Lovers Courageous

This adaptation of a Frederick Lonsdale play is ground in the social mores of the very early twentieth century wherein a quite poor working young man meets a charming, beautiful and wealthy admiral's daughter. Stories of poor men meeting and wooing wealthy women are difficult to write convincingly for the simple fact that such pairings are unlikely at best. This adaptation succeeds quite admirably because the two principals, played by Robert Montgomery and Madge Evans, are both likable and charming. Evans and Montgomery reveal every nuance of two people who meet and fall deeply in love. This is easily one of Madge's finest acting efforts, and certainly the best of the five films in which she appeared with Montgomery. The screen simply lights up when she and Montgomery are seen cautiously pursuing one another. Their romantic moments are so real that one has to remind oneself that they are acting. It is a fact that, in their private lives, they remained close friends until their death.

LOVERS COURAGEOUS has one serious flaw... the selection of Reginald Owen to play Madge's fiancée. He is far too old for the part. Worst yet, he plays the role much too broadly. Whether this is the director's fault (Robert Z. Leonard) or Owen's fault is difficult to fathom. I tend to see more of the director's hand in this, although Pop Leonard, as his casts fondly nicknamed him, may have left Owen to his own acting instincts. Whatever, it is a stretch to think that Evans would be engaged to him.

If Owen seems off-key, Roland Young more than makes up for it. His is a refreshingly light-hearted interpretation of his role of the Admiral's aide. His scenes with Evans are a delight. It might have proved better to have him play Owen's role.

Frederick Kerr plays the crusty old Admiral who judges people by their social class. His character is really an indictment of the social upper classes who displayed their utter disdain for the working class. Kerr plays it to the hilt.

His social counterpart, Montgomery's father, played by Halliwell Hobbes, is a classic example of some members of the working class who felt it improper to try to mix with the upper class. Hobbes is also well cast. His scenes where he tries to convince his young boy that he should work hard to become a postal worker and not advance his station in life are all too real when one remembers social customs and beliefs through World War 1. It was the time when ocean liners held rigid to the class system, mirroring their passengers beliefs. In wiping out a good portion of the upper class, the war also wiped out the lingering Victorian beliefs and customs.

LOVERS COURAGEOUS runs a little over just 76 minutes, short for an "A" production. It is not an important film. With a little more development effort it could have been... but it is easily one of the most romantic films ever produced in Hollywood and well worth the time to watch.

The story begins when Willie Smith is a child. He has no interest in school or a career and is a dreamer. This is made worse by very inconsistent parenting--with the father trying to be strict and the mother coddling the boy. Years pass....and Willie has been bouncing about the world doing various jobs and getting fired from them. One reviewer described him as a wastrel...and this isn't far from the truth.

Later, Willie meets a woman whose station is well above him. She is the daughter of an admiral and he's about to lose yet another job. On impulse, she insists he marry her....which common sense would say is not a great idea. Can they manage to make a go of it....especially since his job prospects are minimal? And, if they do marry, what next?

This is only a fair film. I think part of it is the plot but to me the bigger problem is the dialog. It all seems to dreadfully earnest and artificial...like a play and not real life. Not terrible but clearly among Robert Montgomery and Madge Evans' lesser work.

Other internet sources state this is a rare direct-to-screen original by Frederick Lonsdale, the playwright responsible for such drawing-room comedies as THE LAST OF MRS. CHEYNEY and like the two versions of that film (1929 & 1937), this one bubbles and sparkles with great lines. From Robert Montgomery's first scene, he delivers clever observations with the clipped wit of an intelligent philosopher filled with the wonder of discovering something better in life. Lots of short funny scenes as he wanders the globe drifting from job to job, gathering experiences to enrich his writing. Lovely Madge Evans (better known for DINNER AT EIGHT & David COPPERFIELD) plays the pretty and pampered daughter of a high society stalwart member, an admiral with plans for her to marry "well." Fate introduces these two idealistic lovers in a lowly tobacconist shop and their perceptive exchange quickly shoots arrows through their hearts. They are fated to love forever before the scene ends. Starting with humor, gracefully slipping into romance, spiking with the passions of obsessive love, dipping down into harsh realities only to be tried and tested… the ending comes as only a playwrights guilty pleasure could imagine.

Bottom line, I loved it and fans of smart precode love stories will relish in this forgotten little gem! 8 out of 10!

This screen adaptation of a play by Frederick Lonsdale about a young man who has spent his life wandering about the globe, collecting experience so he can become a playwright -- Robert Montgomery -- and the young aristocrat who marries him and is disinherited for her taking up with a wastrel - Madge Evans -- creaks pretty badly as it goes through its predictable plot twists. Director Robert Z. Leonard and the unnamed screenwriters make some effort at opening up the script, but still wind up having the leads conduct most of their earnest dialogue in two-shots. Also, frankly, Robert Montgomery is miscast. He never quite managed to do accents convincingly and he seems overwhelmed, although he carries out his self-effacing courtship of Miss Evans most charmingly.

Nor do most of the other actors manage to be more than straw men. The two exceptions are -- unsurprisingly -- Beryl Mercer, who made a specialty in kindly, clueless mothers -- her best known role was Lew Ayres' mother in ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT -- and the always delightful Roland Young, who gets to play someone with brains and heart, who comes up with most of the plot twists here.

All in all, not a movie to search out unless you are a fanatic for any of the personnel involved.

"Lovers Courageous" is billed as a drama and romance, but it is much more than that. It is a powerful, deep love story. From the first encounter of Willie and Mary, one can sense an attraction of souls. This is akin to the poor boy meets right girl theme; and spoiled child meets reality. It's also a story of adventure for the sake of experience, which more than one renowned novelist has lived. Combine them all, and one has "Lovers Courageous."

It's a story with depth of feeling and expressions of those feelings in some passages of erudite dialog. And, although not considered a comedy, it has some witty dialog in places.

The lead roles are played wonderfully by Robert Montgomery and Madge Evans as Willie and Mary. But others of the cast are excellent as well. Roland Young has a type of guardian angel role. While his Jeffrey seems to harbor deep affection for Mary, his is a love that is most interested in her genuine happiness. He has met and respects Willie. So, when it's so apparent that Mary and Willie have such love, he will do what he can to help them be reunited. Reginald Owen is excellent as Jimmy and Frederick Kerr is very good as the admiral, Mary's father.

The love between Willie and Mary is expressed in rich dialog. It may seem slow to some at times, and those who don't particularly enjoy such deep stories will find the pace too slow. But for others, the story and pace move along just right.

The screenplay was written by British playwright Frederick Lonsdale (1881-1954). The story is somewhat autobiographical of Lonsdale, except for the globe-trotting travels of Willie. In the film, Willie works as a tobacconist, which is what Lonsdale's father was. Lonsdale was born in Jersey of the Channel Islands, and drifted around the UK, taking different jobs. As with Willie in this film, he struggled for several years trying to become a playwright. His breakthrough came through his wife. She was working as a chorus girl to support them when she showed a script to her employer who, in turn, sent it to producer Frank Curzon. That led to the stage production of his first work, the highly popular 1908 musical, "King of Cadonia." He would write more librettos for musicals and many stage comedies. More than two dozen of his plays were made into movies.

The year 1932 had many very good films, and "Lovers Courageous" did well at the box office. While filmed entirely at MGM studios in Hollywood, the film has some stock footage of a passenger ship sailing.

Incidentally, Lucky Charms was a brand of cigarettes in the UK in the 1930s, and typical of brands of smokes at the time, it had a sort of sales gimmick. Some brands offered coupons redeemable for gifts. This one had collectable charm cards. They were pictures of various items: The Heart, The Frog, The Cross 'Scorpio, The Abraxas, The Scarab, and others. Why anyone would want those is beyond me.

Here are some favorite lines from the movie.

Mary, "Of course, I intend to marry Jimmy." Jeffrey, "Good! Pity he's so rich, isn't it?" Mary, "Why?" Jeffrey, "You'd make such a marvelous, uhm, poor man's wife." Mary, "Sarcastic little brute, aren't you?"

Mary, "Tell me, do you mean to be a tobacconist all your life?" Willie, "Being a tobacconist, being a cowboy, being all of the things I've been, all of these are interests on the way." Mary, "To what?" Willie, "If I told you, you might laugh, and that would be discouraging." Mary, "No, won't, I promise."

Willie, "Sometimes, I'm so unhappy I can't sleep, and sometimes I'm so happy I don't want to." Mary, "Because of me?" Willie, "Sometimes I'm so happy, I don't need food. And sometimes I'm so unhappy, it chokes me." Mary, "Because of me?" Willie, "No - because I've got to be in the tobacconist shop tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."

Jimmy, "I say, you look as though a couple days of hunting would do you good."

Willie, "What are you doing here?" Mary, "I've come to ask you to be my husband." Willie, "Are you mad?" Mary, ,"Stark staring in love with you."

Willie, "Wait a minute. Where are you going to stop until we get married?" Mary, "Well, I'll stay here." Willie, "Oh, you can't do that." Mary, "Oh, don't talk nonsense." Willie, "But..." Mary, "If you say another word, I'll pop into the bed now." Willie, "Don't you dare!" Mary, "Oh, what a prude you are."

Admiral, "But, for your mother's sake and mine, you won't do this." Mary, "Aren't you and mother only concerned about my sake?" Admiral, "Why, off course." Mary, "Then why do you want me to marry a man I'll be unhappy with? You only seem to be concerned with what other people will say. Things that don't matter. Not me at all."

Admiral, "Do you realize you'll make Jimmy look the most awful fool that ever lived, and break his heart?" Mary, "One good day's hunting will mend that."

Willie,, "I think for a common little tobacconist's assistant, I behaved rather well. Because, as a playwright, I could have been terribly unpleasant."

Willie, "The next time I marry, I'm going to have a chorum service." Mary, "The next time I marry, I'm going to marry a man who doesn't pinch me when the minister says 'obey.'"

Mary, "Willie?" Willie, ,"Mm hmm?" Mary, "Where'd you steal that meat from?" Willie, "Jones." Mary, ,"Good, wasn't it?" Willie, "Mm hmmm". Mary, ,"There must be an awful lot of nice people in jail."

Willie, "We'll go to Paris, Rome, anywhere!" Mary, "No! Let's stay home and have a baby". Willie, ,"Yes, let's."