Now and Forever (1934)

Very disappointing...

Excellent but underrated film

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Director: HENRY HATHAWAY. Based on the story Honor Bright by Jack Kirkland, Melville Baker. Screenplay: Vincent Lawrence, Sylvia Thalberg. Camera: Harry Fischbeck. Film editor: Ellsworth Hoagland. Art directors: Hans Dreier, Robert Usher. Song: Larry Morey, Leigh Harline, "The World Owes Me a Living", sung by Shirley Temple. Additional song by Harry Revel and Mack Gordon. Additional music: Rudolph G. Kopp, John Leipold, Karl Hajos. Costumes: Travis Banton. Sound recording; Harold C. Lewis. Western Electric Sound System. Producer: Louis D. Lighton. Executive producer: Adolph Zukor.Copyright 29 August 1934 by Paramount Productions, Inc. New York opening at the Paramount, 12 October 1934. U.S. release: 31 August 1934. U.K. release: 30 March 1935. Sydney release at the Prince Edward (on a double bill with Cary Grant's Kiss and. Make Up), 5 January 1935 (ran 3 weeks). 9 reels. 81 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Callous jewel thief (Cooper, would you believe?) tries to sell his motherless child to his brother-in-law for $75,000.NOTES: Academy Award to Shirley Temple for her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment in 1934. Originally, Stephen Roberts was assigned to direct, and Claudette Colbert was announced for the Lombard role.COMMENT: Now and Forever is exactly how long this talking bore of a film seems to last. Admittedly, it opens promisingly. Cooper and Lombard are a pair of confidence crooks. Even though they talk too much, we are fascinated by the ingenious way in which Coop swindles the Shanghai Hotel out of his bill. But the story then becomes increasingly slight and banal. Almost nothing happens as soon as Miss Temple enters (about 15 minutes in). The characters just sit around and talk, talk, talk. When a bit of action finally does come along, it is the most tamely staged in all of Hathaway's films.Although the picture is set in Shanghai and Paris, there is no location work except for a brief sequence on a lake.Hathaway has stated that he pays close attention to acting. This we doubt. In nearly all his movies, there are performances that seem strained and amateurish. (Perhaps because of a lack of rapport?) In this film, I would single out Shirley Temple and Gary Cooper. She just rattles off her lines like a well-trained parrot, while his naturally slow delivery is even more expressionless than usual. Even a talented player like Carole Lombard can give little animation to her routinely conventional role. Sir Guy Standing is similarly hamstrung. Although he plays in his customary hearty manner, his characterization seems shallow and superficial. Charlotte Granville is okay in a part in which Alison Skipworth would have been preferable. Other roles are small, but competently played. Miss Temple has one song. She puts it across with enthusiasm, if little talent. (Hathaway doesn't think too highly of her vocal ability either, as he breaks into the middle of the song with a scene off- stage.)Although production values are very moderate, photography and sets are attractive. Other credits are okay, though Miss Lombard is saddled with some ridiculous costumes. OTHER VIEWS; Shirley Temple is such a charmer that she makes even a sludgy script pleasant-going. I also enjoyed Sir Guy Standing as a self-confessed rat and Charlotte Granville as a typical Hollywood bejeweled Jessie Ralph matron. Cooper and Lombard are both sufficiently adroit and charismatic to overcome the wearisome banalities of much of their dialogue."Now and Forever" is beautifully photographed and set. Not a typical Hathaway movie by any means, but very competently directed. All the same, it's true that Hathaway only sparks into real life during the action bits — particularly in the smooth piece of camera-work with which he interrupts Shirley's song, which continues off while Coop steals the necklace, then back to Shirley for the delightful last verse. — JHR writing as George Addison.

Nearly all of Shirley Temple's childhood films were made at Twentieth Century Fox and it helped make this studio one of the most successful ones of the 1930s. However, for some reason Shirley starred in this film for Paramount. Fox loaned her out to Paramount (a practice that occasionally happened to keep actors busy during slack periods or as part of a trade between the studios for a film or two) and considering how successful she was at the time, this loan-out is surprising. Perhaps it's because it was still early in Shirley's career, though with some big hits behind her, it's still hard to understand. Or, perhaps Fox really owed Paramount because they loan them some mega- star or mega-stars. This film is a bit unusual. While her parents were sometimes idiots in her films, they usually weren't criminals like they are in "Now and Forever". Pennie's mother died and she's being raised by her mother's family. This is a blessing since her father, Jerry (Gary Cooper) is a con man and is just no good. In fact, at one point her returns to his wife's family and tries to sell his interest in the child in order to make money!! Fortunately, when Pennie (Temple) spends time with her no-good father, she manages to bring out the best in him and he wants her not for any money but to raise her because she's so sweet. This is a relief to Jerry's girlfriend, Toni (Carole Lombard), as she's tired of their life together...always being just one step ahead of the law! But Toni is realistic...any change might be temporary and Jerry needs to think about someone else other than himself for once. Can this jerk of a dad and very immature man actually turn out to be a family man? So is this film any good? Well, I certainly would never consider placing it among Temple's better films. The biggest reason is that the film is a MAJORLY depressing film...especially at the end. In most later films, parents had issues but worked them out happily by the end and everything was peachy. Here, it's just a depressing, miserable mess. The acting is good...the script really isn't. Overall, not a terrible film but it lacks something in later movies...fun.

The year 1934 was when Shirley Temple played three major movies and really began to make a name for herself. Unfortunately, the studios had to experiment to see what the public best liked about here. Two of those things were singing and dancing. Another was a short, interesting film that kept people's attention and got their minds off The Depression. You know the other keys to Shirley's successful films.This film achieved none of the above, despite the star presences of Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard and despite a very good director in Henry Hathaway. In addition, there are too many talky parts in here which become simply boring, and too many arguments between a sullen Lombard and Cooper. To top it off, you didn't get the normal feel-good ending which is what the public wants. I guess they learned after this movie.

This movie has a warm feel to it, and with Shirley as the child, she brings out the sweetness. Though there isn't much song and dance routine in this movie as in all her rest, she still charms us with the song "The World Owes Me A Living". The tale of a lil girl wanting her daddy to be honest is a sure-win family movie. However, the ending is a lil sad... This movie shows how much the father loves his daughter, and the sacrifice he's willing to make. A good movie to watch, with your family would be best :) Let children have fun after all! Not just plain discipline!