It's Love Again

Peter (Robert Young) and Freddie (Sonnie Hale) invent a celebrity, Mrs Smythe-Smythe, in order to fool the public and sell newspapers. Meanwhile, Elaine Bradford (Jessie Matthews) is looking for a chance to become a celebrity and seems to be getting nowhere with her audition for major theatre producer Raymond (Ernest Milton). So, she pretends to be Mrs Smythe-Smythe in order to get attention. Things go well at first but a rival reporter discovers the truth....

There are many humorous sections in this film, eg, the scene where Peter and Freddie decide on their celebrity, Raymond's exasperation with the theatre (I hate the theatre....I hate the people...). The cast are all good and Sonnie Hale is funny in most of his scenes. The film is Britsh and I was surprised at the quality of both the production and the comedy. It doesn't contain that stupid British humour of the time. It is actually quite funny!

But best of all, the film has Jessie Matthews singing and dancing. The songs are all fine but her dancing is great. She was easily up there with the best that Hollywood could provide at the time. Maybe she was THE best of her time. All the dances are good, my favourite being the sequence where she is trapped into giving a performance of a Hindu temple dance. She has no idea what she is supposed to do and starts somewhat hesitantly but then turns it into the most enjoyable solo tap dance sequence in any film that I can remember seeing. A joy to watch. I was pleasantly surprised by this film.

The name Jessie Matthews may not meant a great deal to current film goers, even to those who like old movies, but she was England's biggest musical star of the 1930's. She was a great dancer, a fine singer, a wonderful actress and scintillating personality. (Only personal troubles and changing tastes ushered in by the war prevented her from having a longer career.) It's Love Again, at a mid-point in her film career, provided her most memorable vehicle, except perhaps for the earlier film Evergreen, in which she established her screen persona as an aspiring musical star who resorts to some sort of trickery to achieve stardom. In this film she tries to get publicity for herself by impersonating a mysterious Indian woman who is actually a concoction of her society columnist boy-friend, played, surprisingly, by an engaging Robert Young. Also in the cast is her then-husband comedian Sonny Hale as well as his father Robert, and well-known character actress Athene Seyler. It's a peppy and thoroughly entertaining film. There is comedy, romance, good songs and musical numbers --- and Jessie wears some exotic and quite sexy costumes. All in all, though not for everyone's taste, it is a delight and quite different from --- and in many ways better than --- the musical films Hollywood had to offer at the time. And the talented Miss Matthews, with her bright eyes, toothy smile, enthusiasm, eccentricity, and Mayfair accent, is worth a look for those not familiar with her.

British actress Jessie Matthews is "Elaine", trying to break into show biz. Meanwhile, the dashing Robert Young is Pete Carlton, who starts making things up for the newspaper ratings. he invents a foreign, famous, talented entertainer who wows every audience. when these two stories collide, wacky things start to happen. It's pretty good, although I could have done with less singing and tap dancing. the rumba about 33 minutes in had a fun syncopation going on... that was good stuff! and the usual amount of silliness and chasing around the mulberry bush, as grandma used to say. Young had worked with so many greats in the 1930s, 1940s, and of course, was Marcus Welby, MD. Co-stars Sonnie Hale, who was actually married to the star Jessie Matthews from 1931 to 1944. sadly, Hale died young in his 50s. Directed by Victor Saville... had started in the silents, and moved into talkies. he and Jessie Matthews worked together on six films. Story by Marion Dix, who had also worked on "Down to their Last Yacht", another fun comedy/adventure. it's all a bit of fun. even with all the tap dancing. and the sound and picture quality are in remarkably good shape, considering its almost 90 years old at this point.

Jessie Matthews is at the height of her powers here, charming and lovely and lighting up the screen as she dances divinely in a number of captivating costumes in a stunning display of terpsichoreal virtuosity. Apart from It's Love Again the musical compositions are not particularly memorable in themselves, but provide everything the star needs to showcase her talents. There's no doubt that Victor Saville was her best director, endowing her with the confidence to give her all, and there's the stylish photography of Glen MacWilliams. Hollywood star Robert Young and husband Sonnie Hale, the latter not as irritating as usual and actually quite amusing on occasions, give support in this light-hearted extravaganza.

I've seen a few Jessie Matthews' musicals on late-night TV & they are all enjoyable. I regard her as an underrated talent from her era as I hadn't heard of her until the last few years. She has an effervescence & innocence about her that is ideally suited to such light & breezy productions & her almost accidental forays into fame & fortune.

"It's Love Again" is my personal favourite as the songs in it are mostly very appealing. It also gains from having a youthful Robert Young as a leading man & the settings for the musical numbers are impressive. This is much better than a typical time-filler of a late-night movie!