I Love You Again
Directed by W.S. Van Dyke
Written by Charles Lederer et al based on the novel by Octavus Roy Cohen
1940/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] George Carey: [reacting to Kay’s beauty] Boy! Eighteen days alone on a boat is certainly a long time to be alone on a boat for eighteen days![/box]
William Powell and Myrna Loy are as captivating as ever and Powell has the opportunity to do some fairly amusing physical comedy.
Larry Wilson (Powell) is a tee-totaling stuffed shirt and civic booster who bores the pants off everyone including his wife Kay (Loy), who wants divorce. He gets a knock on the head while rescuing a drunk Doc Ryan (Frank McHugh) from falling overboard. The blow cures the amnesia Wilson has been experiencing for nine years. It turns out he is really high-living con artist George Cary and he has no memory of his life as Wilson. He discovers Wilson has a large bank account and beautiful wife and that the people of Wilson’s home town are greedy and gullible and heads there to work a con. While he is at it, he tries to win back Kay with his new-found personality. With Edmund Lowe as another con artist.
This was a clever, if somewhat confusing, premise. Although it isn’t where I would turn first for a dose of Powell and Loy, there are some pretty funny bits.
Trailer
The rewarch of 30’s and 40’s shows goes on (and thanks for the kind words elsewhere senpai)
Not sure what to make of this, has it’s moments definitely and is watchable to the very end, the two main leads carrying the movie. But there are spots where the entertainment drags (& not simply due to the movie’s age – the boy scout bit is overlong & overdone in relation to the humour generated), most unusual for shows with this normally high class pairing. You do need to go with the (now?) overused amnesia device to maximise your enjoyment. Frank McHugh as ‘Doc’ Ryan more than holds his own.
I didn’t remember a thing about this title until you commented on it. Not a good sign!