Tonight's Movie: Second Honeymoon (1937)

SECOND HONEYMOON is an engaging piece of nonsense which finds Tyrone Power and Loretta Young contemplating giving love another chance.

The movie begins in promising fashion, with Ty and Loretta embracing on a moonlit balcony. We soon learn, however, that they are divorced; Loretta is now married to a staid businessman (Lyle Talbot), but secretly seems to be pining for Husband No. 1, who is clearly interested in winning her back.

It's a fun piece of '30s escapism, with the fabulously dressed idle rich romancing against the background of lovely resorts. The movie provides its audience with a good time as well as the pleasure of watching two beloved actors when they were incredibly young and gorgeous. Power was roughly 23 and Young about 24 when the movie was made.

While watching a moonlit sequence with enormous closeups of two of the most beautiful people who ever graced the movies, I couldn't help but muse how remarkable it is that although these actors are no longer with us, because they stood in front of a camera over seven decades ago a part of them continues to live on for us to enjoy. Every so often I'm simply struck anew with appreciation for movies.

SECOND HONEYMOON runs 78 minutes and was shot in black and white. The supporting cast includes Stuart Erwin, Claire Trevor, and Marjorie Weaver. One of Weaver's best-known roles was that of Mary Todd Lincoln in John Ford's YOUNG MR. LINCOLN (1939). A fun bit of trivia: The last Power-Young movie I watched, LOVE IS NEWS (1937), featured Pauline Moore, the actress who appeared in YOUNG MR. LINCOLN as Ann Rutledge.

SECOND HONEYMOON was directed by longtime Fox director Walter Lang, who made many wonderful musicals and comedies. Lang films previously reviewed here include LOVE BEFORE BREAKFAST (1936), WEEK-END IN HAVANA (1941), SONG OF THE ISLANDS (1942), and STATE FAIR (1945). Among Lang's other notable films are THE LITTLE PRINCESS, MOTHER WORE TIGHTS, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, SITTING PRETTY, WITH A SONG IN MY HEART, and THE KING AND I.

SECOND HONEYMOON can be seen on DVD in the new 10-film Tyrone Power Matinee Idol Collection. The set includes three of Power and Young's five films; CAFE METROPOLE is included in addition to LOVE IS NEWS and SECOND HONEYMOON. The other Power-Young films are LADIES IN LOVE and SUEZ. It would be wonderful if another box of Power movies is released in the future including those titles.