Humoresque is a 1946 American melodrama film by Warner Bros. starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield in a tale about a violinist and his patroness.

The screenplay by Clifford Odets and Zachary Gold was based upon the 1919 short story "Humoresque"[2] by Fannie Hurst, which previously was made into a film in 1920.

At his apartment, he seems to be about to give up on his career; his manager Frederic Bauer is angry that Paul has misunderstood what performing would be like and admonishes him for thinking that music could no longer be part of his life.

In the past, young Paul is choosing a birthday present in a variety store run by Jeffers’ father in their neighborhood in New York City.

His father is dismissive of Paul's chances for success, and his brother Phil is extremely negative concerning his own possibilities for finding any job at all.

At a party, Paul meets the hostess, Helen Wright, a patroness in a loveless marriage with an ineffectual, aging third husband Victor.

Helen is a self-centered, adulterous woman who uses men as sexual playthings and is initially baffled by the strong-willed and independent Boray.

On the beach, near the Wrights' Long Island home, he reaches out to Helen after a swim, but she runs away; later in the evening, she falls off a horse, and as he tries to aid her, she resists, not wanting to be touched.

Waiting at home, Esther confronts him, pointing out that he has missed a date with Gina, also a musician and his long-time sweetheart.

is performed by Peg LaCentra in the background), against a wall, she and Paul go back to her home where she expresses anger at being neglected and begs him to allow her to be more involved in his life.

She drinks, becomes more upset with herself, and recalling her husband's words, realizes her dissolute past can only taint Paul's future.

During an August 15, 1973 appearance on The Tonight Show, Robert Blake stated he had been unable to generate tears during one of his scenes.

John Garfield cleared the set and began to tell him about his own childhood, his mother's death and growing up on the streets in the Bronx.

It is rather a mawkish lamentation upon the hopelessness of love between an art-dedicated violinist and a high-toned lady who lives for self alone... [T]he Warner Brothers have wrapped this piteous affair in a blanket of soul-tearing music which is supposed to make it spiritually purgative...

The music, we must say, is splendid—and, if you will only shut your eyes so that you don't have to watch Mr. Garfield leaning his soulful face against that violin or Miss Crawford violently emoting... you may enjoy it very much.

Franz Waxman received an Academy Award nomination for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.

[17] In 1998, pop star Madonna released a video for her single "The Power of Good-Bye", based on several scenes from the movie.