Come Live with Me

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.

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.

This is a wonderful Jimmy Stewart and Hedy Lamarr movie. Very romantic and sentimental. Jimmy Stewart's grandma in the movie is priceless. A must for your collection - not available to buy; however, sometimes comes on American Movie Classics. I have had a recording of it for years. It's one of my favorites.

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.

Jimmy, Hedy, goofy Ian Hunter, and "sensible" Verree Teasedale make a wonderful primary cast for this nice film. Unusually, I keep looking for more nuances each time I view it, hoping that there is more to the characters in facial nuances and body gestures. I think 5-10 minutes of additional dialogue to flesh out the characters and their relationships with each other would have helped this movie go beyond its superficiality. This is one of those films where I wonder what was cut from the script and what ended up on the cutting room floor. Clarence Brown directed a lot of fantastic films, so I'm guessing the script/story faults are partly from Virginia Van Upp (story) and Patterson McNutt (screenplay); who knows what the role producers at MGM had in trimming the movie for release.