It's Love I'm After
| It's Love I'm After | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Archie Mayo |
| Produced by | |
| Screenplay by | Casey Robinson |
| Based on | "Gentlemen After Midnight" by Maurice Hanline |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Heinz Roemheld |
| Cinematography | James Van Trees |
| Edited by | Owen Marks |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
It's Love I'm After is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, and Olivia de Havilland. Based on the story "Gentlemen After Midnight" by Maurice Hanline, with a screenplay by Casey Robinson, the film is about a couple who have postponed their marriage eleven times and who continue to plot and scheme their way to marriage. The film marked the third on-screen pairing of Leslie Howard and Bette Davis, following Of Human Bondage and The Petrified Forest.
Basil Underwood and Joyce Arden are an egotistical acting team known for their romantic scenes on stage and fiery temperaments off. Although they deeply love each other, their frequent spats over the years have kept them from tying the knot.
Comic complications ensue when Basil postpones their latest marriage plans in order to attempt to diminish the ardor of star-struck heiress Marcia West at the request of her fiancé Henry Grant. When Basil's boorish behavior fails to bother Marcia, who is all-too-willing to submit to his charms, he begins to capitalize on her infatuation with him, much to Joyce's dismay.
The screenplay allows Leslie Howard to draw on his classical background by having his character quote lines from Macbeth, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet.
Leslie Howard originally envisioned either Gertrude Lawrence or Ina Claire, both noted for their comedic stage performances, as his leading lady, although they had limited experience in films. Producer Hal B. Wallis had director Archie Mayo meet with Lawrence, who was interested in playing the role, but when Wallis and Howard screened the 1936 British film Men Are Not Gods, they agreed she did not photograph well.
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Wikipedia