Next Time We Love
Encyclopedia
Next Time We Love is a 1936 melodrama
film directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring Margaret Sullavan
, James Stewart
and Ray Milland
. It was written by Melville Baker
with Preston Sturges
and Doris Anderson
, who were both uncredited, based on Ursula Parrott
's 1935 novel Next Time We Live, which was serialized before publication as Say Goodbye Again. The film is also known as Next Time We Live in the U.K.
) marries ambitious newsman Christopher Tyler (James Stewart
) but their life together is interrupted when he is assigned to a good position in his newspaper's Rome bureau, and she stays behind, confiding to her rich secret admirer, Tommy Abbott (Ray Milland
), that she is pregnant. Separations, reunions and reconciliations follow as Cicely and Christopher struggle to balance their romance and their careers.
Cast notes:
. The story which provided the source material for Next Time We Love was first serialized as Say Goodbye Again in McCall's
from December 1934 to April 1935, and was then published as a novel called Next Time We Live, which was also the working title of the film. There was debate about what to call the movie, with studio executives worrying that "Next Time We Live" might be misinterpreted to be about reincarnation, while director Edward H. Griffith didn't want to lose the publicity value of using the title of the novel. Although the film was released as Next Time We Love, the alternate title Next Time We Live was used for its release in the U.K.
Francis Lederer
was originally cast for the part of "Christopher Tyler", but was unavailable. Margaret Sullavan was responsible for getting her friend Jimmy Stewart borrowed from MGM for the part. Production on the film was delayed because Sullavan was shooting retakes for So Red the Rose, but it began on 21 October 1935 and continued through 30 December. Shooting began with only half the script written by Melville Baker
, so three weeks into production, the studio put Doris Anderson
on the project as well. Some scenes in the film were directed in San Francisco by assistant director Ralph Slosser using doubles, and Slosser also directed some studio scenes as well.
Next Time We Love was released at the end of January 1936.
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
film directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring Margaret Sullavan
Margaret Sullavan
Margaret Brooke Sullavan was an American stage and film actress. Sullavan started her career on the stage in 1929. In 1933 she caught the attention of movie director John M. Stahl and had her debut on the screen that same year in Only Yesterday...
, James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
and Ray Milland
Ray Milland
Ray Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
. It was written by Melville Baker
Melville Baker
Melville Baker was an American screenwriter. He was born in Massachusetts and died of a heart attack in Nice, France at the age of 56.-Selected filmography:* The Swan * The Circus Kid...
with Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges , originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated playwright, screenwriter and film director born in Chicago, Illinois...
and Doris Anderson
Doris Anderson
Doris Hilda Anderson, was a Canadian author, journalist and women's rights activist.She was born in Calgary, Alberta as Hilda Doris Buck. She attended Crescent Heights High School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alberta in 1945...
, who were both uncredited, based on Ursula Parrott
Ursula Parrott
Katherine Ursula Towle better known by her pen name Ursula Parrott, was an American writer of romantic fiction stories and novels.- Works :...
's 1935 novel Next Time We Live, which was serialized before publication as Say Goodbye Again. The film is also known as Next Time We Live in the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Plot
Aspiring actress Cicely Tyler (Margaret SullavanMargaret Sullavan
Margaret Brooke Sullavan was an American stage and film actress. Sullavan started her career on the stage in 1929. In 1933 she caught the attention of movie director John M. Stahl and had her debut on the screen that same year in Only Yesterday...
) marries ambitious newsman Christopher Tyler (James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
) but their life together is interrupted when he is assigned to a good position in his newspaper's Rome bureau, and she stays behind, confiding to her rich secret admirer, Tommy Abbott (Ray Milland
Ray Milland
Ray Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
), that she is pregnant. Separations, reunions and reconciliations follow as Cicely and Christopher struggle to balance their romance and their careers.
Cast
- Margaret SullavanMargaret SullavanMargaret Brooke Sullavan was an American stage and film actress. Sullavan started her career on the stage in 1929. In 1933 she caught the attention of movie director John M. Stahl and had her debut on the screen that same year in Only Yesterday...
as Cicely Tyler - James StewartJames Stewart (actor)James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
as Christopher Tyler - Ray MillandRay MillandRay Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
as Tommy Abbott - Grant MitchellGrant Mitchell (actor)Grant Mitchell was an American stage actor on Broadway and character actor in many Hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s...
as Michael Jennings - Anna Demetrio as Madame Donato
- Robert McWadeRobert McWadeRobert McWade , was an American stage and film actor. From 1903-1927, he appeared in at least 38 Broadway productions, his last being The Devil In The Cheese, with Bela Lugosi and Fredric March...
as Frank Carteret - Ronnie Cosby as Kit at Age Eight
Cast notes:
- Arthur AylesworthArthur AylesworthArthur Aylesworth was an American actor who was a part of the Warner Brothers studio of film actors.Aylesworth was born in Apponaug, Rhode Island and starred on Broadway in the musical Follow Thru . He was on the stage for over a quarter of a century and created all but two of his one hundred and...
, Leonid KinskeyLeonid KinskeyLeonid Kinskey was a Russian-born movie and television actor who enjoyed a long career. Kinskey is best known for his role as Sascha in the film Casablanca ....
and Hattie McDanielHattie McDanielHattie McDaniel was the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind ....
, among others, have uncredited appearances in Next Time We Love.
Production
Ursula Parrott was a popular novelist of the time, several of whose novels were turned into films, most prominently Ex-Wife which became the 1930 movie The DivorceeThe Divorcee
The Divorcee is a 1930 American drama film written by Nick Grindé, John Meehan and Zelda Sears, based on the novel Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director...
. The story which provided the source material for Next Time We Love was first serialized as Say Goodbye Again in McCall's
McCall's
McCall's was a monthly American women's magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-format magazine called The Queen in 1873...
from December 1934 to April 1935, and was then published as a novel called Next Time We Live, which was also the working title of the film. There was debate about what to call the movie, with studio executives worrying that "Next Time We Live" might be misinterpreted to be about reincarnation, while director Edward H. Griffith didn't want to lose the publicity value of using the title of the novel. Although the film was released as Next Time We Love, the alternate title Next Time We Live was used for its release in the U.K.
Francis Lederer
Francis Lederer
Francis Lederer was a film and stage actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States.-Europe:...
was originally cast for the part of "Christopher Tyler", but was unavailable. Margaret Sullavan was responsible for getting her friend Jimmy Stewart borrowed from MGM for the part. Production on the film was delayed because Sullavan was shooting retakes for So Red the Rose, but it began on 21 October 1935 and continued through 30 December. Shooting began with only half the script written by Melville Baker
Melville Baker
Melville Baker was an American screenwriter. He was born in Massachusetts and died of a heart attack in Nice, France at the age of 56.-Selected filmography:* The Swan * The Circus Kid...
, so three weeks into production, the studio put Doris Anderson
Doris Anderson
Doris Hilda Anderson, was a Canadian author, journalist and women's rights activist.She was born in Calgary, Alberta as Hilda Doris Buck. She attended Crescent Heights High School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alberta in 1945...
on the project as well. Some scenes in the film were directed in San Francisco by assistant director Ralph Slosser using doubles, and Slosser also directed some studio scenes as well.
Next Time We Love was released at the end of January 1936.