mark.waltz Charles Laughton plays John Sheridan, a legendary Broadway actor who is playing his final performance of "Cyrano De Bergerac". Desperate for a vacation, he eludes inquiries about who his next leading lady will be. But a waitress named Kim Walker (Deanna Durbin) already has her eye set on Sheridan, and fools him into getting his signature (which he thinks is an autograph) on a letter of introduction. Soon it is believed that middle-aged Sheridan and young Ms. Walker are an item, and when Sheridan finds out about the scheme, he pretends to get along with it, only so he can get out of it gracefully. But Kim's pal Nora (the always delightful Helen Broderick) has a trick up her sleeve to keep Kim's name in the papers linked to Sheridan. Soon, Kim is cast as his new leading lady, finding a disgruntled playwright, Paul Taylor (Franchot Tone), out to sabotage her.For one thing, the storyline seems totally forced. Today, Durbin's Kim Walker would be considered a celebrity stalker and social climber, but here, she's a media darling. Other than a pretty version of "Danny Boy", Durbin's few songs are rather forgettable, and she really doesn't seem like someone who might be the new Jessica Tandy of Broadway. The play within the movie also seems rather corny, and the forced romance between Durbin and Tone is false as well. As with "Nice Girl?", they seem totally wrong for each other, he a bit long in the tooth for her, and she too immature for someone of his sophistication. Donald Meek adds some funny moments as Laughton's valet, but for the most part, the supporting cast (not including Broderick) can't rise above the material. What really lowers my rating for this film is the really unbelievable ending that is out of place even in the golden age of Hollywood.

greendale66 "The film is only let down by Durban's (sic) terrible singing." . . . Now that's a good one! Deanna Durbin was catapulted to national prominence in her first appearance on the Eddie Cantor radio hour - at the age of 14 - as a singer. That program elicited 4,000 letters of praise, and off she took like a rocket. Her films were enormously popular, and she sang in every one. She changed the course of operatic singing and single-handedly inspired a whole new generation of opera singers. The list of her professional musical admirers is as long as your arm and includes Lily Pons, Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland, who said,"I wish I knew how she did it." Rostropovich, the great Russian cellist, said he was inspired to capture with his cello the same purity and clarity that he found in Durbin's singing. Mel Torme said Durbin was "phenomenal." He said she could sing anything you put in front of her and do it to perfection. I am rarely able to endure operatic singing, but Durbin is so good at everything, I'd rush to listen to her call hogs if given the chance.

clarabelledowns-91-319174 Deanna Durbin has perhaps the most beautiful singing voice in the history of this planet. I never leave reviews but had to say something upon reading the review of the ignoramus who spoke of her singing in--to put it politely--disparaging terms. To you, sir, madam, or whatever else you could possibly be, do the human race a favor and please resign from it. That act alone would probably bring peace and sanity to a world sadly in need of it.There's a reason she alone saved Universal Studios from bankruptcy. Because 60 years ago, people actually had ears, eyes, and brains. God save us all.

theowinthrop In 1941 Charles Laughton appeared in a nice little comedy, IT STARTED WITH EVE, about a multi-millionaire who (on his deathbed) is introduced by his son to the girl the son will marry. But the son (Bob Cummings) can't produce his real fiancé, so he hires Deanna Durbin to appear as a substitute. He figures his father won't survive the night, so why not do him a last favor to make his passing more comfortable. The problem in that comedy was Laughton recovers, and his doctor (Walter Catlett) insists that the substitution continue until Laughton regains his physical strength.IT STARTED WITH EVE was a good successful comedy. Five years later, Laughton and Durbin (but not Cummings and Catlett) joined together again in BECAUSE OF HIM. Laughton is John Sheridan, a prominent stage star, who meets Durbin. Or rather she intrudes into his life - this film is like an early version of ALL ABOUT EVE, except that Durbin does not have a vicious selfish streak like Anne Baxter had. Laughton and playwright Franchot Tone slowly develop Durbin's talent, so that she ends up starring opposite Laughton in Tone's latest play. But she is also aware that she is increasingly attracted to Tone, and Laughton is increasingly attracted to her.Oddly enough it is not a bad triangle. Laughton does not force Durbin to become his lover, nor does he play on her guilt feelings. He seeks to win her by his affectionate nature and honest feelings. This leads to at least one funny moment. After a rehearsal, the night before the play is to open, Laughton starts talking about E.H.Southern and Julia Marlowe, one of the finest husband and wife Shakespearean teams of the 19th Century. Durbin realizing what this type of talk may lead to starts talking rapidly about nonentity married couples (with made up names like Hinckley and Schwabs or whatever) who never recovered their acting skills after they got married. Laughton, of course has never heard of these made up stage teams, so he does not know how to respond to this barrage of "facts". Durbin is very happy to get out of the conversation with such relative ease.It is not as well known as their first film, but BECAUSE OF HIM is a good movie. It was also the last time Laughton and Durbin ever appeared together. It was good that this time they were able to play a more intimate relationship than the father-in-law/daughter-in-law they played in IT STARTED WITH EVE. And the resolution of the story actually showed a sense of maturity that is to be respected as well.