Tonight or Never

Tony trappings notwithstanding, a rather silly rom-com, elevated by assured performances and some lovely orchestral music. It's good to see Swanson in anything, and she's in good form; Douglas is her worthy sparring partner, and the marvelous Alison Skipworth, his aunt. Ferdinand Gottschalk's "comic relief" is almost too much for the fluffy milieu, but he's a pro. Boris Karloff has a fun walk-on role as a waiter. Kudos to the UCLA Film & Television Institute for restoring the copy shown on Max.

It took a while before this Gloria Swanson movie got interesting. But once Melvyn Douglas started getting established in the story and the courting got under way it was okay. This was Douglas' movie debut and what a first shot! Up against the veteran diva Gloria Swanson! But he was convincing and showed he had a calm about him as a leading man. The aging Swanson was a bit bland at first but gained more color in her performance as the story got hotter and turned out doing a fine job.

Rather fun 30's comedy with an enjoyable performance from Swanson.