Under Your Spell (film)
Encyclopedia
Under Your Spell is a 1936
American
romantic comedy film
with music directed by Otto Preminger
. The screenplay by Frances Hyland and Saul Elkins is based on a story by Sy Bartlett
and Bernice Mason.
socialite Cynthia Drexel arranges for New York City
opera
star Anthony Allen to sing at a private party for a $15,000 fee but, tired of his arduous performance schedule and the silly promotional stunts devised by his agent Petroff, he flees to his hometown in New Mexico
, then his secluded cabin in the Sierra Madres
. Determined to make him fulfill his commitment, Cynthia pursues him in her private plane, but he refuses to return with her, despite the efforts of her Uncle Bob and his valet Botts to convince him otherwise.
When Cynthia leaves without her suitcase, a now intrigued Anthony returns to Chicago with her belongings. When he arrives at her home, an angry Cynthia criticizes his singing and tells him she has no romantic interest in him as she is engaged Count Raul Du Rienne. Cynthia sues him for breach of contract
, but in court Anthony argues he refused to sing for her because she does not appreciate his talent, and the case is dismissed. Outside the courtroom, Uncle Bob tells him her betrothal to Raul is a mistake and all she needs is a good spanking to make her come to her senses. Anthony conceals himself in a doorway, and when Cynthia walks by, he pulls her inside and proceeds to spank her. Petroff calls a press conference at which he announces their union, and the happy couple signs their marriage license.
for nearly eight months when studio head Darryl F. Zanuck
assigned him to the film, a remake of the Spanish language
release Las fronteras del amor, which Frank R. Strayer
had directed for Fox two years earlier. Zanuck had opera
baritone
Lawrence Tibbett
under contract, and following the commercial failure of the high-budget Metropolitan
in 1935, he was anxious to rid himself of the singer and thought Preminger could serve as his hatchet man
. Tibbett was aware of Zanuck's feelings and didn't blame the director, who was anxious to helm a film, for accepting the assignment, and he proved to be amiable both on and off the set.
Filming began under the title Love Flight in mid-August 1936, soon after Preminger filed his Declaration of Intention
to become a naturalized American citizen
. Well under budget and ahead of schedule, principal photography was completed on September 15, and Zanuck was so pleased with Preminger's efficiency he signed him to a one-year contract at $1,000 per week, effective October 6. Prior to the film's release, its title was changed to Under Your Spell, after one of three songs Arthur Schwartz
and Howard Dietz
had written for the score, the other two being "My Little Mule Wagon" and "Amigo." Tibbet also performed "Largo al factotum" from The Barber of Seville
and "Le veau d'or" from Faust
in the film, which proved to be his last.
The film opens with a lengthy tracking shot in a recording studio that established Preminger's preference for allowing camera movement to bind together all the elements of a scene. In another sequence, set during a trial, the director presaged his 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder
with his use of loud, overlapping dialogue to create a sense of courtroom reality.
noted the film had been released as the second feature of a double bill
and commented, "The picture itself is not nearly as black as this fortuitous circumstance has painted it." He praised Lawrence Tibbett's voice, calling it "the richest, the most dramatic, the most beautifully controlled vocal instrument on the contemporary screen, and no amount of soldiering by the Messrs. Schwartz and Dietz can disguise this amazing and gratifying phenomenon." In closing, he said, "Mr. Tibbett acquits himself as satisfactorily as could well be expected. The fact that the Tibbett voice could stand a more studiously thought-out setting will hardly be contested by any one."
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
American
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
with music directed by Otto Preminger
Otto Preminger
Otto Ludwig Preminger was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...
. The screenplay by Frances Hyland and Saul Elkins is based on a story by Sy Bartlett
Sy Bartlett
Sy Bartlett was an American author and screenwriter/producer of Hollywood films. Born Sacha Baraniev in Ukraine, he immigrated to the United States at the age of four and adopted the name Sidney Bartlett....
and Bernice Mason.
Plot
ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
socialite Cynthia Drexel arranges for New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
star Anthony Allen to sing at a private party for a $15,000 fee but, tired of his arduous performance schedule and the silly promotional stunts devised by his agent Petroff, he flees to his hometown in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, then his secluded cabin in the Sierra Madres
Sierra Madre Mountains (California)
The Sierra Madre Mountains are a mountain range in northern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. They are a portion of the Inner South Coast Ranges, representing the southernmost part, which are themselves part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America. The Sierra Madre Mountains...
. Determined to make him fulfill his commitment, Cynthia pursues him in her private plane, but he refuses to return with her, despite the efforts of her Uncle Bob and his valet Botts to convince him otherwise.
When Cynthia leaves without her suitcase, a now intrigued Anthony returns to Chicago with her belongings. When he arrives at her home, an angry Cynthia criticizes his singing and tells him she has no romantic interest in him as she is engaged Count Raul Du Rienne. Cynthia sues him for breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
, but in court Anthony argues he refused to sing for her because she does not appreciate his talent, and the case is dismissed. Outside the courtroom, Uncle Bob tells him her betrothal to Raul is a mistake and all she needs is a good spanking to make her come to her senses. Anthony conceals himself in a doorway, and when Cynthia walks by, he pulls her inside and proceeds to spank her. Petroff calls a press conference at which he announces their union, and the happy couple signs their marriage license.
Production
Otto Preminger had been working as an apprentice at 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
for nearly eight months when studio head Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck was an American producer, writer, actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors...
assigned him to the film, a remake of the Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
release Las fronteras del amor, which Frank R. Strayer
Frank R. Strayer
Frank R. Strayer was an actor, film writer, director and producer. He was active from the mid-1920s until the early 1950s.-Biography:...
had directed for Fox two years earlier. Zanuck had opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Mervil Tibbett was a great American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera company more than 600 times from 1923 to 1950...
under contract, and following the commercial failure of the high-budget Metropolitan
Metropolitan (1935 film)
Metropolitan is a 1935 back-stage drama film interlaced with songs and musical segments from opera.Directed by Ryszard Bolesławski , it featured the famous baritone Lawrence Tibbett , with Virginia Bruce as his leading lady...
in 1935, he was anxious to rid himself of the singer and thought Preminger could serve as his hatchet man
Hatchet man
A hatchet man was originally a pioneer or axeman serving in a US military unit. Towards the end of the 19th century, the phrase was used to describe a Chinese assassin who carried a handleless hatchet, which originated from New York's Doyers Street....
. Tibbett was aware of Zanuck's feelings and didn't blame the director, who was anxious to helm a film, for accepting the assignment, and he proved to be amiable both on and off the set.
Filming began under the title Love Flight in mid-August 1936, soon after Preminger filed his Declaration of Intention
Naturalization Act of 1795
The United States Naturalization Act of January 29, 1795 repealed and replaced the Naturalization Act of 1790. The 1795 Act differed from the 1790 Act by increasing the period of required residence from two to five years in the United States, by introducing the Declaration of Intention...
to become a naturalized American citizen
United States nationality law
Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
. Well under budget and ahead of schedule, principal photography was completed on September 15, and Zanuck was so pleased with Preminger's efficiency he signed him to a one-year contract at $1,000 per week, effective October 6. Prior to the film's release, its title was changed to Under Your Spell, after one of three songs Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz was an American composer and film producer.Schwartz supported his legal studies at New York University and postgraduate studies at Columbia University by playing piano before concentrating his talents on vaudeville, Broadway theatre and Hollywood.Among his Broadway musicals are The...
and Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist.-Biography:Dietz was born in New York City and studied journalism at Columbia University...
had written for the score, the other two being "My Little Mule Wagon" and "Amigo." Tibbet also performed "Largo al factotum" from The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
and "Le veau d'or" from Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
in the film, which proved to be his last.
The film opens with a lengthy tracking shot in a recording studio that established Preminger's preference for allowing camera movement to bind together all the elements of a scene. In another sequence, set during a trial, the director presaged his 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder is a 1959 American courtroom crime drama film. It was directed by Otto Preminger and adapted by Wendell Mayes from the best-selling novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under the pen name Robert Traver...
with his use of loud, overlapping dialogue to create a sense of courtroom reality.
Cast
- Lawrence TibbettLawrence TibbettLawrence Mervil Tibbett was a great American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera company more than 600 times from 1923 to 1950...
..... Anthony Allen - Wendy BarrieWendy BarrieWendy Barrie was a British actress who worked in British and American films.-Early life:Marguerite Wendy Jenkins was born in Hong Kong to British parents...
..... Cynthia Drexel - Gregory RatoffGregory RatoffGregory Ratoff was a Russian-born American film director, actor and producer. His most famous role as an actor was as producer Max Fabian who feuds with star Margo Channing in All About Eve ....
..... Petroff - Arthur TreacherArthur TreacherArthur Veary Treacher was an English actor born in Brighton, East Sussex, England.Treacher was a veteran of World War I. After the war, he established a stage career and in 1928, he went to America as part of a musical-comedy revue called Great Temptations...
..... Botts - Gregory GayeGregory GayeGregory Gaye was a Russian-American actor. The son of an actor, he was born Gregory De Gay in Petrograd, now known as St. Petersburg....
..... Count Raul Du Rienne - Charles RichmanCharles Richman (actor)Charles J. Richman was an American film actor who appeared in 66 films between 1914 and 1939.He was born in Chicago, Illinois and died in The Bronx, New York.-Selected filmography:*The Man From Home...
..... Uncle Bob
Critical reception
In his review in the New York Times, Bosley CrowtherBosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
noted the film had been released as the second feature of a double bill
Double feature
The double feature, also known as a double bill, was a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatre managers would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown.The double feature, also known as...
and commented, "The picture itself is not nearly as black as this fortuitous circumstance has painted it." He praised Lawrence Tibbett's voice, calling it "the richest, the most dramatic, the most beautifully controlled vocal instrument on the contemporary screen, and no amount of soldiering by the Messrs. Schwartz and Dietz can disguise this amazing and gratifying phenomenon." In closing, he said, "Mr. Tibbett acquits himself as satisfactorily as could well be expected. The fact that the Tibbett voice could stand a more studiously thought-out setting will hardly be contested by any one."