It Started with Eve is a 1941 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Deanna Durbin, Robert Cummings, and Charles Laughton.
[3] The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Music Score (Charles Previn and Hans J.
The millionaire Jonathan Reynolds is dying, and his son Johnny returns from Mexico City to his deathbed.
Johnny drives quickly to his hotel to find his fiancée, Gloria Pennington, but she has left with her mother.
Johnny catches Anne at the train station as she is about to leave for her hometown and convinces her to return with him.
When Jonathan leaves the room, he, however, learns the true story through the ensuing loud dispute between Anne and Johnny.
Jonathan is back in good health, and Johnny goes to the party with Gloria and her mother, explaining to his father that Anne has a headache and cannot attend.
The next day, Johnny catches Anne once again at the station to tell her that his father has had another heart attack and wants to see her.
[7] The film was eventually never made – the title was transferred to another project by Pasternak in December 1940 which would become It Started with Eve.
[9] The following month Deanna Durbin agreed to co-star; plans to put her in Ready to Romance with Charles Boyer were abandoned.
[14] Koster later said he thought Durbin looked at her most beautiful in this film because of Rudolph Mate's photography.
[16] In his review in The New York Times, Bosley Crowther called the film "light and unpretentious fare" and "should please—as they say—both young and old.
"[17] Crowther singled out the performances of Charles Laughton, who plays cupid, and Deanna Durbin.
For this is one of the sharpest performances the old boy has given in years ... Mr. Laughton plays with flavor, mischief, humor and great inventiveness.
He was marvellous in the picture and the fact that we remained very close friends even though we were both aware of Eve being a Laughton not a Durbin film, shows how fond we were of each other.
"[18] Filmink wrote "Cummings and Durbin don’t have enough screen time together, but the movie is magical – all three leads are perfect (to really see how good it is, compare it with the 1964 remake, I’d Rather Be Rich).