When You're in Love

Australian opera singer Louise Fuller (Moore) is stranded in Mexico.  She was expelled from the U.S. on an expired visa and is desperate to get back for an upcoming concert.  She meets Jimmy Hudson (Grant), an American artist who can't pay his bills.  Her assistant, Marianne Woods (MacMahon) and his lawyer convince them that the best way to solve their problems is to get married.

They reluctantly agree to team up to get married, with provisions to go their own ways and get a divorce in 6 months.  The marriage allows Louise to return to the U.S. to sing at her Uncle Walter's (Stephenson) big concert.  The marriage gives Jimmy the money to pay off his debts.  They agree to go their separate ways and get divorced in 6 months, but Jimmy is unwilling to walk away.  Will they decide to stay together or make a clean break?


This was screenwriter Robert Riskin's first (and only) film credit as the director.  Riskin regularly worked with director Frank Capra, and this film feels like many of the other films he wrote for Capra.

The Good:
Grace Moore was an opera singer and actress and receives star billing in this film.  She has a beautiful voice and performs several songs.  Cary Grant was not a big star at the time, and this film didn't change that.  But he is charming, as always and has good chemistry with Moore.  The film also features a solid cast of side characters, led by Aline MacMahon as Louise's assistant Marianne.

The Bad:
The film has pacing issues... the story works, but it has problems getting to the point.  It was smart to give Moore different types of songs for this film, but several slow the story or completely derail it.

Other Comments:
-This is not a well-know film, but it interesting to see Grant earlier in his career.
-The "Minnie the Moocher" sequence is interesting (pictured above).  The cast looks like they are having fun, but Moore's version of the Cab Calloway classic, is not my favorite version of the song.  It is ok (and the sequence is funny), but not great.
-I enjoyed the film, and it is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, but I'm not sure I would watch the whole film again.  Yes, it had good moments, but it not great.

When You're in Love (1937) 104 minutes
Director: Robert Riskin & Harry Lachman
Starring: Grace Moore as Louise Fuller
Cary Grant as Jimmy Hudson
Aline MacMahon as Marianne Woods
Henry Stephenson as Walter Mitchell
Thomas Mitchell as Hank Miller
Catherine Doucet as Jane Summers
Luis Alberni as Luis Perugini
Gerald Oliver Smith as Gerald Meeker