Eternally Yours (1939)

Undescribable Perfection

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The title song played over the credits is very pretty, and Werner Janssen's score was nominated for Best Music in 1940. However, after the opening credits are done, the movie goes downhill. Eternally Yours belongs to the group of films that tells wives in the audience to support their husbands no matter how mean, selfish, and inattentive they are. If you don't like that message, you won't like this movie.Loretta Young starts the movie engaged to Broderick Crawford, but when she goes with her girlfriends to see David Niven, a famous magician, it's love at first sight. So far so good. But is there a secret twist to their love-was he hypnotizing her or using a magic trick to win her love? No, there's neither imagination nor secret twists in Gene Towne's and C. Graham Baker's script. Countless times I thought the story would turn in a different, clever direction but it never did. Loose ends aren't tied, and inventive plot lines aren't explored. As much as I love David Niven, this isn't one of his good movies.

Loretta Young, years before becoming David Niven's spouse as "The Bishop's Wife", was "The Bishop's Daughter", an ironic detail about her career. She's the lively daughter of feisty C. Aubrey Smith, a hands-on bishop who at one point is seen teaching his juvenile charges how to box. Young goes to a magic show where she meets magician David Niven and before she can get the chance to express her cynicism, she is totally entranced by his charm, and very shortly his assistant and wife. But he's consumed with his career, and when he makes a drunken promise to jump out of a plane while handcuffed, she knows she could loose him, either to a fatal accident if he can't get freed, or to the love of his popularity, which explodes as the date of this stunt arises. So it is no shock that as he becomes a major star, she becomes disgruntled with being second fiddle and decides to take a powder, literally disappearing from his life altogether.There's a charming little romantic comedy with light humor inside this slow moving bore that only gets a few minor laughs here and there. It certainly doesn't come from its cast of comical supporting actors which includes brief appearances by Eve Arden (as Young's pal in the beginning; She gets her own magic by disappearing from the film altogether after two nice scenes), Billie Burke (as Young's aunt who seems to be there only to get her name in the credits) and Zasu Pitts (as a social acquaintance who only briefly gets fluttery in her traditional standard). Hugh Herbert, the "woo woo" king of Warner Brothers comedies and musicals of the 30's, plays mostly straight here, only briefly going down familiar territory as Niven's valet.Then, there's Broderick Crawford who becomes the next man in Young's life as she moves on from Niven. It's obvious that he's the Ralph Bellamy character in this missed opportunity directed by Tay Garnett. A cute little finale involving Niven's magic prop rabbit brings on one of the only real laughs in the film.

worth watching. A perfect role for him, as a charming, suave ladies man who entertains as a professional escape artist and magician. This must have been one of his earlier starring roles. I know when he first landed up in Hollywood, he met Loretta Young and her sisters and mother almost at once, and they took him under their collective wings, helping him break into the business. He and Loretta always claimed they were only close friends, brother/sister-type, which was probably true overall, but Niven was such a ladies man, it is hard to believe they didn't share at least a brief fling along the way. Soon after this film was made, Niven was off to war for England and out of movies until 1945.(except for a few war films).This film is interesting in part for the professions of the characters, as escape artist and assistant/wife, played by Loretta. It was rare at the time to have wives working alongside their husbands. Early in the film, Loretta's character is footloose and loving the life on the road with her husband, exotic and exciting travels, etc. But since this is 1939 and a post-code film, she will change her mind and be craving a white picket fence with hearth and home before long...I am not a huge LY fan, but do prefer her in these earlier movies to anything she made after the forties. She was still a bit of a good-time girl in her twenties, and it showed in her acting. Later on, she seemed stiffer. Supporting actors are all good as is direction.

... in 1939 though they'd have you think so. There were also bread-and-butter entries like this one, pleasant enough, entertaining even, but lacking that little 'extra' in an era that offered Easy Living,The Awful Truth etc. Of course anything with Eve Arden is going to be watchable and it's especially interesting to see Brod Crawford in the Ralph Bellamy role and trivia buffs will love the fact that Niven, here married to a Bishop's granddaughter (Young) moved both of them up a notch when he made Young The Bishop's Wife a decade later. Also noteworthy is the expose of magician's tricks, not least a new wrinkle on mind-reading. Lots to like her for the undemanding.