Maxwell Anderson's very popular 1927 play, with 3 television productions as well as the three movies versions, has some very funny moments. The top-notch cast has Gloria Stuart, of Titanic (1996) fame, and Ross Alexander as the romantic leads in a seesaw romance. The highlight of the movie is the way Stuart gets Alexander to marry her, as coached by big sister Ruth Donnelly, who supplies cues in shorthand, and accurately predicts Alexander's responses to Stuart's actions and statements. I couldn't stop laughing at the entire sequence, even though I had seen the remake, Saturday's Children (1940). Unfortunately, the second half of the movie doesn't sustain the comedy of the first half, and degenerates into more of a drama about the difficulties in marriage. Still, the movie is a winner.