Do You Love Me

The plot to "Do You Love Me" is awfully ridiculous. When the story begins, you learn that Katharine Hilliard (Maureen O'Hara) is a band leader and teacher at a stuffy music school. As for Hilliard, she's supposed to be unattractive and one day, after being insulted on a train, she decides to take off her glasses and let down her hair and suddenly everyone notices she's beautiful! How ridiculous. The bulk of the film consists of Hilliard going out into the real world and discovering love....and very soon you realize it's with talented Jimmy Hale (Dick Haymes), a band leader of a swing band as well as a crooner. What's next as Hilliard and two other men discover her obvious sex appeal.

Maureen O'Hara playing a plain woman and instantly transforming into a beauty is much like Clark Kent taking off his glasses and suddenly everyone recognizes he's Superman! It's a silly cliche, that's for sure. But I also know that back in the day, this was one of many cliches and the audiences generally forgot about it and just went with them...which is what I recommend you do.

Overall, despite a silly plot, the film is modestly entertaining. Not at all a must-see but enjoyable.