Komm, bleib bei mir

I loved every frame of this 1941 light romantic comedy when Hedy Lamarr is paired with Jimmy Stewart.It has been said so many times before but Hedy had such beauty both in body and spirit that it is almost worth seeing a film with her in it just to gape in awe at her.I am gradually building up my collection of Hedy's films which include Exctacy (1933), Algiers (1938), Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945) and Dishonored Lady (1947).We must not forget that she also had intelligence and invented in 1942, at the height of her Hollywood career, a frequency-switching system for torpedo guidance that was two decades ahead of its time which with a colleague, she patented.

In this film Hedy has overstayed her visitor's visa and the immigration officials are on to her.This is unfortunate for her in war time as she would have to return to her native Vienna.Of course as the good natured immigration official suggests, if she could find a husband within the week he decides to turn a blind eye, she could stay in America.Cue Jimmy Stuart failed writer who has the rejection slips and pawn tickets piling up in his flat.Can he meet this week's rent?Hedy has an idea.She requests he writes down his weekly expenditure and she will pay him regular amounts based on this budget in consideration of a civil marriage of convenience, thus avoiding deportation.Jimmy Stewart will regard as an accumulating loan until such time as his novel is sold to the publisher's and he will have enough money to pay off the debt.The coincidence is that his publisher (Ian Hunter) is simultaneously having an affair with Hedy.She only visits him at his flat to pay him his regular instalment, so despite being husband and wife, at least in the eyes of the law, they never really have got to know one another.

As time goes by Jimmy is starting to care for Hedy and he invites her to visit his grandmother in the country where passions deepen.Hedy is still unsure at this stage and uses a ruse to phone her married sugar daddy Ian Hunter giving him directions where she is.It is night and Hedy and Jimmy both must go to their respective bedrooms but Jimmy keeps making excuses to stay in her bedroom before reluctantly leaving.Their bedrooms have a partial wall over which light can be seen so they can converse with one another when both in their beds.The Grandmother has a hobby of embroidering sayings all around her home some of which humorously fit the action on the screen.When Ian Hunter arrives at the address to fetch his mistress, guess who Hedy selects? What I find fascinating about Hedy in her film roles (apart from her obvious physical beauty) is her genuine Viennese accent, her honesty, integrity, and intelligence and she is every inch the lady.

In 2013 I wrote a general amendment to this and other user comments which also applies to those actresses whose films I have already commented on IMDb.com in recent years.My love goddess/film actresses are Margaret Lockwood, Jennifer Jones, Vivien Leigh, Hedy Lamarr & Ava Gardner.Perhaps you will notice they were all dark brunette 1940s (& 50s) stars.It occurred to me that there should be one defining film which perfectly encapsulates for me their intrinsic personality, talent glamour & intellect.These are my choices after years of deliberation: Margaret Lockwood - "The Wicked Lady" (1945), Jennifer Jones - "Portrait Of Jennie" (1948), Vivien Leigh - "That Hamilton Woman" (1941, Hedy Lamarr - H.M.Pulman esq (1945, Ava Gardner "One Touch of Venus" (1948).

Hedy Lamarr is a foreign born showgirl and kept mistress of publisher Ian Hunter. Immigration has gotten on her case and before Hunter can get his influence peddling machine in gear, Hedy's having some anxious moments.

But as Hollywood fate must have it she meets up with aspiring writer James Stewart and they agree to a marriage of convenience to keep her in the country. And to seal the bargain Lamarr actually agrees to pay Stewart a "salary" so that romance won't creep into things.

Well wouldn't you know it, Stewart writes about the arrangement in a prospective new novel that he takes to publisher Hunter. The rest of this film is rather obvious.

What I find curious about this film is that the plot I described could easily be the basis for some sophisticated screwball comedy or a tender romance, given the writers, director, and players. But the combination in Come Live With Me opted for the tender romance.

Stewart and Lamarr are just fine in their roles as is Hunter. MGM and director Clarence Brown gave them a nice supporting cast. Please note the performances of Verree Teasdale as Hunter's wife, Adeline DeWalt Reynolds as Stewart's grandmother and the whimsical Donald Meek, just being Donald Meek in a Donald Meek part.

The title Come Live With Me is the first line of a Christopher Marlowe sonnet, a romantic piece that fits the tone of the whole film. But it does end on a Shakespearean note.

I was a little bored with the first half hour of this film, but a well-written turn of events sends this movie in the right direction. It mixes a few classic themes (marry vs. deportation, country comes to town, wealth vs poverty, town goes to country, etc...) that could have made this movie completely formulaic. However, formula goes out the door with Jimmy Stewart's charm and Hedy Lamarr's stunning beauty.

Once both characters spend screen time together, consistently, the energy of this slightly screwball romantic comedy picks up quickly. The grandmother is all wisdom, wit, and heart. Her common sense needlework samplers are artfully placed and still hold true today. The grandmother's calm voice, the sound of crickets chirping, and the other country nuances slow down the pace to a level that seems so foreign to an actress like Hedy Lamarr. She seems so out of place, but that is what makes her so enjoyable to watch. She melts slowly from the WWII city girl ice queen fugitive until she's relaxed and calm as if she can go home again, but this time to a slice of Americana rather than Austria and with a moral upstanding young man if that's the choice she's willing to make.

This has just been made available for purchase on DVD. It's now on my "to buy" list and certainly worth a watch on TCM if you enjoy this genre and these wonderfully magnetic actors.

COME LIVE WITH ME manages to be a charming trifle of a romantic comedy that gives HEDY LAMARR and JAMES STEWART a chance to prove that they may have seemed like an unlikely pair but have sparkling chemistry with each other.

Hedy is incredibly beautiful (as always) as a woman who must find a husband quickly or be deported. On a rainy night, she and Stewart meet accidentally in a fast food diner, and immediately she decides that this penniless bachelor will have to do. She makes a strictly business proposition with the man, a writer down on his luck, which he rather readily accepts--and a loveless marriage is negotiated so that she can wed Stewart, stay in the country longer, and then wed IAN HUNTER, who intends to divorce his wife.

It's all rather silly and highly improbable. The deepening relationship between Stewart and Lamarr is never really fleshed out so that the viewer can expect to see hints of romance developing. Instead, after his story is accepted by a publisher (Hunter), Stewart decides to whisk Lamarr off to the country to meet his grandmother in a picture perfect rural setting. Naturally, love develops quickly and before you know it, Ian Hunter is out of the running as Hedy's prospective mate.

The most original element in the story has to do with fireflies and Hedy's decision to use a flashlight "to attract a mate".

It's an unassuming little comedy/romance, nicely played by the two leads and given good support by ADELINE DeWALT REYNOLDS as the grandma with her platitudes on plaques, VERREE TEASDALE as the publisher's open minded wife, DONALD MEEK as a park bum and FRANK FAYLEN as a tough talking counterman at a diner.

Clarence Brown must be commended for getting a relaxed and assured performance from Lamarr, who never looked lovelier. Stewart is his usual earnest self, especially good in some comic reaction shots.

Showgirl Johnny Jones (Hedy Lamarr) aka Johanna Janns has overstayed her visa and is getting deported. She's Austrian afraid of going back to the Nazi regime after her father was murdered by them. She's having an affair with married publisher Barton Kendrick. The Immigration officer hints at holding up her case for a week to give her an opportunity to stay if she marries an American. She meets struggling writer Bill Smith (James Stewart) who is literally on his last dime. Since Barton is married, another solution pops up.

Stewart and Lamarr have good chemistry. It would work well if they have a bit more time together in the middle. As often the case in older movies, it also needs to get to the meet-cute a bit sooner. The movie gets a second wind when Bill forces Johnny to go on that trip. If it happens sooner, Johnny could run away with Barton and Bill would chase after her. There would be enough time for a little bit more romantic drama. Nevertheless, this is a lovely rom-com for a well-matched pair.