My Love Came Back

This pleasant little picture is of interest primarily as it illustrates Olivia de Havilland's development as a star at Warner Bros. after GONE WITH THE WIND. If this picture had been done at Universal a few years later, the plot about mistaken identity with a classical music background might have been perfect for Deanna Durbin. Done a few years earlier it might have made a very funny screwball comedy with Jean Arthur. As it is, the title suggests that Warners was trying to sell this as a 'women's picture' rather than a comedy, and de Havilland plays it straight and very naturally. In fact, looking far less glamorous than Jane Wyman does as her friend, Olivia looks ravishing and is completely delightful, though her touch with comedy is heavy. Frankly, this film should have been livelier and the raciness implicit in the plot is unfortunately undercut at least partly by de Havilland's earnestness in the role.

Of interest to certain viewers will be the presence of two young actors getting The Build Up, neither of whom made it as stars. Jeffrey Lynn is tall, charming and very handsome, but not a memorable screen presence. Blond and big-jawed, you may wonder why William T. Orr didn't work more, but his bio suggests he had his eye on other career prospects: he married Jack Warner's stepdaughter and had a very long career as a TV producer. In addition, handsome young George Haywood has a walk-on near the beginning, making one wonder who at Warners had such a sharp eye for male pulchritude . . .

Olivia de Havilland seldom got a chance to exploit a gift for comedy during her long stay at Warner Bros., but occasionally she did and this is one of her better efforts. She's charming as a gifted violinist who has a secret sugar daddy (Charles Winninger) sponsoring her studies. Misunderstandings occur when Jeffrey Lynn and Winninger's children suspect the worst. Jane Wyman and Eddie Albert are amusing as fellow musicians and the excellent supporting cast includes Grant Mitchell, S.Z. Sakall and Spring Byington.

It's a lot of fluff done in a sprightly style with a musical montage that is done in innovative style with the two stars waltzing against a background of musical notes. Director Curtis Bernhardt said de Havilland was delightful to work with during this particular movie--but was not too happy with her attitude two years later when she played Charlotte Bronte in "Devotion". He felt she was behaving in a self-important manner. Anyway, here everything clicks--and it's nice to see her enjoying herself in a comedy role for a change.

With some great music as background, "My Love Came Back" is a very enjoyable film from Warner Brothers, starring Olivia de Havilland, Jeffrey Lynn, Jane Wyman, and Eddie Albert.

De Havilland plays a promising violinist who catches the musical ear - but mostly the eye - of a benefactor (Charles Winninger). De Havilland innocently lets him escort her to things that will further her musical education, having no idea that her new school scholarship comes directly from him.

Mixups and misunderstandings result when she falls for Winninger's business manager, played by tall, handsome Jeffrey Lynn, who comes off in this as sort of an American Ray Milland.

Meanwhile, her roommate, played by a vivacious, blond Jane Wyman and her fiancée, the delightful Eddie Albert, try to drag her into their swing music band. Albert and Wyman, along with S. K. Szall and Spring Byington, make up a great supporting cast.

De Havilland is a perfect sweet young thing, playing the comedy very earnestly. Her soft look is in contrast to Wyman, who's positively eye-popping as a blonde. It's hard to connect her with the same actress who would star as the deaf mute in Johnny Belinda, or for that matter, the dowager of Falcon Crest!

Lynn never made it to star status, partially because of World War II interrupting his career, but he enjoyed a long one anyway, as well as a career in real estate.

One of the things that makes this film is the marvelous music, not only classical but swing. This is a movie that's well worth seeing and makes for good listening as well.

The best part of this film was the musical interlude where a serious band plays swing. Other than that sequence, you can forget this film.

It's 1940 and everyone is so young here. Fresh from her Oscar nomination as Melanie Hamilton in "Gone With the Wind," Olivia de Havilland plays a promising violin student who needs to make money for her indigent family. She will be forced to leave where she is studying since she is on a scholarship and the latter forbids her from giving violin lessons.

Enter the lovable Charlie Winninger as a music impresario who secretly gives additional scholarship money to her so that she can remain. When the money is funneled by way of Jeffrey Lynn, sparks fly. When the adult children of Winninger find out, they think that their father is having an affair with deHavilland. Then, they turn their attention to Lynn.

A very youthful Eddie Albert and Jane Wyman have supporting parts as players in the band who really want to swing with the swing music.

Lynn is rather droll as de Havilland's love interest. The chemistry between them never really ignites.

With the writing going somewhat awry, you'd think that the able Winninger and others could pull it through. Sweet, ever pleasant Spring Byington plays his wife but she really plays her role as having to do it under contract.

"My Love Came Back" is another film that must have stretched the minds and imagination of the Warner Brothers team for a title. Youth, age, music, family, romance, and comedy are what this film is about. Considering the year, it seems a good and much more descriptive title might have been, "Music for all Ages."

This isn't a musical in the sense of revues or plays set to music. Rather, it resembles musical biography when the subject or main character is a musician - singer, song writer, composer, instrumentalist. The star here is Amelia Cornell, a gifted and outstanding violinist in the Brissac Academy of Music. Olivia de Havilland plays the role superbly in a fictional story that mixes some fine classical and swing music into something of a wacky story. It's a good one, but it involves a few subplots and genres that are centered around the musical world.

Thus, it mixes in business, family, friendship, livelihoods, and study with jealousies, suspicion, misconceptions, innuendo, romance and comedy. The humor is in the situations, and it holds this whole plot together, which otherwise would not be very good as drama. What brings this all to life and makes it such an enjoyable film is a cast of superb supporting actors and emerging stars of the day. The second female lead is Jo O'Keefe, played by Jane Wyman. She and de Havilland would go on to win Academy Awards, and they would be in one more comedy together - "Princess O'Rourke" in 1943.

The male lead isn't so well defined, although Jeffrey Lynn has first billing as Tony Baldwin. His role is okay, but Lynn never seemed to put much life or oomph into his roles. But Charles Winninger as Julius Malette and Eddie Albert as Dusty Rhodes add to the zest that Amelia and Joy provide. S.Z. Sakall is very good as Gez Payer, the academy music conductor. Spring Byington is good as Mrs. Malette in a somewhat subdued role from her normal persona. Grant Mitchell is the best known of the rest of the cast, as Dr. Kobbe. William Orr and Ann Gillis play Malette grown children, Paul and Valerie.

This is a humorous, warm and entertaining film that fans of any of its cast, especially, should enjoy.