Love on Toast

Super soup saleswoman Linda Craven (acting teacher and legend Stella Adler in her first of only three film roles) gets the job of promoting the hot stuff during a heat wave in New York City. Her no brainer idea is to have a contest to find Mr. Manhattan and Miss Brooklyn. Luis Alberni plays Joe Piso an Italian soda fountain owner who submits an entree for handsome soda jerk Bill Adams (John Payne) without his knowledge. This premise sets up another forgotten screwball romantic comedy complete with snappy dialogue and pie fights. Turns out to be better than expected mostly because Miss Adler is great and reminds this reviewer of fast talking Rosalind Russell from His Girl Friday which would not come out until three years later. John Payne as always is watchable and has a low key charm. The rest of the cast also has some spit and polish: Isabel Jewell has clever lines to deliver; Franklin Pangborn gives us his slow burn and exasperated put-upon fellow; and Arthur Houseman (again) is drunk. Sadly this little Paramount gem is now owned by Universal who could care less. But for a short while it can be seen on YouTube!

Fast paced. Never a dull moment. Lots of unexpected characters and plot twists. The leads are surprising at every turn. Gives a fascinating view into the 30's. The male lead has depth and is very appealing. Stella Adler is radiant and quite atypical. Little details like the lead's soda jerking ability and his passion for aviation design are unexpected delights. Loved that what might have been a throwaway character - Miss Brooklyn - turns out to be a great singer with another unexpected attraction to men in uniforms with lots of buttons. The closing soda fountain fight is one of the best food fights on film, especially the final shot of "ice skating" on the slippery floor. So much rich detail and above all the perfect constantly fun pacing.

While Stella Adler might not be a name you recognize, she's known to many aspiring actors and actresses as a guru of sorts. She's ultra-famous to these folk and is considered one of the foremost actresses of the 20th century....which is odd as she only acted in three films...and "Love on Toast" is her first film. So why was she so famous? Well, first, she came from a family where her parents and siblings were all actors. And, in total, Stella had over a hundred different roles on stage (wow) and went on to become an acting coach...and a very well respected and famous one. But in regards to movies, she just didn't seem that interested...or, perhaps, Hollywood just wasn't that interested in her. All I know is that this film is a rare chance to see her.



In this film, Adler plays Linda Craven, a press agent who is trying to increase a soup company's sales in the New York City area where the soup has surprisingly poor sales. She comes up with the idea of creating a contest where the company will crown a Mr. Manhattan and a Miss Brooklyn. Unfortunately for her campaign, the guy they select as Mr. Manhattan (John Payne) has no interest in the contest nor becoming famous. It seems someone entered him in the contest and didn't tell him! What's next? See the film if you'd like.

So is the film any good? Well, it's okay...neither good nor bad. Payne was a good actor but here he didn't have much to do other than sing and act grumpy. And, as far as Adler was concerned, it was a competent job of acting but didn't seem particularly special...nor did the plot.

By the way, if you look at the closing credits you'll see that they misspelled Adler's name...calling her Stella Ardler!

The "Sanford" soup company is having a crisis. It sells more in Glendale than it does in New York City and this is causing consternation amongst the board - who want to turn the factory into an ice rink! The company is now owned by the son of the industrious father - "Sandy" (Grant Richards) and he has to come up with a solution. Luckily, he has his press agent "Linda" (Stella Adler) who comes up with the dream solution. A beauty competition that will require people to submit loads of soup labels to be in with a chance of being "Miss Brooklyn" or "Mr. Manhattan". There are no shortages of entries, driving up their sales but also creating an headache for the board members who ultimately select the hunky, but completely disinterested "Bill" (John Payne) and the feisty "Polly" (Kathryn Kane). The idea is that the two will fall head over heels and marry. Somehow we just know that the execution of that plan is never going to turn out so ideally, as the course of true love never runs smoothly. This film starts off strongly, with Adler given pretty much free reign to establish a funny, lively and savvy character. Sadly, though, there is little chemistry between her and the handsome but very much by-the-numbers Payne, and as the plot meanders on the pace runs out and the characterisations revert more and more to type. The wittiness of the script peters out too, and by halfway through we are starting on a borderline farce with an all too predictable ending. It features a couple of unremarkable musical numbers from Sam Coslow and Burton Lane that are actually sung by their actors, but they seem to do little more than further reduce the story to melodrama. It's worth a watch, though, for the first half hour of Adler owning the screen.

"Love on Toast" is a 1937 trite comedy starring Stella Adler (here credited as Ardler) as a publicity woman out to sell soup with a "Mr. Manhattan" campaign. "Mr. Manhattan" is supposed to marry Miss Brooklyn. Love gets in the way.

Adler comes off as a Glenda Farrell-Jean Arthur type. She's fast-talking, and her character is quick thinking and energetic. Adler was quite beautiful - I understand in order to break into films, she had a nose job. Whatever, she looks great.

As Mr. Manhattan, a baby-faced John Payne has one of his first film roles; he looks like Robert Taylor here, wearing the same makeup.

Thinking about the incredible contribution Adler made, teaching people like Brando, Harvey Keitel, Robert DeNiro, and Warren Beatty to name a few - it's interesting that, though she tried, she didn't break into the big time in films. Obviously, she was meant for bigger things.