Happy Valentine's Day!

Best wishes for a very happy Valentine's Day!

This year's classic film Valentine is Dianne Foster, whose starring roles included NIGHT PASSAGE (1957), THE BROTHERS RICO (1957), and THE DEEP SIX (1958).

Dianne married a dentist in 1961 and is now a widow. From time to time we happen to see her son, who followed in his father's footsteps and is an oral surgeon. At last report a few months ago she is doing great at age 90 and still gets fan mail!

Previous Valentine's Day Tributes: Anne Gwynne (2014), Dorothy Hart (2015), Lynn Merrick (2016), Debbie Reynolds (2017), and Marsha Hunt (2018).

Tonight's Movie: Without Orders (1936) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

Before the aviation disaster films JULIE (1956), ZERO HOUR! (1957), or AIRPORT 1975 (1974) there was WITHOUT ORDERS (1936), newly available on DVD from the Warner Archive.

WITHOUT ORDERS is a highly entertaining RKO programmer in the "stewardess flies the plane" subgenre, with Sally Eilers as plucky flight hostess Kay Armstrong.

Kay has been learning to fly a private plane under the tutelage of pilot Wad Madison (Robert Armstrong), and he also has her practice giving him landing instructions when he lands a passenger plane. So when no-good pilot Len Kendrick (Vinton Hayworth) panics during a blizzard, disables the copilot (trusty Ward Bond), and jumps out of the plane with a parachute (!), it's up to Kay to bring the plane down safely. And it's almost out of gas...

Everything which comes previously in the film builds to that sequence. The romantic triangle between Kay, Wad, and Len isn't very believable -- Wad is too old for Kay and Len is too slimy -- but Hayworth at least is entertaining as a no-good villain, who smacks Kay's sister (Frances Sage) around enough that she ends up in the hospital with a skull fracture. It takes Kay a little longer to realize that Len is bad news.

Charley Grapewin plays Len's father, the owner of Amalgamated Airlines, and look for Alan Curtis (PHANTOM LADY) as a copilot. A little girl asking about a delayed flight is Helen Westcott, who would grow up to be the leading lady in films such as THE GUNFIGHTER (1950) and COW COUNTRY (1953).

The movie also gives viewers some good looks at Glendale Central Airport, which turned up in many films of the '30s. It's easily recognized by its curved arches. In recent years it has been bought and restored by Disney. I would love to take a tour!

WITHOUT ORDERS was directed by Lew Landers, who directed many enjoyable programmers. The year after this film was released he directed one of his best films, another aviation film titled FLIGHT FROM GLORY (1937), also available from the Warner Archive. I'm hoping that another Landers favorite, DOUBLE DANGER (1938), will have a release at some point.

WITHOUT ORDERS was filmed in black and white by J. Roy Hunt. It runs 64 fast-paced minutes.

The Warner Archive DVD is a good print. The soundtrack could have been a little stronger at times, but it gets the job done. There are no extras.

This one is a must for fans of airline disaster movies. For more on this film, please see my review from 2013.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection at the WBShop or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

Ten Movies for Valentine's Day

In celebration of Valentine's Day, here's a look at ten favorite movie romances.

Everyone has their favorite romantic classics, from GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) to NOW, VOYAGER (1942) to CASABLANCA (1942). Beyond those familiar films, there are many lesser-known romantic movies which are worth checking out.

Below are ten favorite suggestions for perfect Valentine's Day viewing -- although they're great to see any time of the year! Click any of the hyperlinked titles for a more detailed review and information on availability.

YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (1942) - A fun feel-good romance and one of Fred Astaire's most underrated movies; a charming South American fairy tale in which he anonymously courts beautiful Maria (Rita Hayworth) as a favor to her father (Adolph Menjou). But who could avoid falling in love with Rita Hayworth?! The film has a lilting score by Jerome Kern, including "Dearly Beloved" and "I'm Old-Fashioned." Astaire and Hayworth's dance to "I'm Old-Fashioned" is one of my favorite scenes of all time; beautifully shot in black and white, the performers and music epitomize silver screen magic.

LOVE STORY (1944) - The British film LOVE STORY, sometimes known in the U.S. as A LADY SURRENDERS, is an emotional romance starring Stewart Granger and Margaret Lockwood. Lockwood plays a famous concert pianist who takes a break at a resort in Cornwall after receiving the news that she has a heart condition which is likely to end her life sooner rather than later. She meets devil-may-care Granger but is surprised he seems uninterested in helping the war effort, not knowing Granger is hiding the news that he's a former RAF pilot who expects to go blind due to a war injury. The couple pledge to keep their romance light and just enjoy some time together, but that proves to be difficult given the depth of the feelings they each develop. The movie features Hubert Bath's "Cornish Rhapsody," which was written for the film; you might not recognize the title but chances are that the melody will be familiar. Patricia Roc costars as Kit's childhood friend whose unspoken love for Kit provides another complication.

THE CHASE (1946) - This surreal film noir stars Robert Cummings as Chuck, a veteran in need of a job who becomes a chauffeur for Eddie (Steve Cochran), an unscrupulous and rather scary businessman. Chuck soon finds himself falling for Eddie's sad, withdrawn wife Lorna (Michele Morgan). One night, Lorna asks Chuck to help her escape Eddie and flee to Havana. The movie has a dreamlike tropical atmosphere, and the film is surprisingly steamy for 1946. The love scenes show nothing by today's standards, but...wow. When I saw this in a theater, the audience was buzzing about this aspect after the movie!

ANGEL AND THE BADMAN (1947) - My favorite John Wayne movie, ahead of several better-known films he made with John Ford, this is a lovely romance about gunfighter Quirt Evans (Wayne) who falls for a sweet but determined young Quaker girl (Gail Russell). Penny is disarmingly honest with Quirt about her feelings for him, and how could he help loving such a kind and beautiful girl? The love of Penny and her family help Quirt put his violent past behind him...he hopes. Wayne's performance is marvelous, as Quirt is baffled by Penny and his growing feelings for her, and Russell is meltingly lovely. This is a special film which deserves to be revisited every few years...and it's a must for those who have never seen it.

THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE (1947) - A delightfully funny comedy starring Eleanor Parker and Ronald Reagan. Parker plays the ditzy yet charming Sally, who lets a soldier on leave (Reagan) spend the weekend sleeping on her living room sofa. When I was growing up, Reagan's movies were largely absent from TV due to "equal time" regulations, so seeing the former governor and President in this role was a revelation for me. He's winning as Sally's knight in shining armor -- he cooks! he cleans! And he loves Sally despite -- or maybe because of -- her crazy side. Parker is a stitch as a woman who believes her kitchen appliances have feelings. Along with the funnier aspects, this movie has some touching romantic moments, and the viewer may shed a happy tear or two during the moving final scene.

KISS OF DEATH (1947) - Film noir fans tend to remember this movie for the electric Oscar-nominated debut of Richard Widmark as gangster Tommy Udo, but what anchors the film is a moving love story between widowed ex-con Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) and his children's former babysitter, Nettie (Coleen Gray). Mature and Gray only have a half-dozen scenes together, but they are deeply touching and beautifully acted. Mature has a world of hurt and love in his soulful eyes, and Gray gives a very natural, emotionally open performance which seems modern. Their farewell at the train station, when Nick sends Nettie away with the children to protect them from Udo, is a heartbreaker.

THE HUNTED (1948) - Those who've never thought of Preston Foster as a heartthrob should take a look at this film, a terrific "B" noir costarring the ice skater Belita. She plays Laura, an ex-con sent up the proverbial river by detective Johnny Saxon (Foster). Turns out Johnny and Laura had been in love, but when he believed she was part of a diamond heist he turned her in. They're reunited after she's paroled, and while each is bitter, there is also a palpable longing between them, most notably during a late-night discussion at his apartment just after her release. It's wonderful the Warner Archive has rescued this film from obscurity and made it available in a beautiful print.

FORCE OF ARMS (1951) - My favorite of the four films costarring William Holden and Nancy Olson. They star as Pete and Ellie, who meet in WWII Italy; he's a battle-weary, stressed-out soldier, and she's a WAC mourning the death of her fiance. They initially bicker, but as Ellie gradually sees past Pete's defenses to the real man underneath, she falls for him, and he can't get the sweet, clear-eyed Ellie off his mind. But he's got to go back to the front. Holden and Olson moved me so deeply I immediately replayed some of their scenes together.

I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU (1951) - A haunting time travel fantasy which is a very effective remake of BERKELEY SQUARE (1933). Tyrone Power plays an American in London who goes back to the 1700s, where he falls in love with sweet Ann Blyth. It's soon apparent Power won't be able to stay in the 1700s; can the couple's love span two centuries? The last 20 minutes are quite powerful, with emotional performances by both Power and Blyth. The film's mood is greatly helped by the cinematography; the modern-day sections of the film were shot in black and white, with the time travel sequences filmed in pastel colors. Incidentally, this movie is on a two-film DVD with a very enjoyable Tyrone Power romance in a much lighter vein, LUCK OF THE IRISH (1947) (where the Irish sequences are tinted green!).

THE WORLD IN HIS ARMS (1952) - Ann Blyth had wonderful luck with her leading men of the '50s, first Tyrone Power and then she starred with Gregory Peck in this swooningly romantic film. He's a sea captain and she's a Russian countess who fall in love, but she's then kidnapped by someone who intends to force her into marriage. (It's a long story!) It's Peck to the rescue, aided by an old buddy (Anthony Quinn). Energetically directed by Raoul Walsh, this is a film which keeps getting better as it goes, and Peck and Blyth have some truly lovely scenes together.

This post is adapted from an article originally published by ClassicFlix in February 2015.

Today at Disney California Adventure: Lunar New Year Celebration

We've had many (very welcome!) rainy days recently in Southern California, so I took advantage of a cool but clear day to head to Disney California Adventure for a few hours in order to enjoy the Lunar New Year Celebration.

I missed it last year as I was recuperating from surgery, so I wanted to be sure to catch this year's festival before it ends this weekend!

The festival has really grown, from a few decorations at Disneyland years ago and then from a handful of booths on San Francisco Street when the celebration moved to California Adventure in 2013.

Some of the Festival of Holidays food booths are repurposed to sell various types of Asian food during the festival, and Mulan's Procession has become more elaborate, as have the decorations.

There's also plenty of festival-specific merchandise on hand!

I love to collect Disneyland Resort buttons so was glad to pick up my Annual Passholder button today.

I was some distance away from the main performance of Mulan's Procession, but this photo at least gives an idea of what a beautiful day it was in Anaheim!

I hope to return again soon -- the Easter Egg hunt is right around the corner!

Have a great week!

Previously: Today at Disney California Adventure: Lunar New Year Celebration (February 5, 2017), Today at Disney California Adventure: 15th Anniversary and Lunar New Year (February 8, 2016); Today at Disney California Adventure: Lunar New Year (February 21, 2015); Today at Disney California Adventure: Lunar New Year (February 1, 2014); Today at Disney California Adventure: Lunar New Year (February 10, 2013); Today at Disneyland: Chinese New Year (January 27, 2012); Today at Disneyland (February 15, 2008).

The 2019 UCLA Festival of Preservation Opens Friday

The 2019 UCLA Festival of Preservation opens at the Billy Wilder Theater in Westwood this Friday morning, February 15th, at 9:00 a.m.

As I shared last month as part of a news link roundup, this year UCLA's biennial festival has a new format. Rather than a series of screenings spread over a month's time, this year's festival will be compressed into three days, February 15th-17th.

Screenings will start at 9:00 a.m. each morning and run into the wee hours, with the latest screening on the schedule starting at 11:20 p.m. on Friday.

I will be attending a pair of screenings on Friday, THE CROOKED WAY (1949), a John Payne film shot by John Alton which I reviewed in 2013, and THE MORTAL STORM (1940). THE MORTAL STORM stars James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, and Frank Morgan, who all appeared that same year in THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940), as well as Robert Stack and Robert Young.

Payne is seen here with Ellen Drew in THE CROOKED WAY.

Other interesting films showing this weekend include THE RED HOUSE (1947) and THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF (1951). Rory Calhoun and Julie London are seen here in THE RED HOUSE.

I was fortunate to see the world premiere of the restoration of THE RED HOUSE last year at the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival, and I also saw the new print of THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF at that festival. The Film Noir Foundation's Alan K. Rode, host of the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival, will be on hand at the Billy Wilder Theater to introduce THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF.

Alan will also introduce Lloyd Bridges and Barbara Payton in TRAPPED (1949), pictured here, which I'm anticipating will also be shown at the Noir City Hollywood Festival in March.

The complete schedule may be found at the UCLA Film & Television Archive website.

I'm curious how the new festival format will play out. I've really enjoyed attending the similarly formatted Cinecon the last couple years but feel that festival is somewhat more conducive to an all-weekend format; the Cinecon movies, generally from the silent era through the '50s, all seem geared for the same audience, with most of the films holding considerable appeal for me, and the titles are obscure enough that it's unlikely an attendee would have seen most of them. I saw a dozen films at Cinecon last year and all but one were completely new to me.

The UCLA Festival mixes everything from silent shorts, animation, Spanish-language horror, and film noir to newer films like OPERATION BOOTSTRAP (1968), GAY USA (1978), THE KILLING FLOOR (1985), and THE HOURS AND TIMES (1991), which are far outside my classic film era "wheelhouse." I wonder if others will feel the same or enjoy the ultra-diverse lineup!

Late start times such as 11:20 p.m., 10:20 p.m., and 10:11 p.m. are also not workable for me, commuting from Orange County. I have also typically skipped the latest start times at Cinecon for this reason.

As a side note, on Saturday afternoon, February 16th, I'll be at the Autry for a screening of THE TALL T (1957) hosted by Jeremy Arnold. We are truly fortunate to have so many wonderful classic film opportunities in the greater L.A. area.

Update: Here's a preview of the festival by Kenneth Turan at the Los Angeles Times.

A look back: The 2011 UCLA Festival of Preservation, The 2013 UCLA Festival of Preservation, The 2015 UCLA Festival of Preservation, and The 2017 UCLA Festival of Preservation.

Tonight's Movie: Heart of the North (1938) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

HEART OF THE NORTH (1938) is an early Technicolor "Northerner" about the Mounties. It's a Warner Bros. film which was just released on DVD by the Warner Archive.

Dick Foran stars as Sgt. Alan Baker of the RCMP. When Alan's friend and fellow Mountie Jim (Patrick Knowles) is shot by a group of thieves robbing the boat Jim is traveling on, Alan must search for the bad guys; this is complicated due to poor decisions by Alan's commanding officer (James Stephenson),as well as Alan's girlfriend Elizabeth (Gale Page) lying about the case in an effort to force Alan to leave the Mounties and rural life.

Eventually Alan and his pal Corporal Hardsock (Allen Jenkins) must make "unauthorized use" of a plane in order to see that justice is served.

HEART OF THE NORTH is listed at IMDb as the 18th three-strip Technicolor film to be released following the first Technicolor film, BECKY SHARP (1935), three years previously.

While the story and script are nothing at all special -- I've seen Foran "singing cowboy" "B" Westerns which were stronger -- the Warner Archive print is beautiful, and I mostly enjoyed the film just for its look. Shot by Wilfrid M. Cline and L. William O'Connell, the movie looks terrific, with many scenes filmed in the great outdoors.

Cedar Lake and Big Bear Lake seem to have been Hollywood "go to" locations to stand in for Canada in that era, as that area also appeared as Canada in Paramount's Technicolor film UNTAMED (1940) a couple years later.

The supporting cast includes Gloria Dickson (seen at left) as the girl who proves to be the right one for Alan, plus Russell Simpson, Joe Sawyer, and Pedro de Cordoba. Janet Chapman plays Knowles' orphaned daughter; while I usually enjoy and take great interest in child actors, I must admit that Chapman was fairly annoying, with her hyper-animated performance never seeming quite real.

HEART OF THE NORTH was directed by Lewis Seiler. It runs 83 minutes.

The Warner Archive DVD includes the trailer.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection at the WBShop or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

Tonight's Movie: Love, of Course (2018)

I've seen a number of very good Hallmark Channel movies over the past few years, and one of my newest favorites is LOVE, OF COURSE (2018).

LOVE, OF COURSE first aired on Hallmark last fall. It's the story of Amy (Kelly Rutherford of the much-loved early '90s series HOMEFRONT), a widow who as the movie begins is delivering her only child, Cara (Makenzie Vega of THE GOOD WIFE), to college in the Pacific Northwest.

An old friend (Sadie LeBlanc) at the college offers Amy a short-term job organizing the university's harvest festival, which Amy accepts after assuring that Cara won't feel a loss of independence if she temporarily stays in the area. The job brings Amy into regular contact with Noah (Cameron Mathison of A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER and the MURDER, SHE BAKED movies), a handsome agricultural professor.

Amy and Noah are clearly attracted to one another, but they are each hesitant to open up about their feelings. Amy feels as though she should return to California at the end of her contract, both because it's "home" and in order to give Cara her promised space, while Noah is considering accepting a job in Australia.

This is a most enjoyable film with characters and relationships which feel particularly "real" and authentic. Some of the moments between Amy and Cara, such as Amy wanting Cara to take her beloved stuffed animal to college and Cara feeling like she doesn't need to, seemed quite recognizable to me, having delivered four children to college dorms over the years. Being a Southern Californian with a daughter who went to college up in Oregon made it seem even more familiar!

The gentle development of the love story reminded me a bit of TRULY, MADLY, SWEETLY (2018), as a couple get to know one another while working on a project.

I also appreciate that Hallmark regularly features romances with more mature couples, telling a wide variety of stories, rather than only focusing on "young love."

I think the only thing about this film I wasn't quite sure I believed was Amy's very large, well-furnished rental house -- she must have found a short-term rental which was fully furnished? (Update: My dad suggests maybe it was rented from a professor on sabbatical -- that makes sense!)

LOVE, OF COURSE was directed by Lee Friedlander and filmed by Daniel Villeneuve in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

LOVE, OF COURSE is a charming "feel good" film which I recommend.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the internet...

...The latest book published by TCM and Running Press will be FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD: THE PRE-CODE ERA 1930-1934 by Mark A. Vieira. Vieira has written other excellent, lavishly illustrated books including HARLOW IN HOLLYWOOD and HOLLYWOOD DREAMS MADE REAL: IRVING THALBERG AND THE RISE OF MGM so I feel confident this book will be another good one.

...It was announced last week that Billy Crystal will be honored at a hand and footprint ceremony at the Chinese Theatre during this year's TCM Classic Film Festival.

...Coming soon: A review of the new Arrow Academy Blu-ray of MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (1945) starring Nina Foch. Extras include a commentary track by Alan K. Rode of the Film Noir Foundation. Arrow Academy is also releasing a Blu-ray of SO DARK THE NIGHT (1946) with a commentary by Farran Smith Nehme and Glenn Kenny.

...The Turner Classic Movies Noir Alley schedule for the next 12 months is now available online. Noir Alley returns to TCM in March, after 31 Days of Oscar. (P.S. I'm very excited that REPEAT PERFORMANCE, a film set on New Year's Eve which is a great favorite of mine, will be shown on December 28th!)

...No conversation candy hearts this year for Valentine's Day?!

...Kim of GlamAmor has shared pictures from her tour of the Oakridge Estate, once the home of Barbara Stanwyck and later the home of Jack Oakie.

...Trailers were recently released for two of this year's most anticipated movies: AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019) and FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW (2019). I burst out laughing at Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson's line in HOBBS & SHAW: "I'm trying to save the world, which for the record will be my fourth time." Can't wait to see both of them!

...A few days ago I revisited IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1953) starring Kenneth Tobey and Faith Domergue. What a fun movie! The first time I saw it I hadn't yet seen Tobey in THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951), and I feel having seen that in the intervening time gave me a whole new appreciation of him in IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA.

...I'm excited about the April release of an all-time favorite Western, BEND OF THE RIVER (1952), starring James Stewart and Julie Adams, who just passed away. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray will include a commentary track by Toby Roan of 50 Westerns From the 50s.

...Last month Raquel posted her latest list of upcoming classic film books at Out of the Past. Raquel puts a great deal of work into these lists, and I always find new treasures I didn't know about!

...Olivia de Havilland's lawsuit against FX has come to an end, with the Supreme Court denying review of the case last month.

...MoviePass is attempting to relaunch. Good luck with that...

...Great-looking Mid-Century-themed books coming this spring: THE MIDCENTURY KITCHEN by Sarah Archer and MID-CENTURY MODERN GRAPHIC DESIGN by Theo Inglis. Both are due out on May 7th.

...Also coming in May, from America's Test Kitchen: SPICED: UNLOCK THE POWER OF SPICES TO TRANSFORM YOUR COOKING. It's due out May 14th. I've recently been cooking from America's Test Kitchen's THE BEST MEXICAN RECIPES and highly recommend it.

...Hallmark has made its first announcements regarding this year's Christmas movie season.

...My fellow baseball fans may be interested in BALLPARK: BASEBALL IN THE AMERICAN CITY by Paul Goldberger, published by Penguin Random House on May 14th.

...Attention Southern Californians: A reminder that classic animated Disney films are playing at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood through March 3rd. Details may be found in my post...The Art Theatre on 4th Street in Long Beach will be showing SUNRISE (1927) on Valentine's Day, February 14th.

...Notable Passings: Two significant figures in the world of classic film have passed on: Documentary filmmaker Nick Redman, who was also the cofounder of the Twilight Time Blu-ray label, has died at 61, and Ron Hutchinson of The Vitaphone Project has passed on at 67. Ron also wrote for Classic Movie Hub, as recently as last month; as a matter of fact, I linked to his CMH article on THE BIG TRAIL (1930) in my November roundup.

...More Notable Passings: Dancer Nita Bieber has died at 92. She was in several films including MGM's SUMMER STOCK (1950), where she was bespectacled dancer Sarah Higgins. She also danced in KISMET (1955). She lived on Catalina Island off the coast of California for many years; here is a 2007 profile from The Catalina Islander...British actress Muriel Pavlow has passed on at the age of 97.

...For more links on classic movies and more, please check out my January 5th news roundup.

Enjoy the weekend, and have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: I Met My Love Again (1938) - A ClassicFlix Silver Series DVD Review

Henry Fonda and Joan Bennett star in I MET MY LOVE AGAIN (1938), a romantic drama recently released on DVD by ClassicFlix.

Julie (Bennett) and Ives (Fonda) fall in love as teenagers, and Julie promises to wait for Ives to graduate college and make something of himself before they marry.

Two years into their engagement, young Julie is increasingly bored and restless waiting for the rest of her life to begin, and when she meets writer Michael Shaw (Alan Marshal) one rainy night he sweeps her off her feet and they marry.

Michael and Julie move to Paris, but Michael turns out to be a no-good drunk who's killed in a preventable shooting accident. Julie attempts to support her daughter (Genee Hall), also named Michael, but she doesn't have a work permit and eventually returns home to her aunt (Dame May Whitty) in the United States.

A regretful Julie hopes to rekindle her romance with Ives, who's now a professor, but his mother (Dorothy Stickney) disapproves of Julie and a young student named Brenda (Louise Platt of STAGECOACH) who has a crush on Ives also makes things difficult. Brenda's infatuation with the professor doesn't sit well with her own admirer, fellow student Budge (Tim Holt).

Will true love conquer all?

This isn't an especially good film, but it's interesting enough to make it worth seeing; as a particular fan of Bennett and Holt I was very glad to have the opportunity to watch it.

Bennett is quite good, especially in the early scene where she confesses her love for Fonda and in a later sequence where her dreams of a rekindled romance seem to be coming true when Ives phones to ask her to a faculty dance. Fonda, on the other hand, is weirdly dazed through most of the film, playing a fairly milquetoast man pushed around by the women in his life -- including Brenda -- and then he periodically snaps to life.

The witchy, determined Platt keeps things lively as wealthy Brenda, though I must say I found the final automobile scene shared by Bennett and Platt over the top and even a bit confusing. I watched it wondering what on earth Bennett was doing! The story in general tends to lurch about in unexpected directions.

Holt shines in a warm-hearted role, though his attraction to Platt's Brenda is a bit inexplicable given her character, or lack thereof. Stickney and Hall are each quite annoying as Fonda's mother and Bennett's daughter, but Dame May Whitty is winning as Julie's supportive grandmother. Florence Lake also has a good role as Fonda's sister Carol.

All in all, it's a fast-moving 77 minutes which I enjoyed reasonably well despite its flaws. I'm glad that I had the chance to see it in as nice a print as possible thanks to ClassicFlix.

I MET MY LOVE AGAIN was directed by Joshua Logan and Arthur Ripley; IMDb also lists an uncredited George Cukor. It was filmed in black and white by Hal Mohr. David Hertz's screenplay was based on the novel SUMMER LIGHTNING by Allene Corliss.

I MET MY LOVE AGAIN was the second release of the ClassicFlix Silver Series line of DVDs. On the DVD case ClassicFlix explains the purpose of the Silver Series: "Knowing so many unseen and longed-for classics sit in studio vaults and other archives collecting dust, ClassicFlix established the Silver Series line to shine the light of day on such lesser-known titles by making them available in affordable DVD editions."

The ClassicFlix website also explains that Silver Series DVDs will be initially pressed, but when supplies run low they may then be MOD (manufactured on demand).

The print for I MET MY LOVE AGAIN isn't perfect, with lines here and there and a fairly soft picture at times, but it's entirely watchable and without distracting skips or jumps. Based on my past reading and informative cards regarding the print which appear on screen prior to the start of the film, this picture is a good deal better than anything which has been available in the past. I would be quite happy to watch other relatively obscure titles released in the future as part of the Silver Series.

There are no extras on the disc.

ClassicFlix has posted a trailer on YouTube.

Thanks to ClassicFlix for providing a review copy of this DVD.