Editing Love Affair (1939 film)

{{Short description|1939 American romance film directed by Leo McCarey}}
{{About|the 1939 film|other films with the title "Love Affair"|Love Affair (disambiguation){{!}}Love Affair}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Love Affair
| image          = Love Affair.jpg
| caption        = original film poster
| director       = [[Leo McCarey]]
| producer       = Leo McCarey
| story          = {{unbulleted list|Leo McCarey|[[Mildred Cram]]}}
| screenplay     = {{unbulleted list|[[Delmer Daves]]|[[Donald Ogden Stewart]]}}
| starring       = {{unbulleted list|[[Irene Dunne]]|[[Charles Boyer]]|[[Maria Ouspenskaya]]}}
| music          = [[Roy Webb]]
| cinematography = [[Rudolph Maté]]
| editing        = {{unbulleted list|[[Edward Dmytryk]]|[[George Hively]]}}
| studio         = [[RKO Radio Pictures]]
| distributor    = RKO Radio Pictures
| released       = {{Film date|1939|04|07}}
| runtime        = 87 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $860,000<ref name="rko">{{cite journal|author=Richard Jewel|title=RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951|journal=Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television|volume=14 |issue=1 |date=1994 |page=56}}</ref>  
| gross          = $1.8 million<ref name="rko"/>
}}
'''''Love Affair''''' is a 1939 American [[romance film]], co-starring [[Charles Boyer]] and [[Irene Dunne]], and featuring [[Maria Ouspenskaya]]. It was directed by [[Leo McCarey]] and written by [[Delmer Daves]] and [[Donald Ogden Stewart]], based on a story by McCarey and [[Mildred Cram]].<ref name="Love Affair 1939">{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3938/love-affair#credits|title=Love Affair 1939|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=May 22, 2016}}</ref> Controversial on concept, the official screenplay was re-tooled and rewritten to appease Hollywood censorship and relied on actor input and improvisation, causing long delays and budget extensions.

The movie became a surprise hit of 1939, showing McCarey's versatility after a long career of comedic films, and launching the surprising team-up of Dunne and Boyer. [[Academy Award]] nominations include [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for Dunne, [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] for Ouspenskaya, [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]], [[Academy Award for Best Story|Best Writing (Original)]], and [[Best Picture]]. Its popularity was later dwarfed by McCarey's 1957 remake ''[[An Affair to Remember]]'', which spawned its own remakes with 1994's ''[[Love Affair (1994 film)|Love Affair]]'' and a few Indian adaptations.

==Plot==
One December, French painter (and famed womanizer) Michel Marnet meets American singer Terry McKay aboard a [[Ocean liner|liner]] crossing the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. They are both already engaged, he to heiress Lois Clarke, she to Kenneth Bradley. They begin to flirt and to dine together on the ship, but his worldwide reputation makes them conscious that others are watching. Eventually, they decide that they should dine separately and not associate with each other. At a stop at [[Madeira]], they visit Michel's grandmother Janou, who bonds with Terry and admits wanting Michel to settle down.
 
As the ship is ready to disembark at New York City, the two make an appointment to meet in the new year, six months later on top of the [[Empire State Building]], giving Michel enough time to decide whether he can start making enough money to support a relationship with Terry. His paintings fail to sell, so he finds work designing advertising billboards around the city, while Terry breaks off her engagement to Kenneth and successfully negotiates a contract with a [[Philadelphia]] nightclub to perform through to June.

When the rendezvous date arrives, they both head to the Empire State Building. However, Terry is struck by a car on a nearby street and is told by doctors she may be paralyzed for the rest of her life, though that will not be known for certain for six months. Not wanting to be a burden to Michel, she does not contact him, preferring to let him think the worst. Meanwhile, Michel, who waits until closing time, travels to Madeira to discover his grandmother has recently died, and continues working in New York City. Terry is overheard singing in the garden of her [[physiotherapy]] by the owner of a children's orphanage, who hires her as a music teacher.

Six months pass by, and during Terry's first outing since the accident, she and Michel meet by accident at a theater on Christmas Eve, though since she is already seated, Terry is able to conceal her disability. The next morning on Christmas Day, after the children visit Terry at her apartment, Michel makes a surprise visit and finally learns the truth. Terry, delighted Michel proved he had changed his ways, tells him it is her turn to prove she can change hers, but Michel assures her that they will be together no matter what the diagnosis is.

== Cast ==
* [[Irene Dunne]] as Terry McKay
* [[Charles Boyer]] as Michel Marnet
* [[Maria Ouspenskaya]] as Grandmother Janou
* [[Lee Bowman]] as Kenneth Bradley
* [[Astrid Allwyn]] as Lois Clarke
* [[Maurice Moscovitch]] as Maurice Cobert, art dealer
* [[Scotty Beckett]] as Boy on ship (uncredited) 
* [[Dell Henderson]] as Cafe Manager (uncredited)
* [[Lloyd Ingraham]] as	Doctor (uncredited)
* [[Frank McGlynn Sr.]] as Orphanage Superintendent (uncredited)
* [[Ferike Boros]] as Terry's landlady (uncredited)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Heffernan |first1=Harold |title=Long forgotten actress given second chance |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37776009/ferike_boros/ |work=Calgary Herald|date=April 19, 1939 |publisher=Postmedia Network |location=[[Calgary, Alberta]] |page=10}}</ref>

Other uncredited actors include [[Joan Leslie]], [[Oscar O'Shea]], [[Lloyd Ingraham]], [[Bess Flowers]] and Harold Miller (as couple on liner), [[Phyllis Kennedy]], and [[Gerald Mohr]].<ref name="crew">{{cite book |last1=Schultz |first1=Margie |title=Irene Dunne : a bio-bibliography |date=1991 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=New York |isbn=9780313273995 |page=92}}</ref>

<gallery class="center">
File:IreneDunneinLoveAffair.jpg|Irene Dunne
File:CharlesBoyerinLoveAffair.jpg|Charles Boyer
File:MaraiaOuspenskayainLoveAffair.jpg|Maria Ouspenskaya
File:LeeBowmaninLoveAffair.jpg|Lee Bowman
</gallery>

== Development ==
Despite the popularity of his [[romantic comedy|romantic]] and [[screwball comedies]], Leo McCarey had become tired of directing them.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Creelman |first1=Eileen |title=Leo McCarey Tells of Directing Irene Dunne in a New Comedy "The Awful Truth" |work=New York Sun |date=November 3, 1937 |quote=However the public may feel about charmingly insane people on screen, Leo McCarey is fed up with them.}}</ref> His wife suggested they should go on a cruising vacation around Europe to combat his [[writer's block]], and when they returned to the United States, they watched the [[Statue of Liberty]] pass. McCarey immediately told her his idea about two passengers who fall in love on a cruise, but realize they are both "obligated to somebody else."<ref name="Bogdanovich">{{cite book |last1=Bogdanovich |first1=Peter |title=Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with Legendary Film Directors |date=1997 |publisher=Bellantine Books |location=New York |pages=417–418}}</ref> With the [[Premise (narrative)|premise]] created, [[Mildred Cram]]
co-developed the rest of the story under the working title ''Memory of Love'',{{refn|group="Note"|RKO bought the filming rights of a novel of the same name by [[Bessie Breuer]] to use the title, but then decided they would prefer using Breuer's story for a potential movie starring [[Claudette Colbert]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Graham |first1=Sheilah |title=Clipped From The Atlanta Constitution |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70316456/ |work=The Atlanta Constitution |date=18 August 1938 |page=18}}</ref> It would later be adapted as ''[[In Name Only]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nugent |first1=Frank S. |author1-link=Frank S. Nugent |title=[''In Name Only'' review] |url=http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/24512/In-Name-Only/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927101251/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/24512/In-Name-Only/overview |archive-date=2015-09-27 |url-status=dead |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2015 |quote=Based on ''Memory of Love'', a novel by [[Bessie Breuer]], ''In Name Only'' is soap opera par excellence, blessed with a peerless cast.}}</ref>}} then later ''Love Match'',<ref>{{cite news |title=In the Cutting Room |url=https://archive.org/details/motionpictureher133unse/page/n33/ |work=Motion Picture Herald |publisher=Quigley Publishing Co. |date=November 5, 1938 |page=27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Hollywood Scene |url=https://archive.org/details/motionpictureher1321unse/page/n513/mode/2up?q=love+match |work=Motion Picture Herald |publisher=Quigley Publishing Co. |date=1938-10-08 |page=31}}</ref> as [[Delmer Daves]] created the screenplay and [[Donald Ogden Stewart]] helped McCarey with the comedy.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stewart Borrowed |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70326490/ |work=The Los Angeles Times |date=10 November 1938 |page=14}}</ref>{{sfnp|Swindell|1983|p=143}} James Anderson stood as assistant director,<ref name="crew"/> Edward Dmytryk and George Hively were the movie's editors, and Roy Webb composed the film score.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Cumulative Copyright Catalog|url=https://archive.org/details/Motionpict19121939librrich0010/page/n503/|journal=Motion Picture 1912-1939|year=1951 |pages=490|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Filming took place in the fall of 1938.{{sfnp|Swindell|1983|page=140}} The rough cut was screened in January 1939.{{sfnp|Swindell|1983|p=144}}

Actresses such as [[Helen Hayes]] and [[Greta Garbo]] developed interest in starring, but the McCarey couple preferred Irene Dunne, who had previously appeared in McCarey's ''[[The Awful Truth]]'' and was a close family friend;{{sfnp |Gehring|2003|pages=100–103}} Terry's occupation as nightclub singer intended to display Dunne's singing talents.{{sfnp |Gehring|2005|page=159}} Charles Boyer's reputation as a romantic actor (from starring in ''[[History Is Made at Night (1937 film)|History is Made at Night]]'' and ''[[Algiers (1938 film)|Algiers]]'') made him McCarey's first choice.{{sfnp|Gehring|2003|pages=100–103}} Concurrently, Boyer rejected [[Harry Cohn]]'s offer of the leading role in ''[[Good Girls Go to Paris]]'' to do ''Love Affair'', instead.{{sfnp|Swindell|1983|page=130}} He and McCarey were acquaintances and Boyer believed McCarey was an underestimated director,{{sfnp|Swindell|1983|page=139}} so he canceled many acting plans for the rest of 1938 to work with McCarey and Dunne.{{sfnp|Swindell|1983|page=140}} "Any picture that Leo McCarey directs is its own guarantee[;] he can't make a bad picture," he later explained.<ref>{{cite interview|first=Charles|last=Boyer|title=Hollywood|interviewer=[[Ed Sullivan]]|date=1938-10-11|work=The Tampa Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70324399/}}</ref>

Irene Dunne later noted that the dialog changed frequently, and the cast received pieces of paper between filming; McCarey's common directing tactic of [[improvisation]] also continued throughout.<ref>{{cite interview|first=Irene|last=Dunne|interviewer=[[John Kobal]]|year=1972|title=Interview with John Kobal|publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] (January 1, 1986)|work=People Will Talk}}</ref> Both he and Boyer were unimpressed with the final draft, despite Boyer being used to memorizing his dialog very quickly.{{sfnp|Flannery|1990|page=132}} News columnists visiting the set observed the actors waiting around for their dialog as scenes would be rewritten moments before shooting:<ref>{{cite news |last1=Skolsky |first1=Sidney |author1-link=Sidney Skolsky |title=Sidney Skolsky Presents... Watching Them Make Pictures |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70329425/ |work=Los Angeles Evening Citizen News |date=5 October 1938 |page=11}}</ref> "'I've been here doing nothing since 8 o'clock this morning,' [Boyer tells] me (it is now 4 in the afternoon)," reported [[Sheilah Graham]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Graham |first1=Sheilah |author1-link=Sheilah Graham |title=De Mille Bans Slacks and Red Fingernails |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70330068/st-louis-globe-democrat/ |work=St. Louis Globe-Democrat |date=24 October 1938 |page=4C}}</ref> Delays and rewrites caused the film to go over its budget of $800,000 by about $600,000.<ref name="france"/>

McCarey reused and retooled the line "According to you, everything I like to do is either illegal, immoral or fattening," from his 1934 movie ''[[Six of a Kind]]'', and gave it to Terry;{{sfnp |Gehring |2005 |page=107}} [[W. C. Fields]] (who [[ad-lib]]bed the retort in the original film) approved but critics hated the reference, McCarey later revealed.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Curtis |first1=James |title=W.C. Fields: A Biography |date=2004 |publisher=Watson-Guptill |location=New York |isbn=978-0823084425 |pages=280–281}}</ref> Boyer was allowed input in Michel's characterization; he suggested that Michel visiting his grandmother should have a prominent appearance so Terry's accident would not create a tonal shift.{{sfnp|Swindell|1983|p=143}} The champagne industry used the film to promote [[Pink Champagne (wine)|pink champagne]] to the audience, which caused a sales boost.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Andrea Foshee |title=Love Affair (1939) - Love Affair |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3938/love-affair#articles-reviews?articleId=18752 |website=Turner Classic Movies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129085526/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3938/love-affair#articles-reviews?articleId=18752 |date=January 21, 2003|archive-date=2020-11-29}}</ref>

McCarey gave Dunne the opportunity to choose the signature song for the movie: she decided upon "Wishing",{{sfnp|Gehring|2003|pages=100–103}} which became one of the most popular songs of 1939;{{sfnp|Swindell|1983|p=144}} the orphans were dubbed by Robert Mitchell's Boys Choir.{{sfnp|Swindell|1983|p=144}} Other songs performed are "[[Sing My Heart]]" and "[[Plaisir d'Amour]]", performed by Terry in a Philadelphian night-club and at Michel's grandmother's home, respectively.{{sfnp|Flannery|1990|page=133}}

Maria Ouspenskaya described working on the film as "an atmosphere of work that is inspirational. [...] Actor, electricians, and cameramen loved their work and did not want to break away from that atmosphere."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Crewe |first1=Regina |title=Mme Ouspenskaya, back from Coast, Offers Helping Hand to Fledglings |work=New York Journal |date=1939-03-19}}</ref> Boyer would later praise McCarey's filmmaking for the movie's success; he was described in an interview years later as "still speak[ing] of Mr. McCarey with sincere awe."<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Liam |first1=Dugal |title=Boyer's Double Life! |url=https://archive.org/details/screenland46unse/page/n445/ |work=Screenland |volume=XLVI |issue=5 |publisher=Screenland Magazine, inc. |date=March 1943 |page=88}}</ref>

== Controversy ==
The initial screenplay was rejected by the [[Production Code Administration]], accusing the story of endorsing [[adultery]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Vieira |first1=Mark A. |title=Majestic Hollywood: The Greatest Films of 1939 |date=2013 |publisher=Running Press |location=Philadelphia |isbn=978-0762451562 |pages=50–53}}</ref> Another related argument believed Terry had not been punished for her kept behavior, while Michel had been given redemption, so this led to Terry's paralysis.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schultz |first1=Margie |title=Irene Dunne: A Bio-bibliography |date=1991 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-313-27399-5 |page=93 |quote=Since it was implied that Irene's character had been a kept woman before meeting Boyer, she had to pay for her sin, hence the accident, before finding happiness.}}</ref> "You [[Dissolve (filmmaking)|dissolved]] to her in a hospital with her realizing that God hadn't wanted her to meet [Michel] until she was sorry for what she had done before," explained Donald Ogden Stewart.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McGilligan |first1=Pat |title=Backstory: Interviews with screenwriters of Hollywood's golden age |date=1986 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |isbn=978-0520056893}}</ref>

Initially a period piece set in the [[1850s]] about the tragic romance of a French [[ambassador]],{{r|mistress|france}} the final draft of the script was complete and filming was announced to begin September 15,<ref>{{cite news |title=''Love Match'' Work to Start |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70326409/ |work=The Los Angeles Times |date=15 September 1938 |pages=17}}</ref> but it was later pushed back a month.<ref>{{cite news |title=Actress Gets New Part |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70332922/ |work=Daily News |date=29 September 1938 |pages=12}}</ref> Due to concerns of a potential war in Europe, the French embassy wanted stronger allyship with the United States and had concerns about a movie about a French diplomat and an American woman having an affair.<ref name="france">{{cite book |last1=Jewell |first1=Richard B. |title=RKO Radio Pictures: A Titan is Born |date=2012 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |isbn=978-0520271791 |pages=174–175}}</ref><ref name="mistress"/> McCarey and Daves reworked the story as a modern tale,<ref name="mistress"/> with Terry's characterization now based on a woman Daves met on a cruise who was rumored to be returning to the United States after hiding in Europe for being caught as the [[Mistress (lover)|mistress]] of a small-town government official.<ref name=mistress>{{cite book |last1=Lasky |first1=Betty |title=RKO: The Biggest Little Major of Them All |date=1984 |publisher=Prentice-Hall |location=[[Englewood Cliffs, N.J.]] |isbn=9780137814510 |page=155}}</ref>

== Release ==
''Film Daily'' reported that ''Love Affair''{{'}}s release had the potential to be premiered in late January or early February 1939 at [[Radio City Music Hall]];<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baun |first1=Chester B. |title=Less Grousing ... More Selling |url=https://archive.org/details/filmdaily75wids/page/n147/ |work=[[The Film Daily]] |publisher=Wid's Films and Film Folk, inc. |date=1939-01-20 |page=1}}</ref> later issues would give the initial release date as February 17 and March 10.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Calendar of Feature Releases |url=https://archive.org/details/filmdaily75wids/page/n209/mode/ |work=The Film Daily |date=1939-01-27 |page=8}}</ref>{{refn|group=Note|''Film Daily'' marked the March 10 date as a pre-release.<ref>{{cite news |title=6 RKO March Releases |url=https://archive.org/details/filmdaily75wids/page/n461 |work=The Film Daily |date=1939-03-03 |page=2}}</ref>}} The film premiered March 16 at the Music Hall with a pink champagne-themed [[cocktail party]] for Dunne, emceed by W. G. Van Schmus; McCarey was on vacation in [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]] and could not attend.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Daly |first1=Phil M. |title=Along the Rialto |url=https://archive.org/details/filmdaily75wids/page/n573/ |work=The Film Daily |date=1939-03-17 |page=3}}</ref>

== Reception ==
[[File:Love Affair (1939) by Leo McCarey.webm | thumb | 250px | thumbtime=13 | upright=1.5|''Love Affair'']]
The praise for ''Love Affair'' among film critics was reflected in Clark Wales' quip: "Recommending a Leo McCarey production is something like recommending a million dollars or beauty or a long and happy life. Any of these is a very fine thing to have and the only trouble is that there are not enough of them."<ref>{{cite magazine |author1=Clark Wales |title=''Love Affair'' review |magazine=[[Detroit Free Press]]: [[Screen and Radio Weekly]] |date=March 1939 |page=5}}</ref> [[Liberty (general interest magazine)|''Liberty'' magazine]] wrote "a pleasant little {{not a typo|[[dramedy|seriocomedy]]}},"<ref>{{cite magazine |title=[''Love Affair'' review] |magazine=Liberty |date=February 25, 1939 |page=55}}</ref> ''[[New York World-Telegram]]'' called the film "the most absorbing and delightful entertainment of its kind [in] a long time"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Boehnel |first1=William |title=''Love Affair'' Seen as Outstanding Film |work=New York World-Telegram |date=1939-03-17 |page=23}}</ref> and ''New York Daily News'' called the film "tender, poignant [and] sentimental without being gooey".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cameron |first1=Kate |title=Exquisite Romance on Music Hall Screen |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=1939-03-17 |page=48}}</ref> "Put this one down among the contenders of the Academy Awards of 1939," declared ''[[Associated Press]]'', "and [one] of the most satisfactory movie endings."<ref>{{cite news |title=[advertizing spread] |url=https://archive.org/details/filmdaily75wids/page/n543/ |work=The Film Daily |date=1939-03-14|pages=8–9}}</ref>

"The screenplay is an exceptionally intelligent effort," wrote the ''Box Office Digest'', "[and] McCarey's skill in handling individual scenes with the old [[Hal Roach|[Hal] Roach]] technique carries through this tough spot and on to a grand climax,"<ref name="box"/> but the review added: "It must be unfortunately recorded that there is a let down in interest for a half reel when [Michel and Terry] are separated."<ref name="box"/> Meanwhile, ''[[The Charlotte Observer]]'' found the movie refreshing, describing it as "outdoing" other romances that are "slap-happy wherein boy spanks girl or shoves her into the fish pond by way of displaying his affections."<ref>{{cite news |title=Honest Love is New Trend |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70313053/ |work=The Charlotte Observer |date=5 February 1939 |page=4}}</ref> [[Pare Lorentz]] described the film as "a mood, rather than a story" as McCarey effortlessly balanced the conflicting tones of comedy and melodrama, "[keeping] it alive by expert interpolations."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sarris |first1=Andrew |title="You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet": The American Talking Film, History and Memory, 1927-1949 |date=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0195038835 |page=339 |url=https://archive.org/details/youaintheardnoth00sarr/page/338/}}</ref> ''Stage'' also praised the direction: "McCarey is the man responsible for shifting, with no detectable trickery, from the brittle comedy of the early sequences to the genuine emotionalism of the later. It is superior entertainment all the way through."<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=[''Love Affair'' review]|date=1939-03-15|magazine=Stage}}</ref>

On characterization, ''[[The New York Times]]'' remarked on "the facility with which [Boyer and Dunne] have matched the changes of their script—playing it lightly now, soberly next, but always credibly, always in character, always with a superb utilization of the material at hand."<ref>{{cite news|author1-link=Frank S. Nugent |last1=Nugent |first1=Frank S. |title=Love Affair |work=[[New York Times]] |date=1939-03-17 |page=26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007135206/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/03/17/archives/the-screen-love-affair-a-bittersweet-romance-opens-at-the-music.html|archive-date=2020-10-07|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/03/17/archives/the-screen-love-affair-a-bittersweet-romance-opens-at-the-music.html}}</ref> Leo Mishkin added: "Certainly, this Terry McKay of Miss Dunne's is one of the greatest things she has ever done on the screen[.]"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mishkin |first1=Leo |title=''Love Affair'' a Music Hall Winner; Irene Dunne, Charles Boyer Superb |work=[[The New York Telegraph]] |date=1939-03-18 |page=2}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' described Boyer's performance of Michel as "a particularly effective presentation of the modern [[Casanova]];"<ref name="Variety">{{cite news|date=1939-03-15|title=Love Affair (with Songs)|page=16|work=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety133-1939-03/page/n135}}</ref> "Under no circumstances miss it," said Jesse Zunser, "Mr. Boyer proves beyond the shadow of a cinematic doubt that there are few better players on the American dream[.]"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zunser |first1=Jesse |title=[''Love Affair'' review] |work=Cue |date=March 18, 1939 |page=44}}</ref> ''Box Office Digest'' wrote, "[Boyer and Dunne have] never done more delightful work, and to say that they step along in stride — step for step, is a tribute to either one in red hot competition."<ref name="box">{{cite magazine|title="Love Affair" Shows Dunne-Boyer at Best |url=https://archive.org/details/boxofficedigest100nati/page/n117/ |magazine=Box Office Digest |publisher=Los Angeles, National Box Office Digest |date=1939-03-11 |page=7}}</ref> ''[[The Film Daily]]'' described the performances as "gorgeously acted" and "stand[s] out as the best of many months",<ref>{{cite news |title=''Love Affair'' with Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne |url=https://archive.org/details/filmdaily75wids/page/n533 |work=The Film Daily |date=1939-03-13 |page=10}}</ref> and ''[[Photoplay]]'' remarked that Maria Ouspenskaya's "extraordinary" performance "stole" the scenes in Madeira.<ref>{{cite news |title=[''Love Affair'' review] |url=https://archive.org/details/motionpicturerev04hwwi/page/n205/ |work=Photoplay |date=June 1939}}</ref> The only notable criticism of characters came from Dunne herself, who told ''[[Silver Screen (magazine)|Silver Screen]]'' years later: "If I had been in that girl's place, far from hiding, I would've trundled my wheelchair up and down the sidewalks of New York looking for [Michel]."<ref>{{cite magazine |author1=Faith Service |title=My Screen Selves and I |magazine=[[Silver Screen (magazine)|Silver Screen]] |issue=August 1944 |pages=60–61|year=1944}}</ref>

''Love Affair'' was RKO Pictures' second-most popular film, after ''[[Gunga Din (film)|Gunga Din]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1939-04-03|title=RADIO'S "LOVE AFFAIR" HITS AT BOX OFFICE; PARAMOUNT'S "MIDNIGHT" IN SECOND SPOT|volume=9|page=5|work=Box Office Digest|issue=9|url=https://archive.org/details/boxofficedigest100nati/page/n163}}</ref><ref name="mistress"/> It was colloquially classified as "Mature."<ref>{{cite news |title=[''Love Affair'' review] |work=[[National Legion of Decency]] |date=1939-03-23 |quote=Adults.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=[untitled] |url=https://archive.org/details/motionpicturerev04hwwi/page/n203/ |work=[[Christian Century]] |date=1939-04-05 |page=462 |quote=A: very good; Y & C: no.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=[''Fox West Coast Bulletin'' review] |work=[[General Federation of Women's Clubs]] |date=1939-04-01 |quote=Material so deftly and delicately handled that the picture will be greatly enjoyed by young people as well as adults.}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Years after its release, ''Love Affair'' would continue to receive high praise. Tom Flannery's filmography book ''1939: The Year in Movies'' wrote that Dunne and Boyer "generated [the most] chemistry, charisma [and] sensuality" in Hollywood, despite 1939 producing the best couples in "[[Clark Gable]] and [[Vivien Leigh]] [in ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''], [[Laurence Olivier]] and [[Merle Oberon]] [in ''[[Wuthering Heights (1939 film)|Wuthering Heights]]''], [[Leslie Howard]] and [[Ingrid Bergman]] [in ''[[Intermezzo (1939 film)|Intermezzo]]'']."{{sfnp|Flannery|1990|page=129}} William K. Everson joined the critics of the past that praised McCarey balancing the comedy and drama perfectly, and noted Terry saying goodbye to Grandma Janou was realistically "tender and poignant[;] such moments all too rarely are in film."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Everson |first1=William K. |title=Love in the Film |date=1979 |publisher=Citadel Press |location=[[Secaucus, New Jersey]] |pages=151–154}}</ref> [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gave it a critics' score of 86% based on 7 reviews,<ref>{{cite web |title=Love Affair (1939) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_affair_1939 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |language=en}}</ref> and [[Metacritic]] gave it a critics' score of 91 on 8 reviews.<ref>{{cite web |title=Love Affair |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/love-affair-1939/critic-reviews |website=Metacritic}}</ref>

However, the release of its remake, ''An Affair to Remember'', spawned comparisons. ''An Affair to Remember'' became better-known in popular culture, later placed at number 5 on [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions|AFI's 100 Passions]] list,<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 YEARS…100 PASSIONS |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-passions/ |website=American Film Institute |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308150658/https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-passions/ |archive-date=2021-03-08 |url-status=live}}</ref> and was frequently parodied, referenced, and alluded to in other media, causing ''Love Affair'' to become lost in time.{{refn|group=Note|''Love Affair'' came back into circulation after 1975, when [[Filmex]] wanted to broadcast it at Irene Dunne's film tribute and paid for a [[film negative|negative]] to be removed from the [[Museum of Modern Art]]'s print.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schultz |first1=Margie |title=Irene Dunne : a bio-bibliography |date=1991 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=New York |isbn=9780313273995 |page=94}}</ref>}} Screenwriter [[Nora Ephron]], first introduced to the movie when she was a child,<ref>{{cite web |title=Things You Might Not Know About Sleepless In Seattle |url=https://www.fame10.com/entertainment/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-sleepless-in-seattle/ |website=Fame10 |date=9 February 2017}}</ref> referenced it heavily in ''[[Sleepless in Seattle]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rooney |first1=David |title=Why Nora Ephron's Films Made Such an Impact: A Critic's Take |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/nora-ephron-death-when-harry-met-sally-342629/ |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=June 27, 2012 |quote=The 1993 ''Sleepless in Seattle'' was directed by [Nora] Ephron from a script she co-wrote with [[David S. Ward]] and Jeff Arch, inspired by the 1957 Cary Grant–Deborah Kerr vehicle, ''An Affair to Remember''. It also drew a blah response from many major critics, who objected to its transparent emotional manipulation.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=John Simon on Film: Criticism 1982-2001|last1=Simon|first1=John |author-link=John Simon (critic) |publisher=Applause Books |year=2005 |page=381|quote=[''Sleepless in Seattle''] is a collection of nauseating quotations and references to ''An Affair to Remember'', both visual and verbal[.]}}</ref> allegedly causing rentals of the film to increase.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} Irene Dunne and Deborah Kerr's Terry performances did not receive as much comparison as Charles Boyer's Michel and Cary Grant's Nicky, whose characters divided critics and analysts per review. Larry Swindell called Boyer's portrayal/performance chaste which overshadows the dialog's frequent references to Michel's womanizing,{{sfnp|Swindell|1983|p=143}} whereas Megan McGurk argued Grant was too self-conscious and refused to make Nicky appropriately vulnerable, particularly in Nicky and Terry's reunion.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McGurk |first1=Megan |title=Charles Boyer, Eyes Wide Open in Love Affair (1939) |url=https://sassmouthdames.com/2017/06/24/charles-boyer-eyes-wide-open-in-love-affair-39/ |website=Sass Mouth Dames |date=24 June 2017 |quote=Aggrieved and bitter, Grant's crabby demeanour casts a gloomy lover's reunion. He's sarcastic with those little huh-huh-huh exhalations that call the lady out as a liar, one who's not to be trusted. The old 'will he slap or kiss her?' tone from a spurned lover holds limited appeal in a woman's picture.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219121538/https://sassmouthdames.com/2017/06/24/charles-boyer-eyes-wide-open-in-love-affair-39/|archive-date=2021-12-19}}</ref>

=== Boyer and Dunne ===
[[File:Photoplay October 1939 contents page.jpg|thumb|Dunne and Boyer's essays listed in ''Photoplay''{{'}}s October issue's contents' page.]]
The partnership of Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne would be called the most romantic in Hollywood.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Parsons|first=Louella O.|date=August 11, 1939|title=Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer Engaging in Romantic Film, "When Tomorrow Comes"|work=[[Los Angeles Examiner]]|quote=I don't know any more romantic pair on the screen than Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer.}}</ref> With a positive reaction to the pairing, Hollywood developed them as the newest team-up,{{sfnp|Swindell|1983|p=147}} so the duo starred together twice more in ''[[When Tomorrow Comes (film)|When Tomorrow Comes]]'' (1939) and ''[[Together Again (film)|Together Again]]'' (1944). Critics judged the rest of the "trilogy" with the praised qualities of ''Love Affair'', with ''When Tomorrow Comes'' receiving the least positive reception.{{sfnp|Flannery|1990|page=133}}<ref>{{cite news |title=What's What in the Movies: A Big Week As Women Fans Promised in Coming Movies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71035485/ |work=[[The Kansas City Times]] |date=1939-09-28 |page=6 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |quote=[''When Tomorrow Comes''] does not have as much comedy in it as when Miss Dunne and Mr. Boyer presented last season when they co-starred in ''Love Affair''.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Fantasies Omitted |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71036810/  |work=[[The Brooklyn Daily Eagle]] |date=1939-09-21 |quote=There is something missing in ''When Tomorrow Comes'' [...] Indeed, [director [[John M. Stahl]]] has woven together the elements for a romance that is as near to actuality and as far from affection as that of the ''Love Affair'' starring effort [...] There isn't the sparkling wit of ''Love Affair''...  }}</ref>

The two actors remained family friends after performing together.{{sfnp|Gehring|2003|pages=100–103}} To promote ''When Tomorrow Comes'', they were asked by ''Photoplay'' to describe each other in the style of a [[parlor game]] where a player who briefly left the room guesses the secret noun other contestants chose by asking questions like "If I were that person, what kind of car would I be?"{{sfnp|''Photoplay''|1939|p=24}} Their essays appeared in the October issue under the names "Irene: As Seen by Charles Boyer"<ref>{{harvp|''Irene'' by Charles Boyer|1939|p=24}}</ref> and "Charles: As Seen by Irene Dunne"{{sfnp|''Charles'' by Irene Dunne|1939|p=25}} with the editor noting: "Surely, working together as they do and have done, and being analytical, intelligent people, each would give a clear-limned portrait of the other; unbiased, colorful, exciting."{{sfnp|''Photoplay''|1939|p=24}} Boyer described Dunne in [[prose]],<ref>{{harvp|''Irene'' by Charles Boyer|1939|p=24}}: "Suppose we imagine a gracious house, designed by a master architect. It would sit atop a hill, and it would be beautifully furnished. Of course, the best room would be the music room, a cool place with great windows opening on a garden. Great music, and the best of good [[swing music|swing]], and things by [[George Gershwin|Gershwin]] would sound there always. The acoustics would be perfect. Guests in this house would be relaxed and happy but they would have to mind their manners. Irene Dunne is like that."</ref> while Dunne described Boyer under topical subtitles, but Wes D. Gehring pointed out both essays' frequent references to [[fine art]], as well as Dunne personifying Boyer through French [[impressionism]].{{sfnp|Gehring|2003|page=104}}

Dunne called Boyer one of her favorite screen partners, along with Cary Grant, and referred to him as the "perfect gentleman" at the [[American Film Institute]]'s retrospective screening.{{sfnp|Flannery|1990|page=133}}

=== Film remakes and adaptations ===
''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' aired two versions of ''Love Affair'' radio adaptations on April 1, 1940<ref>{{Cite episode|series=The Lux Radio Theatre|title=Love Affair|series-link=Lux Radio Theatre|date=April 1, 1940|number=257|network=[[CBS Radio]]}}</ref> and July 6, 1942.<ref>{{Cite episode|series=The Lux Radio Theatre|title=Love Affair|series-link=Lux Radio Theatre|date=1942-07-06|number=359|network=[[CBS Radio]]}}</ref> Irene Dunne reprised her role in both,<ref name="radio"/> whereas Charles Boyer co-starred in the 1942 version; [[William Powell]] starred alongside Dunne in the 1940 version.<ref name="radio">{{cite book |last1=Schultz |first1=Margie |title=Irene Dunne : a bio-bibliography |date=1991 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=New York |isbn=9780313273995 |pages=140–141}}</ref>

Plans for a ''Love Affair'' remake were first reported in 1952, which had [[Fernando Lamas]] and [[Arlene Dahl]] attached to the project.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hyams |first1=Joe |title=Entertainment in the News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/683846458/ |work=Los Angeles Evening Citizen News |date=1952-11-05 |page=14}}</ref> Eventually, McCarey remade it in 1957 as ''[[An Affair to Remember]]''{{refn|group="Note"|Initially intended to have the same name as the predecessor, ''An Affair to Remember'' was produced under [[20th Century Fox]] and could not have the title because Columbia Pictures owned the title's copyright.<ref>{{cite web |title=An Affair to Remember - Notes |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/66847/an-affair-to-remember#notes |website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>}} with [[Cary Grant]] and [[Deborah Kerr]] in the lead roles, using a very similar screenplay.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Vermilye |first1=Jerry |title=Cary Grant |date=1973 |publisher=Galahad Books |location=New York |isbn=9780883652916 |page=123 |quote=The script, on which McCarey and Delmer Daves made some revisions...}}</ref> Despite agreeing to remake it in response to Hollywood's current romantic offerings, McCarey would still prefer his original work.{{sfnp|Gehring|2005|page=222}} [[Glenn Gordon Caron]] also remade the film in 1994 as ''[[Love Affair (1994)|Love Affair]]'',{{refn|group="Note"|The media reported it as a remake of ''An Affair to Remember'', however.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thompson |first1=Gary |title=Beatty can act anything but his age |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71001627/ |date=1994-10-21|quote=To succeed, he'll have to do better than "Love Affair," a through-the-motions remake of "An Affair to Remember."}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Pearlman |first1=Cindy |title=A couple to remember |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71000843/ |work=The News and Observer |date=23 October 1994|quote=He is here to talk with reporters about "Love Affair", the remake of the 1957 tearjerker "An Affair to Remember"...}}</ref><ref name="hepburn">{{cite news |title=It's ''Love Affair'' for Hepburn, Beatty |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71006486/ |work=The Herald-News|location=[[Passaic, New Jersey]] |date=9 August 1994 |pages=2}}</ref>}} starring [[Warren Beatty]], [[Annette Bening]], and in her last feature film, [[Katharine Hepburn]].<ref name="hepburn"/><ref name="Love Affair 1994">{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/18768/love-affair#credits|title=Love Affair 1994|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=May 22, 2016}}</ref> [[Bollywood cinema]] made two versions: 1965's ''[[Bheegi Raat]]''{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}} and 1999's ''[[Mann (film)|Mann]]'',<ref>{{cite web |last1=Verma |first1=Suparn |title=Easy on the eye |url=https://imsports.rediff.com/movies/1999/jul/09man.htm |website=imsports.rediff.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918222835/https://imsports.rediff.com/movies/1999/jul/09man.htm |archive-date=2020-09-18 |url-status=live|quote=''Mann'' starring Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala is a remake of ''An Affair To Remember'', the 1957 hit starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.}}</ref> which were both adaptations of ''An Affair to Remember''.

==Accolades==

===12th Academy Awards===
{| class="wikitable"
!Award
!Nominee
!Outcome<ref>{{cite web |title=The 12th Academy Awards {{!}} 1940 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1940 |website=Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |date=October 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180426142136/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1940 |archive-date=2018-04-26 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Picture|Outstanding Production]] || [[RKO Radio]]||{{nominated}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] || Irene Dunne||{{nominated}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] || Maria Ouspenskaya || {{nominated}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Story|Best Writing (Original Story)]] || [[Mildred Cram]], Leo McCarey || {{nominated}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]] || Van Nest Polglase, Al Herman || {{nominated}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] || "Wishing," music and lyrics by [[Buddy DeSylva]]<ref name="Variety"/> || {{nominated}}
|}

==Availability==
In 1967, the film entered the [[List of films in the public domain in the United States|public domain in the United States]] because the claimants did not renew its [[copyright registration]] in the 28th year after publication.<ref>{{cite journal |first=David |last=Pierce |date=June 2007 |title=Forgotten Faces: Why Some of Our Cinema Heritage Is Part of the Public Domain  |journal=Film History: An International Journal |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=125–43 |issn=0892-2160 |oclc=15122313 |jstor=25165419 |doi=10.2979/FIL.2007.19.2.125 |s2cid=191633078 }}</ref> Because of this, the film is widely available on home video and online. The film can be downloaded legally for free on the [[Internet Archive]]. However, since the only film prints available were in lower-resolution 16mm (along with poor quality web video), in 2020 the Museum of Modern Art and Lobster Films (Paris) worked on a new 4K version created from film elements that MoMA had in its archives.<ref name="criterion"/>{{Additional citation needed|date=July 2023|reason=The Criterion website mentions the film was restored by MoMA and Lobster Films, but additional source is needed to support the claims about the previous prints and the restoration date.}}

The [[Criterion Collection]] released this newly restored version on [[Blu-ray]] and [[DVD]] in February 2022.<ref name="criterion">{{cite web|title=Love Affair|url=https://www.criterion.com/films/32533-love-affair|website=[[The Criterion Collection]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608194502/https://www.criterion.com/films/32533-love-affair|archive-date=June 8, 2023|url-status=live|access-date=July 20, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Best of Criterion's New Releases: February 2022|date=March 4, 2022|work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/criterion-collection/criterion-new-releases-february-2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601233553/https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/criterion-collection/criterion-new-releases-february-2022|archive-date=June 1, 2023|url-status=live|access-date=July 20, 2023}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |last1=Gehring |first1=Wes D. |title=Leo McCarey: From Marx to McCarthy |date=2005 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |location=[[Lanham, MD]] |isbn=0810852632 |page=159 |url=https://archive.org/details/leomccareyfromma0000gehr/ }}
* {{Cite book|date=October 1939|title=Photoplay|pages=24–25, 87|issue=10|volume=53|ref={{sfnRef|''Photoplay''|1939}}}}
** {{Cite interview|last=Boyer|first=Charles|interviewer=''Photoplay'' staff|title=Irene: As Seen by Charles Boyer|ref={{harvid|''Irene'' by Charles Boyer|1939}}|work=Photoplay|issue=10|volume=53|year=1939|pages=25, 87}}
** {{Cite interview|last=Dunne|first=Irene|interviewer=''Photoplay'' staff|title=Charles: As Seen by Irene Dunne|ref={{sfnRef|''Charles'' by Irene Dunne|1939}}|work=Photoplay|issue=10|volume=53|year=1939|pages=24, 87}}
* {{cite book|last1=Flannery |first1=Tom |title=1939, The Year in Movies: A Comprehensive Filmography |date=1990 |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, N.C. |isbn=0899504663}}
* {{cite book |last1=Gehring |first1=Wes D. |title=Irene Dunne: First Lady of Hollywood |date=2006 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |location=[[Lanham, MD]] |isbn=978-0810858640 |ref={{sfnRef|Gehring|2003}}}}
* {{cite book |last1=Swindell |first1=Larry |title=Charles Boyer: The Reluctant Lover |date=1983 |publisher=Doubleday |location=Garden City, N.Y. |isbn=0385170521 |edition=first }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Love Affair (film)}}
* {{AFI film|6015}}
* {{IMDb title|0031593}}
* [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/love-affair-am29742 ''Love Affair'' at AllMovie]
* {{Internet Archive film|LoveAffair}}
* {{TCMDb title|3938|Love Affair}}
'''Streaming audio'''
* [https://archive.org/download/Lux05/Lux_40-04-01_Love_Affair.mp3 ''Love Affair''] on [[Lux Radio Theater]]: April 1, 1940
* [https://archive.org/download/Lux07/lux_1942-07-06_LoveAffair.mp3 ''Love Affair''] on [[Lux Radio Theater]]: July 6, 1942
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|love_affair_1939}}

{{Leo McCarey}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1939 films]]
[[Category:1939 romantic drama films]]
[[Category:American romantic drama films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Empire State Building in fiction]]
[[Category:1930s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Roy Webb]]
[[Category:Films about people with paraplegia or tetraplegia]]
[[Category:Films directed by Leo McCarey]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:RKO Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Donald Ogden Stewart]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Films set in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Films set on ships]]
[[Category:1930s American films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic drama films]]