Love Me or Leave Me
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Movie Reviews of Love Me or Leave Me
Movie Review: Doris Day at her Peak
Summary: 5 Stars
Doris Day was at the peak of her popularity when she signed on at MGM after a productive career at Warner Brothers to star with one of the screen's legendary tough guys to do a biopic of one of the twenties' leading nightclub singers. Gangster film legend James Cagney personally recommended Doris Day to star with him in "Love Me or Leave Me," indicating once more that great talent can spot the authentic article in others.
The 1955 release centered around the stormy life of twenties' singing sensation Ruth Etting, who worked her way from "dime a dance" parlors in Chicago to starring in productions of Flo Ziegfeld on Broadway. The picture operates on two levels, one exhibiting Day's brilliant talents as a singer and the other on an increasingly intensifying triangle situation involving Cagney and the man the singer really loves, played by Cameron Mitchell.
While it is obvious that Day as Etting never romantically loved the man who used his clout as a Chicago gangster to help move her up the ladder to stardom initially in Chicago and then New York, with Hollywood constituting the last stop, she felt such an overriding obligation that the star married the Windy City mobster Moe "The Gimp" Snyder. The nickname referred to the limp accompanying the mobster's walk.
An element of tension surfaces when Etting begins working with accompanist Johnny Alderman, played by Cameron Mitchell. While Snyder pays Alderman handsomely to fine tune the brilliant talents of the woman he discovered and loves, he is shrewd enough to realize that Etting holds romantic feelings for him and that this feeling is mutual.
In between tense moments regarding her personal life, which prompted her to take to drink, the singer wowed audiences with her talents. Day has never looked more gorgeous or sounded better as she sings a constellation of great hits from the Tin Pan Alley era of American song, including the film's title number, "Love Me or Leave Me" along with "Ten Cents a Dance" and the magnificent torch song, "I'll Never Stop Loving You," which provides additional significance since it registers the feelings of Etting and Alderman for each other.
Snyder's raging jealousy reaches its peak when his wife is in Hollywood working in films with Alderman as her accompanist and the mobster is in the process of opening a Hollywood nightclub. The film comes to its rousing thematic conclusion at that point.
All three principals of the story, Etting, Snyder and Alderman were alive when MGM was shooting the film and each was provided with script approval. By then Etting was living with husband Alderman in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where they lived out their lives after the singer's divorce from mobster Snyder.
Movie Review: Day in the performance that should have won her an Oscar...
Summary: 5 Stars
LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME features Doris Day giving THE performance of her entire career. Forget "Calamity Jane" and "Pillow Talk". If you want to see the sheer artistry and dramatic power of Day, not to mention some fabulous musical numbers, look no further than this gem. The film was based around the strange real-life personal/professional relationship of 1920s songbird Ruth Etting, and gangland personality Marty 'The Gimp' Snyder.
The story opens in Chicago during the 1920s. Small-time chorus girl Ruth Etting (Doris Day) meets gangland hustler Marty 'The Gimp' Snyder (James Cagney) who decides to help kickstart her singing career. Pretty soon, Etting has flown Chicago for the greener pastures of New York's "Ziegfeld Follies", but is forced to leave when Marty realises he'll lose all control of her. Hollywood beckons, but the stormy and violent relationship of Ruth and Marty endures...with horrifying consequences.
For the first (and only) time in his long career, James Cagney insisted Day's name be billed above his in the opening titles. This was indeed Day's breakthrough Hollywood role after years of playing the prim ingenue of musicals like "Lucky Me", "April in Paris", and "Lullaby of Broadway".
Musical arranger/conductor Percy Faith went back to the original hits of Ruth Etting and chose the ones which were best-suited to Day's voice ("My Blue Heaven", "Mean to Me", "Ten Cents a Dance", "I Cried for You"). In addition, two brand-new numbers were written especially for the film ("Never Look Back", and "I'll Never Stop Loving You"). Percy Faith also perfectly recreated the classic jazz and big-band sounds of the 20s' and 30s' with his orchestrations, performed so thrillingly by the resident M-G-M Studio Orchestra.
The new DVD release of the film also features two rare VitaPhone shorts starring the real Ruth Etting ("Roseland", and "A Modern Cinderella"); plus the 1955 M-G-M promotional featurette "A Salute to the Theatres", hosted by George Murphy and featuring clips from many of the main 1955 films (including "Love Me or Leave Me", "Jupiter's Darling", "The Glass Slipper", "The Prodigal", and more).
Movie Review: Doris Day: Greatest Pop Vocalist, Great Actress & Person !
Summary: 5 Stars
In the annals of pop music, musical films and outstanding entertainment careers few can match that of Doris Day, either in longevity or quality. Her naturally superb vocal talents were honed at a very early age (17) singing with top territorial big bands and ultimately with the great Les Brown Band of Renown with whom she had her first hit record, "Sentimental Journey", in 1945. That experience helped her develop the power, depth, phrasing and lyrical vocal style that made her the finest pop vocalist of all time. Nowhere is that talent more evident than in this Academy Award nominated film on the life of songstress Ruth Etting. Music wise the songs are incomparable as are the orchestrations and Doris' renditions. One need only to listen to the emotion and purity of "Never Look Back", "It All Depends On You" and "I'll Never Stop Loving You" with just piano accompaniment to hear how she had no rivals then, and especially now, in the vocal arena.
The film takes some liberties with facts and characterizations as all bio films do but who cares? The acting is first rate with Jimmy Cagney as the controlling minor league thug, Marty Snyder, Cameron Michell as her real love and musical director, Johnny, and veteran character actor, Robert Keith, as the faithful supporting booking agent. It is said that Cagney, who was nominated for his third Oscar as Snyder, had no qualms about getting second billing to the much younger Day.
As film bios go, this one is hard to beat. Outstnding talent, a great script, incredible music and outstanding musical performances puts "Love Me Or Leave Me" at the top of all music biographies. I first viewed this film in 1955 as a very young and impressionable kid. It has not lost a thing over time, especially when weighed against the tripe and fluff that eminates from Hollywood now. I recently got the soundtrack CD and it is outstanding in sound quality. Miss Day recently turned 81 and is still beautiful and active in Carmel California. This performance and her equally great 1951 performance in "Young Man With A Horn" remain my favorite Doris Day films.
Movie Review: Doris Days Greatest Triumph
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the most talented performers to come out of the big band era a wonderful singer, and pretty good dramatic actress,
Doris Day's performance as torch singer Ruth Etting is first class, ably assisted by such hugely talented people as "mean man" James Cagney - who for the only time in his career since his rise as a leading man in the 30's, agreed for Miss Day to have top billing, reasoning that her charcter was more central to the film than his, the psycho Marty "the Gimp" Snyder.
Joe Pasternak was Producer, and King Vidor directed.
Add to this the music of Sammy Cahn & the master Irving Berlin, beautiful songs which Miss Day really puts her heart and soul into, and you have the recipe for the great success of Love Me Or Leave Me in 1955 through to today.
The songs all stand up today (as you would expect) Ten Cents A Dance, Shakin' the Blues Away, I'll Never Stop Loving You,It All Depends On You,You Made Me Love You etc.
I've always thought this was Doris Day's best work, great songs,
and a well written dramatic role she could really get her teeth into. Roles as good as this don't come along too often, I know, but what a great pity she went down the path of poorly written, silly comedies,(like that other iconic,musical great, Elvis Presley)coming up for air rarely with an occasional good film.
Cagney requested her for this film - they had worked together once before in 1950's West Point Story - and he loved working with her.
As a footnote, both Miss Etting and Mr Snyder were given script approval before Love Me Or Leave Me went into production, and despite the rather unflattering picture painted of them in the film, neither objected - a sure sign of authenticity.
It's interesting to note Ruth Etting did remark however that she was never a dance hall girl, but clearly that section was added to accomodate the song Ten Cents A Dance.
A wonderful movie, a must have for fans and music lovers alike
Movie Review: The things some do for love!
Summary: 5 Stars
A curious love affair establishes itself when a racketeer from Chicago falls in love with a promising emerging singer. He makes the best he can to lead her to the top in U.S.A. She refuses to become her mistress despite of the fact the untiring efforts he makes to lead her to the highest stages in the country and even make of her an actress in Hollywood due his contacts. On the contrary she is in love with her musical's partner; a humble but talented pianist(Cameron Mitchell).
This amorous triangle will involve you from start to finish, not only because combines the most powerful performance of Doris Day along her career, but the alluring charm she exhibits all along the songs she sings. Doris Day was the embodiment of the feminine charm without the rampant sexuality of Marylyn Monroe, Jane Russell or Kim Novak. Her attraction was a sample of enraptured charm and gentle gaze, delicate maternal scent and notable skills for the dance. Although obviously she didn't belong to the major league of Ginger Rogers, Judy garland or Shirley Mac Laine, she kept - as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn or Susan Hayward - a golden place in the affective memory of that generation. The sum of all these factors seduced Hitchcock (who made with her The man who knew too much). Her notable skills leaded eventually to the comedy genre with excellent results. That's why that dramatic role fitted so well her -taking into account he was with James Cagney- a sacred monster of acting by then.
Drama, humour, mature situations and brilliant musical stages conform a film worthy to watch from start to finish. Don't miss it!