Vieni a vivere con me

This is an MGM comedy starring Hedy Lamarr & Jimmy Stewart. Hedy is a wealthy Viennese refugee living in New York. Her worst fear is realized when she's threatened with deportation, unless she can get married within 7 days. She has a willing, wealthy suitor, but he has a wife, and Hedy, being a kind soul, does not want to be a homewrecker. Enter Jimmy Stewart, playing a broke, down on his luck writer. Jimmy and Hedy find themselves sharing a lunch counter, courtesy of a serendipitous rainstorm. Before you know it, they're married. Both get something from this living apart, transactional affair: Jimmy receives a weekly stipend, and Hedy gets to stay in America. Of course, we know what Jimmy's character really wants.

There's little chemistry between the two leads. Hedy is very glamorous, but her performance is rather one-note. The script, however, doesn't give her much to do. Since it's Hedy Lamarr, her screen presence makes up for it. The supporting cast adds the necessary flavor. Ian Hunter as Hedy's lover. Verree Teasdale (one of the great character actresses) as his savvy wife, and Adeline De Walt Reynolds as Jimmy's no-nonsense grandmother. Barton MacLane shows up as a sympathetic immigration official. Overall, it's a pleasant excursion, with echoes of The Awful Truth (1937), minus the biting wit and manic energy. Although the Nazi occupation of Austria isn't mentioned, it's obvious the reason why Hedy's character can't go back.

Hedy Lamarr is as dazzling as ever with a wardrobe to match in "Come Live with Me," a 1941 light romantic comedy directed by Clarence Brown and also starring James Stewart.

Lamarr is Johannes "Johnny" Jones, a showgirl who has immigrated from "what was Austria"; however, her visa has run out. Her boyfriend, publisher Barton Kendrick (Ian Hunter) has an open arrangement with his wife (Veree Teasdale); he also has connections, but immigration shows up too soon.

The immigration officer takes pity on Johnny and gives her one week to get married so she can stay in the country. He assumes, wrongly, that she is going to marry Kendrick.

Obviously, she can't, but then she meets a down and out writer, Bill Smith (Stewart) and talks him into marrying her. She agrees to pay him $17 a week, which equals his living expenses.

"Come Live with Me" is not a rip-roaring screwball comedy but a nice romantic one with some fine performances from Lamarr, Stewart, Hunter, Teasdale, Donald Meek, and Adeline De Walt Reymolds as Bill's grandmother.

De Walt Reynolds had only begun her acting career the year before, in 1940, at the age of 78. She lived to be 98 and worked mostly on television until she died. She's excellent here.

Stewart and Lamarr do well together. Worth seeing - no blockbuster, but it will leave you with a smile on your face.

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.

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.

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.