It Started with Eve (1941) User Reviews

A Miracle Can Happen

[lugonian · 9/10 · 5 January 2008]

IT STARTED WITH EVE (Universal, 1941), directed by Henry Koster, stars popular singer Deanna Durbin in one of her finest movie roles. Not quite a Biblical tale about Adam and Eve and the apple as the title might imply, nor is there any character in the story named Eve, but actually a comedy of errors in the screwball comedy tradition providing Durbin, still in her late teenage years, an opportunity in a more adult performance, with fine support by the diverse Charles Laughton in a character role that's both funny and touching, and Robert Cummings as a young man caught in the middle of a series of situations and having a difficult time coming up with a suitable explanations.

The scenario revolves around Jonathan Reynolds (Charles Laughton) a middle-aged millionaire on his death bed whose final request is to meet the young lady engaged to his son, Johnny (Robert Cummings). To make his father's last days on Earth a pleasant one, Johnny rushes out into the rain to get his fiancé only to learn from the desk clerk that she and her mother are not available. Not wanting to waste any more valuable time, Johnny encounters a hat check girl (Deanna Durbin) and offers her $50 to return home with him and pose as his fiancée for about an hour. Explaining the circumstances at hand, she agrees. Masquerading as "Gloria Pennington," the girl, Anne Terry, meets the ailing Mr. Reynolds, who takes an immediate liking to her. After their union, the old man finds his son to be in good hands, and can now die in peace. The following morning, Jonathan miraculously recovers from his illness, gets out of bed demanding a large breakfast from his servants and for Johnny to bring "Gloria" back to visit with him. Complications ensue when Johnny not only has to locate Anne, who's about to take the next train back home to Shelbyville, Ohio, but to explain to the real Gloria (Margaret Tallichet) and her mother (Catherine Doucet), having returned from their trip, the situation that has occurred. Things become even more complex when Johnny tries to prevent his father from learning Anne not to be his fiancée, and keeping Anne from attending his father's dinner function where she wants to audition for his theatrical agent friends in hope to land a singing career.

A highly enjoyable comedy with an original premise done at a leisurely pace with a couple of classical songs thrown in for good measure making use of Deanna Durbin's singing talent, including Peter Tchaikowsky's "The Tchaikowsky Waltz" and Antonin Dvorak's "Going Home." Supporting players consist of Guy Kibbee as Bishop Maxwell; Walter Catlett as Dr. Harvey, the nervous family physician; Dorothea Kent as Jackie Donovan, Anne's roommate; Clara Blandick as The Nurse; and comedian Mantan Moreland adding humor as the harassed train station baggage man.

Obviously a high point in Durbin's career that did very well at box office, it's interesting to note that a fun movie such as this is not relatively better known. Durbin and Cummings do well in the roles that might have been tailer-made for Irene Dunne and Cary Grant for example. However, the characters of Anne Terry and Johnny Reynolds were obviously written for much younger performers as enacted by Durbin and Cummings.

IT STARTED WITH EVE did play for a while on American Movie Classics (1992-93) about the same time it was distributed on video cassette by MCA Home Video. The Hans Kraly story was redone by Universal as I'D RATHER BE RICH (1964) featuring Sandra Dee, Robert Goulet and Maurice Chevalier, with a few alterations, but like the original, has been lost to cinema history, known mostly by film scholars and historians. Even with the original currently available on DVD and latter cable broadcast on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: December 30, 2013) might offer IT STARTED WITH EVE some new life to a new generation of movie lovers looking for something amusing, nostalgic as well as lighthearted entertainment by its three principal actors. (***1/2).

Deanna the invincible !

[thomreid · 9/10 · 25 May 2010]

She was a great singer; and this film proves she was an engaging, charming actress as well. She more than holds her own with the incomparable Laughton (only 41 when he made this) and is paired very well with "Uncle" Bob Cummings (so well remembered for his 50s sitcom.)And there are some great supporting players on hand: Walter Catlett, Clara Blandick, Irving Bacon, etc.

This is a winning combination film, somewhat derivative of others in the past, but fresh in many ways. One reviewer mentioned the set design and one wonders what it would have been like in color. The costumes are also pretty special.

Deanna only made a handful of films, but this is one of the best. A real feel good time. Enjoy!

Deanna Durbin and Charles Laughton, an unlikely pairing in a movie, deliver the goods in It Started With Eve

[Terrell-4 · 7/10 · 27 January 2008]

Would anyone not take a bet that a 20-year-old young woman would be mincemeat if she tried to take a film away from the skilled and hammy hands of Charles Laughton, especially when Laughton, to modern eyes, looks suspiciously like he's playing Tim Conway playing one of Conway's old, tottering geezers? It Started With Eve, an attractive romantic comedy, stars Deanna Durbin, Robert Cummings and Charles Laughton. It was a shame Laughton wasn't a few years younger. He and Durbin turn out to be quite a pair, both of them adept at delivering smart lines, doing subtle double-takes or moving from subversive good cheer to tear-jerker moments of sincerity. They dominate the film and they do it as equals. Robert Cummings was a skilled light-weight lead. Here. as in so many of his films, he just doesn't have the leading-man gravitas to appear as anything but an earnest puppy. When he shares a scene with either Laughton or Durbin, he makes a pleasant second banana.

It Started With Eve begins with Jonathan Reynolds (Laughton), a rich old tycoon, apparently on his death bed. When his son, Jonathan Junior (Cummings), comes rushing in from a trip to Mexico, old Jonathan asks to meet young Jonathan's new fiancé, who has come to New York with him, accompanied by her mother. Young Jonathan tries to contact his fiancé, can't reach her, and believing his father is now dying, happens upon Anne Terry (Durbin), a hat-check girl. He rushes Anne to the side of his father and introduces her as his fiancé. But the next day his father recovers. Now young Jonathan has his fiancé he can't let his father meet, and his father wants to keep seeing Anne, thinking she's the fiancé. The movie's an hour-and-a- half of mistaken identity and screw-ball encounters. Love finally wins out, but only after Laughton plays matchmaker and Durbin sings two or three songs. Along the way we have some clever lines ("The trouble with being sick is you have to associate with doctors!"), a good deal of skullduggery as Laughton contrives to smoke the cigars his doctor forbids him, and a fast pace set by director Henry Koster. Laughton, of course, overacts but gets away with it. He also has a comb-up hair style that, if he were a foot shorter, would let him pass for a munchkin. He does a lot of stooped-over shuffling, squinting from under his eye- brows, and little bits of business that we wind up hardly noticing when Durbin is around. She must have been quite a challenge for him. Durbin, at 20, is no longer the child star. She's well-nigh gorgeous, with a figure that could make staring illegal. She is natural and straight- forward, and completely self-assured. She's one of the few actresses who could get away with sniffing mightily or falling down next to a piano and make us smile just at her style. She was, in a word or two, sui generis. And for those who admire subversive scene-stealers, the movie has that master, Walter Catlett, playing Dr. Harvey. Catlett was in hundreds of films, usually playing blowhards or flustered shysters. He's a bit subdued here, but just the sound of his voice is enough to make me smile.

The movie is a bit of froth, expertly served. If it's a little dated, well, so am I.

Deanna's best

[aberlour36 · 10/10 · 24 August 2009]

This little heralded musical comedy is Deanna Durbin's best film and is arguably the finest film of its kind ever produced by Universal studio. It is a gem from start to finish, featuring first-rate acting by Durbin, Cummings, and Laughton (who comes close to stealing the entire movie), good music, and an excellent script. One thinks of what Durbin might have made had she worked for MGM. Still, even though Universal was part of "poverty row," the movie enjoyed a decent budget, providing sets and outdoor scenes of a first class quality. Deanna was only 20, and her youth and exuberant singing and piano playing reach heights rarely seen on the screen. You do not want to miss this one. These days it is usually encountered as part of the Deanna Durbin "Sweetheart Pack," which is well worth the money.

Funny, Engaging Comedy With Deanna Durbin, Charles Laughton, & More

[Snow Leopard · 4 August 2004]

With Deanna Durbin's charm, Charles Laughton's energy, a decent supporting cast, and a worthwhile story, "It Started With Eve" is a funny and engaging comedy. It may seem like a weird idea to pair such dissimilar talents as Durbin and Laughton, but it does work. As Laughton's son, Robert Cummings gets mostly straight lines, but he performs his role well, and Walter Catlett also has some good moments as a rather high-strung doctor.

The story starts out a little slowly, but once it gets rolling it is interesting. It also has some thoughtful moments, as the characters try to figure out how to deal with all the dilemmas that start when Cummings's character has to improvise a way of comforting his seriously ill father. The actual plot developments are insubstantial in themselves, but are generally used to good effect. It could have been played as an all-out screwball comedy, but here the more balanced approach seems to work at least as well.

The movie builds up steam as things develop, and saves some of the best moments for the climactic sequence. It's a successful combination that makes for enjoyable viewing.

Delicious comedy!

[janhunt-1 · 10/10 · 16 November 2004]

This is an absolutely delicious film!

Laughton steals the show as always, in a role similar to the one Walter Connolly played in "It Happened One Night". If you love 40's films and mistaken identity plots, you won't be disappointed. Deanna Durbin was perfectly cast and has a lovely rapport with Laughton. She is radiant when singing, and her voice is natural and beautiful. At the age of 27, she walked away from stardom to have a secluded life. We can at least be thankful for the films she made.

A real gem from start to finish!

A Nice Little Comedy for Laughton, Durbin, and Cummings

[theowinthrop · 7/10 · 6 June 2005]

Charles Laughton had a personality that was totally dominating, as one can see in his greatest performances as Henry VIII, Captain Bligh, Quasimodo, Sir Wilfred Robards, Henry Horatio Hobson. But he knew (for the most part) when to control his more hammy moments. It is unfair to compare him with his sometime co-star Robert Newton, as Newton had an alcohol problem not shared by Laughton. But Newton's overblown, drunken performances (like his BLACKBEARD) are never matched by Laughton, the consummate professional. Laughton could do a role badly due to poor script or direction. Commander Sturm, the jealous submarine commander married to Talullah Bankhead, is one of his worse parts. But they are usually early roles. Once he was established he rarely made such missteps.

IT STARTED WITH EVE is not one of Laughton's greatest film parts, but it is a feel good comedy. He plays Jonathan Reynolds Sr., a multi-millionaire who is on his death bed. He only wants to see his son (Bob Cummings) and his son's fiancé once before he dies. But the fiancé is not in New York City yet (she will be the next day). So Cummings takes a hat check girl (Deanna Durbin) with him to introduce to his father as "Gloria" his fiancé. Unfortunately, Durbin's personality is very pleasing to the old man - and his spirits rising, his health improves. This brings all sorts of complications up, not even just for Cummings and Durbin.

For example,a side issue in the first half hour of the film - two harpies from the national museum are there to make a death mask of Mr. Reynolds. They are sitting quietly waiting for the good news (that Reynolds is dead and they can make their death mask). Every time it looks promising, they perk up - only to be forced to wait longer. Then, when Durbin plays the piano and sings for Laughton, he gets out of bed to hear it. The two men realize that this is hopeless, and pack up and leave.

Cummings' character is faulted for not confronting his father with the truth, and turning wimpish. It is not quite fair. The doctor (Walter Catlett) feels that Laughton's health has to rebuild itself for awhile before the truth can be revealed, and he convinces Cummings not to tell Laughton that Durbin is not his future daughter-in-law.

All three leads actually blend quite nicely, Laughton's tendency to dominate reduced because he is recovering from his illness (although his booming dominance reappears once, when he gets impatient with Cummngs not supposedly forgetting a quarrel with Durbin, and starts shouting, "Say you forgive her, say you forgive her" in his best Bligh tones). Durbin, who was a good actress when the right part came her way, easily ingratiates herself with Laughton by being his lookout when he smokes his forbidden cigars. Cummings trying to figure out how to break up with the false "Gloria", and to reintroduce the real "Gloria" actually is not so wimpish at just pathetically unable to carry out any of his schemes successfully. Add to the three Walter Catlett, here playing a decent doctor who has gotten onto Laughton's nerves (because of his forcing Laughton to lose weight and to stop smoking) gives a fine performance as he is slowly driven to distraction by his patient's antics. Not a great film, but a good example of a studio inspired comedy that is well worth watching.

It Started with Eve: It will never end for me

[MovieZoo · 10/10 · 2 September 2009]

1941, an old man, once living the high-life, is now dying. His son returns home for what may be his last visit to his dear old father. When father and son once again meet, your eyes will likely start to swell as they talk softly and tenderly. Their nostalgic talk turns to the present with the father asking to meet his son's bride-to-be. With the old man's dying request fresh in our memories, the son rushes to the hotel to get his wife at the hotel. Unable to find his wife, he talks the coat-check girl at the hotel into accompanying him home as the woman his father had not yet met. The deception, well intended and light-hearted, becomes the story and evolves beautifully to the benefit of everyone – especially the viewer.

What at first starts out to appear as a serious drama, quickly becomes a great comedy. This is a believable, human story with emotion, music and love that can make nostalgia appear not so nostalgic while even causing one to hope for a remake of this movie. Every main character earns its own level of adoration so easily, it takes no effort to relate.

Charles Laughton plays a comical, aging, old fart who is brought back to life because of his admiration for the woman he believes to be his future daughter-in-law. Always known as a great actor, he appeared to be having a lot of fun while giving us his all. He is easily the most comical character and, just as easily, the most loved.

Robert Cummings was truly at his best as well. While I cannot say I know a lot about his movies, I have seen some of his other movies and some reruns of his TV shows. I remember enjoying what he did. He effortlessly switches from the saddened son to the man in the middle, frustrated with a plot gone wrong.

Now for the reason I even looked at this movie – Deanna Durbin. She has one of the best voices, ever! Yes, singing styles have changed, but her clarity and tone win her a place in my heart forever(despite our age differences). Back to the movie, her character was simply fun, quirky, adorable and desirable. While being used to make Cummings' character and his father happy, she eventually becomes the one to save. While her situation with loneliness and doubt looms, her music and charm so pleases the old man, he has to do something to help her while not letting her know that he knows she is not really who she at first pretended to be. Her emotional moments are her best. Singing a song the old man requests, her tears nearly tore me up and then in the next scene, her fits of hysterical laughter just as easily rip at the soul.

I do encourage anyone who likes 40's style movies to see this. I have seen a few of Durbin's movies but, so far, this was the best in style, story and quality. This movie gets a 10 from me. Excuse me while I dry my tears.

Pass the cigars

[AAdaSC · 7/10 · 30 April 2015]

Wealthy socialite Charles Laughton (Mr Reynolds) is on his deathbed. His son Robert Cummings (Johnny) comes to his bedside and Laughton has a final wish - he would like to see his son's fiancée. Cummings rushes out to get his fiancée Margaret Tallichet (Gloria) but he can't find her. In a desperate moment he asks hat-check girl Deanna Durbin (Anne) to stand in and pretend to be Gloria. Laughton takes a liking to Durbin and problems arise the next morning when Laughton starts to improve. How long can the pretence be maintained? Especially as Laughton keeps calling for Durbin….

This film is funny and easy-going. All the cast are good, the best being Deanna Durbin and the worst, for me, was Robert Cummings and his slightly wimpy nature – he is playing for farce and I think he just goes a little over the top. He just rushes around a little too much. There is also a good performance from Catherine Doucet as Mrs Pennington. Her manner is spot on with her disapproval of the proceedings and her habit of fiddling with her pearl necklace to exhibit her anger and anxiety is perfectly executed.

As regards the story, it's complete nonsense so just go with it. The characters provide the comedy to keep things going, although you have to feel sorry for Margaret Tallichet. She hasn't done anything! She is definitely given harsh treatment in this film. You could even go as far as to say that Deanna Durbin is the evil one – hence the title referring to Eve.

As for the music interludes, Deanna only sings one turkey – "Going Home". It comes at a sentimental point in the film and so it helps to lay on that rubbish quite thick. Can't stand nonsense like that. However, her other two songs, both sung with her piano accompaniment are an enjoyable experience, especially the Spanish one. And she has an entertaining Conga dance scene with Charles Laughton towards the end of the film.

lovely Deanna, wonderful film

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 8 August 2012]

Let's see - you're a classically trained singer with a gorgeous voice, you're pretty, a good actress, highly paid...and all you want is to get out of show business.

That's Deanna Durbin's story, and thank goodness, she didn't get her wish until she made films like "It Started with Eve," also starring Charles Laughton and Robert Cummings.

Durbin plays Anne Terry, a hat check girl trying to make it as a classical singer. One night, she is drafted by Johnny Reynolds Jr. (Cummings) who believes his father (Laughton) is dying. His father has insisted on meeting his fiancée, but when Johnny returns to the hotel to find her, she and her mother (Margaret Tallichet and Catherine Doucet) aren't in their room. Desperate, he offers Anne money if she will pose as his fiancée. Anne wants to return home to her family, so the money will come in handy. She accompanies him to his father's deathbed.

Well, Jonathan Reynolds Sr. rallies! He's not going to die, and his son may well -- he now has two fiancées. Jonathan Sr. plans a party for all his high falutin' friends, including people like Leopold Stokowski, to meet Anne and to have her sing for them.

Johnny Jr. is in a pickle and tells Anne that he will say that they broke up and then introduce his father to his real fiancée, whom Reynolds Sr.'s doctor will bring to the house. But Anne wants to sing at the party, so after he announces the big breakup, Anne rushes in and begs forgiveness.

Robert Cummings, a huge star in television, was usually second tier in films. He always excelled in comedy, and he does a great job here. Laughton, playing a man who's supposedly dying, looks quite gaunt and is, of course, marvelous as a man who has a great relationship with Anne and grows fond of her.

Deanna Durbin herself acts and sings like a dream and looks beautiful. Her warm personality shines through. She sings "Clavelitos," "Goin' Home," "When I Sing," and "Ahi, viene la conga" impressively.

"It Started with Eve," is a fast-moving, fun, highly entertaining film with moments of poignancy. This film marked the end of Deanna Durbin's work with producer Joe Pasternak and director Henry Koster; Pasternak went to MGM, and Deanna went on suspension for turning down a script. In the end, she was given approval of her directors, stories and songs.

Hard to believe this songbird, now 90, retired at the age of 26 and never looked back. It's a tribute to her that 64 years post-retirement, Deanna Durbin still has plenty of fans.

The Reports Of His Death Are Greatly Exaggerated

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 16 November 2010]

Although this was a Deanna Durbin movie and she does sing a few songs in the film, It Started With Eve is completely stolen by Charles Laughton playing Robert Cummings's father. Laughton is in the kind of role normally reserved for someone like Charles Coburn, but Laughton does make the most of it.

It Started With Eve does start out solemn enough, Laughton is on his deathbed and his last wish is to see the girl whom his son Robert Cummings has been engaged to. Cummings being a dutiful son endeavors to get his fiancé Margaret Tallichet to Laughton's deathbed for the old man's last request. But a mixup leaves Cummings without meeting Tallichet and with time running out, he offers a hatcheck girl Deanna Durbin $50.00 to come home and pretend to be his fiancé. What girl couldn't use an honest $50.00 so Deanna agrees.

But she so captivates Laughton upon meeting him that the old guy gets a new lease on life. I think you can figure the rest of this situation out and how the film ends.

Of course Deanna is an aspiring singer, that's a given in her early films. She does do a few numbers, but I have a feeling she may have had more in It Started With Eve, but the people at Universal Studios saw that Laughton was stealing the film and may have cut a few of her songs. Of course she stayed with top billing because until Abbott&Costello arrived on the scene with Buck Privates, Durbin was their chief money making star at Universal Pictures.

It Started With Eve was Laughton's first comedy since Ruggles Of Red Gap and in his scenes he steals all, but the furniture. His facial expressions are priceless. What a foxy scheming old man he was, determined to see Cummings marry Durbin or have Durbin in the family one way or another. I do believe if it came to it, he'd have married Durbin himself.

All in all like Richard Bennett in If I Had A Million, Laughton plays another millionaire who starts the film on his deathbed, but by the end of it has plenty of reason to live. The reports of his death are greatly exaggerated, but the laughs in It Started With Eve are not.

It's a lot of fun.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 11 June 2014]

While "It Started With Eve" is not a perfect film, it is an extremely enjoyable one--thanks mostly to characters played by Charles Laughton and Deanna Durbin.

The film begins with Johnny Reynolds (Bob Cummings) rushing to see his dying father, Jonathan Sr. (Charles Laughton). However, Johnny's fiancé isn't available but the old man demands to meet her before he dies. So, Johnny quickly concocts a plan--to get some woman pretend to be his fiancé. The woman picked for this is Anne Terry (Deanna Durbin) and she turns out to be extremely sweet. In fact, the old man is so taken with her that he suddenly recovers! This, of course, is a serious problem as now either Anne and Johnny need to tell him the truth OR they need to really get married. In a funny twist, the manipulative old guy learns of the ruse and continues to pretend that Anne is his future daughter- in-law. Why? Well, he likes her and thinks she'd make a dandy member of the family. What's next, while very funny and charming, does defy logic just a bit. After all, Johnny is a bit of a yutz and his falling for Anne at the end really wasn't written as well as it should have been. BUT, the stuff leading up to it was so sweet and well done that I was more than willing to cut the film slack. Clearly this is one of Miss Durbin's best films and it holds up great today.

It's not "All About Eve" or her "Three Faces", and she ain't no "Lady!"

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 21 November 2011]

Wealthy Robert Cummings is engaged to an uppity socialite who is out of town on vacation when Cummings finds out that his wealthy father (Charles Laughton), one of the richest men in America, is supposedly on his deathbed. He hires a double (Deanna Durbin) to pose as her so the old man can die happy. But Laughton (looking realistic in old age make-up and with a convincing elderly strut) doesn't die. Meeting Durbin has revised his zest for life, and he demands to see her again after Cummings has sent her on her way out of New York and hopefully out of his life. Cummings' fiancée and her pearl-twirling mama (played by W.C. Fields' frequent butt of jokes, Catherine Doucet) arrive, but Cummings must continue the facade to pacify his papa. By a twist of fate, Laughton learns of the scheme, and pretends he hasn't recovered so he can continue to get Cummings and Durbin together.

This entertaining screwball comedy with a couple of light-hearted songs for Durbin is overloaded with silliness, but is pleasing on many levels, particularly for the lively performances of Laughton and Durbin. Walter Catlett is hysterically funny as Laughton's doctor who gets progressively as ill as Laughton was while his patient recovers. A lively squabble between Durbin and Cummings leads to a hysterically funny chase sequence around a huge dining table with a living room chair an active prop. In smaller roles, Guy Kibbee and Clara Blandick are memorable as a local preacher and Laughton's Miss Preen like nurse. In their few scenes together, Laughton and Blandick (best known as Auntie Em in "The Wizard of Oz") reminded me of Monty Woolley and Mary Wickes in the same year's "The Man Who Came to Dinner". There is a nice gag near the film's close that is sure to leave the viewer with a giant smile.

Delightful to watch.

[cmyklefty · 28 December 2001]

It Started with Eve is my favorite Deanna Durbin movie. I owned this movie on video, also I have Nice Girl? and His Butler Sister. They do not compare with this film. Deanna plays a hat-check girl in a hotel who poses as Robert Cummings' future bride for his dying father. Charles Laughton plays Cummings' father in the film suddenly get better. Cummings does not know how to tell the father when the real bride arrives. Besides acting Deanna is singing during the movie. Nice to watch and relax on a rain or snowy day.

Deanna's best

[jjnxn-1 · 10/10 · 8 May 2012]

Charming comedy marks the high point of Deanna Durbin's career. As a sweet girl caught up in a ridiculous situation she is completely winning matched with the great Charles Laughton having a whale of a time as the supposedly sick but determined father of Robert Cummings.

Speaking of Cummings he was never more than a light comic leading man, he could be adequate from time to time in drama: Saboteur is a good example of that, but he is funny here as the flummoxed son trying to do the right thing but pulled in different directions.

As good as he is this belongs to Deanna and Laughton. She is sassy, looks great and sings like a dream. On top of that she delivers an assured comic performance and manages to hold the screen against Laughton which isn't easy to do especially when he is in full on imp mode as he is here. He is flat out hilarious always with a twinkle in his eye.

Margaret Tallichet who plays Bob's fiancée whose delay sets the whole plot in motion only made one more film after this retiring to spend many happy years as the wife of William Wyler. She makes a good showing but is sidelined by Catherine Doucet playing her grasping necklace twirling mother.

What a Voice!!

[GeoPierpont · 8/10 · 31 December 2013]

How did I miss the talent of Deanna after all these years, I swore it was not her actually singing in this film it was so highly professional and exceptionally beautiful! My dear grandfather admitted this was his favorite actress and was always curious as to why...

At first glance she does not appear to be your typical Hollywood beauty, so natural, youthful, and unsophisticated. Then you see her interact with the immense talent that is Charles Lawton and a few songs and one crazy dance later you are mesmerized.

How sorry I am not to have followed-up on grandfathers declaration over half a century ago, but hopefully she had a long, fulfilling life and I have finally had the opportunity to appreciate her lovely talents.

High recommend for a voice better than Judy's!!

Laughton doesn't make you laugh, but his dying-man humour and others do fill the life in this dead script.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 6/10 · 27 March 2022]

It Started With Eve (1941) : Brief Review -

Laughton doesn't make you laugh, but his dying-man humour and others do fill the life in this dead script. During the 1930s and 1940s, Charles Laughton was having a great time with some fantastic films in a variety of genres. Comedy was one such genre where, I think, he would have excelled more with the right script and the right role. Sadly, he didn't get many such films, except for a couple of great comedies. It Started With Eve really started well, but as the dying man struggles, the film also struggles to find a life. The story might remind you of several cliches you've seen in many movies. In order to please his dying father, a man convinces a hat-check girl to impersonate his fiancée, but complications arise when the father's health suddenly improves. The same idea has been used in many comedies in Hollywood and Bollywood, but if you see a love story in these movies, it has had time to grow. In this film, the love story doesn't grow because it was never sown in the first place. When did the girl fall in love with the boy, or when did the boy even have a chance to talk to her? I am afraid there are no answers to these questions. Rather, we have her spending good time with the dying man, the father of the boy, played by the legend Charles Laughton. Well, what kind of love story was it? I quite didn't understand. Anyway, there were some good laughs after several intervals, and I enjoyed them. It's sad that Laughton doesn't make you laugh because his character doesn't allow him to do so. That's just before the climax, because this man has some nasty scenes in the climax, and he does it right with his experience. Deanna Durbin was one of the cutest girls in the 40s, and this film proves why, again. Robert Cummings looks fine, but not completely. There are few flat slopes from his side, especially in those confusing situations. The music numbers pass out soon, decently. I won't blame Henry Koster much because I feel the problem was in the screenplay. He did all that he could.

RATING - 6.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

It's Not Even All About Her-It Started With Eve ****

[edwagreen · 10/10 · 4 January 2014]

Absolutely delicious 1941 comedy where Charles Laughton proved his versatility in acting. He is an absolute riot here as an elderly tycoon taken to bed for what is supposed to be a fatal illness. He wants to see his son's fiancée and when she isn't around, Bob Cummings, in a restrained, but memorable performance, finds Diana Durbin, a hat-check girl at a local night club, to pretend that she is that girl. All hell breaks loose when of course, Laughton makes a remarkable recovery. He knows everyone in the music industry and Durbin takes full advantage of the situation.

Walter Catlett is hysterical as the perplexed doctor and he is ably assisted by Clara Blandick, his nurse.

Laughton does a memorable conga at a local night-club with Durbin. The ending may well be predictable, but it's fun and very much amusing to see this film.

The film also proves that medicine is still a mystery.

Film Review - It Started with Eve (1941) 7.0/10

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 24 August 2020]

"When he is unable to locate his fiancée Gloria (Tallichet), and being convinced by the family doctor Harvey (Catlett) that Jonathan is in extremis, Johnny carelessly thinks it is just a one-time deal and in a pinch he hires Anne to pretend to be Gloria, whereupon this white lie flourishes in the usual mixture of miscomprehension and farce. Anne cannot let go of a life-time opportunity to get recognized for her exceptional soprano timbre, whereas Johnny must juggle between appeasing a piqued Gloria and pondering an apposite time to spill the beans to Jonathan, but when the latter finds out the truth, he has his own little scheme to play."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks

So adorable!

[HotToastyRag · 8/10 · 26 April 2018]

When you rent It Started with Eve-because after reading this review, you'll be unable to resist-you're going to consider turning it off after the first ten minutes as you reach for your hankie. Please don't turn it off! I know the beginning is very sad, but if you stay with it, it turns into an absolutely delightful romantic comedy.

Charles Laughton is Robert Cummings's ailing father, and as his doctor, Walter Catlett, has given him mere minutes to live, there's a very tearful deathbed scene. Charles begs Bob to describe his lovely fiancé and gives his dying wish to meet the young woman. Bob runs off to the hotel where she's staying, but she's left her room and he can't reach her. He's frantic and desperate, and in a mad dash to make his father happy in the seconds before he dies, he whisks a random woman, Deanna Durbin, home with him and pretends she's his intended.

Now, all that setup is the sad part of the movie. Charles reassures everyone he's had a full and happy life, but just as you're wiping up your tears, he wakes up from his sleep and declares, "I'm hungry!" Hooray! Now the fun can start. As you might guess, Bob and Deanna keep pretending they're engaged to keep Charles happy, even though Bob's real fiancé, Margaret Tallichet, is waiting impatiently in the wings.

Deanna, of course, get to show off her musical talents, playing the piano and singing some very impressive songs. Since she was primarily a singer, you might expect her to be a lousy actress, but she's pretty good. It doesn't hurt that she's working off such a wonderful pro like Charles Laughton in most of her scenes. Bob Cummings is also very good in the movie. He has great comic timing and is perfectly frazzled and inept when the part calls for it.

Charles Laughton, in one of his gentle, romantic, sweet roles, completely stole my heart. He's so adorable in It Started with Eve. I'm partial to him anyway, so you might think I'm a bit biased, but I watched this movie with my mom-who doesn't always think he's likable-and she was just as charmed as I was. Once he's no longer at death's door, Charles spends the rest of the movie up and about, sneaking cigars against his doctor's orders, requesting "a nice warm steak-y", throwing parties, and dancing the conga at a nightclub! He and Deanna have such a close chemistry in their scenes together, I kept thinking the film was a romance between them instead of between Deanna and Bob. If you can't imagine Charles Laughton being a romantic lead, rent It Started with Eve to change your mind.

it started with eve

[mossgrymk · 6/10 · 9 February 2021]

Kinda like Kaufman without Hart. Or vice versa. And the sexual assault scene played for laughs is most off putting.

What a great combination

[dougandwin · 9/10 · 17 December 2011]

Some 60 years ago I first saw this Movie, and now seeing it again on TCM I must say it is a beautiful tribute to two wonderful stars in Deanna Durbin and Charles Laughton - a great idea at the time, and one which would have seemed ludicrous when first mooted. They play off each other beautifully, and it seems everyone else in it are a bit superfluous. My only complaint is Deanna never finished her version of "Going Home" which was extremely moving. The story does not really matter, but it is light and a bit of fun. If you do have time for the supporting cast, Robert Cummings is fine, Walter Catlett is good in what was probably one of his bigger roles, and everyone seems to be comfortable in their support. Old fashioned? Yes, but incomparable with anything of this genre today. A true really feel good experience.

From stand in to love interest.

[frankde-jong · 7/10 · 22 March 2021]

For a certain occasion a man needs a "stand in" for his fiancee. Ultimately it doesn't stop by this occasion alone, but there gradualy grows something romantic.

The occasion varies, but the plot remains more or less the same. In "Pretty woman" (1990, Garry Marshall) the man needs the stand in for a business trip, in "It started with Eve" (1941, Henry Koster) the man needs a stand in to show his dying father his future wife. When the father unexpectedly recovers the trouble begins.

"It started with Eve" was meant to be a star vehicle for Deanna Durbin. Deanna had great success with easily digestable musicals from age 15 to age 25. When she wasn't offered serious roles at 25 she quit making movies.

In "Pretty woman" the most funny character is indeed the stand in that becomes a love interest. "Pretty woman" turned out to be the breakthrough for Julia Roberts. In "It started with Eve" it was however the grumpy old father played by Charles Laughton who stole my heart, saving the picture in the proces.

Chemistry mixed with Heart

[euclidcofc · 29 October 2003]

This is a sweet movie. Far better than remakes that followed. Durbin and Laughton seemed to really enjoy their scenes together (The Conga is unforgettable). Her singing is beautiful-"Going Home" brings a lump to the throat. This is my all time favorite movie set of the interior of the mansion. They don't (can't afford to) build sets like that anymore. Great escape.

A wonderful if relatively unknown gem of a romantic comedy

[msecaur · 9/10 · 10 January 2014]

A wealthy man (Charles Laughton) is dying, and his last request is to meet his son's (Robert Cummings) fiancée. Unable to comply with this wish, Cummings asks hat check girl (Deanna Durbin) to accompany him and pose as his fiancée for the last hours of his father's life.

Doesn't sound very much like a good plot for a romantic comedy, does it? Without giving too much away, an unexpected turn of events leads to the necessity of continuing the charade, and the two lead characters falling in love. "It Started With Eve" is a rare treat in that it mixes comedy, romance, and truly moving drama into a single film that is nothing but a joy to experience.

So what is it exactly that makes this film so special? In my opinion, one of the major flaws of most romantic comedies both then and now is the over-reliance on stock characters. One goes into these types of films expecting the same sorts of people: the boy and the girl who either hate or love each other from the outset, and the interfering ex-girlfriend or parent intent on keeping them apart. In this film, these stereotypes are turned on their heads. The two leads neither hate nor love each other, but are simply thrown together and their relationship develops from there. The typical unwilling parent is replaced by a father who admires Durbin's character so much that he works to bring her and his son together.

The style in which this film is directed also sets it apart. While most movies of this type usually veer towards either broad farce or melodrama, the feeling here is something in between, which results in that the acting is more realistic and makes the film more believable. The stellar casting is only enhanced by the great performances and genuine chemistry between the three leads (Cummings, Durbin, and Laughton). Laughton and Durbin especially seem to get along so well that in the scene where they burst out in uncontrollable laughter, you can't help but join in with them.

While this film is not as well known now as it was in its day (it just had its premiere on TCM this December), it is one that should be better known, simply for the fact that it is truly a cinematic gem.