''Love Me or Leave Me'' is a 1955 American romantic

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

starring

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

, with James Cagney and Cameron Mitchell in supporting roles. Also a biopic, the

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

production recounts the life of Ruth Etting, a singer who rose from dancer to movie star. Nominated for six

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

, the picture was directed by Charles Vidor and written by Daniel Fuchs and

Isobel Lennart Isobel Lennart (May 18, 1915 – January 25, 1971) was an American screenwriter and playwright. She is best known for writing the book for the Broadway theatre, Broadway musical ''Funny Girl (musical), Funny Girl'' which premiered in 1964, althou ...

, from a story by Daniel Fuchs.

Plot

Nineteen-twenties

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

nightclub singer and dime-a-dance girl Ruth Etting is in jeopardy of losing her job for kicking a customer for his unwelcome attention. Martin Snyder, known as "The Gimp" because of his game leg, intervenes on her behalf. A man of considerable clout, he owns a laundry business as a front and runs a thriving protection racket. Etting is desperate to get into show business. Snyder gets her a job dancing in a floor show, then pays for a singing coach, Johnny Alderman, who is also attracted to her. Etting and Alderman are grateful, but Snyder makes it clear he expects Etting to travel to

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

with him, not for business but for pleasure. Etting declines, but Snyder's interest in her continues. Through an agent, Bernie Loomis, he arranges a radio program to feature Etting, followed by a job with the Ziegfeld Follies. His crude behavior and violent temper cause Etting multiple problems. Johnny continues to woo Etting, but under heavy pressure from Snyder she marries him instead. His heavy-handed management continues as her career blossoms. Goaded to enter the entertainment business, Snyder decides to open a nightclub of his own, sinking his wealth heavily into it. Upset at sensing a relationship resuming between Etting and Johnny during their filming of a Hollywood movie, Snyder strikes her; she runs off and seeks a divorce. Snyder then catches them together, shoots Johnny and is arrested. Horrified but conflicted because of all Snyder has done for her career, Etting arranges for Loomis to bail him out of jail. At his nightclub which he expects to find deserted, Snyder arrives to find Etting performing there herself. At first enraged by what he perceives as an act of charity, Snyder finally realizes this is Etting's way of showing her appreciation, even if she can't be part of his life any longer.

Cast

Production

The role of Snyder was originally intended for Spencer Tracy, but he turned it down. After the Etting role was turned down by

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' att ...

, Cagney suggested Doris Day to producer

Joe Pasternak Joseph Herman Pasternak (born József Paszternák; September 19, 1901 – September 13, 1991) was a Hungarian-American film producer in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. Pasternak spent the Hollywood Musical film, "Golden Age" of musicals ...

. Gardner was subsequently placed on a temporary salary suspension by

as a punishment.

Reception

'' Variety'' called the film "a rich canvas of the Roaring '20s, with gutsy and excellent performances."Variety's review
Posted: December 31, 1954

Awards and nominations

Box-office

According to MGM records the film earned $4,035,000 in the US and Canada and $1,597,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $595,000. ''Love Me or Leave Me'' was the eighth ranked movie in 1955.

Soundtrack

All but two of the songs in the movie were hits that Etting had recorded originally back in the 1920s and early 1930s. These new songs, written specifically for the film, are " Never Look Back" by Chilton Price and " I'll Never Stop Loving You" by Nicholas Brodzsky and Sammy Cahn. The songs as they appear in the film (all sung by

except as shown): * " Ten Cents a Dance" * " I'm Sitting on Top of the World" (sung by Claude Stroud) * " It All Depends On You" * " You Made Me Love You" * " Stay On the Right Side Sister" * " Everybody Loves My Baby (But My Baby Loves Nobody But Me)" * " Mean To Me" * " Sam, the Old Accordion Man" * " Shaking the Blues Away" (sung by Doris Day, danced by Doris Day and Chorus) * " I'll Never Stop Loving You" * " Never Look Back" * " Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue" * " At Sundown" * " My Blue Heaven" * " Love Me or Leave Me"

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Love Me Or Leave Me (Film) 1955 films 1955 romantic drama films 1950s biographical drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s musical drama films 1950s romantic musical films CinemaScope films American biographical drama films American musical drama films American romantic drama films American romantic musical films Biographical films about entertainers Biographical films about singers Cultural depictions of American people Cultural depictions of actors Cultural depictions of pop musicians Films directed by Charles Vidor Films produced by Joe Pasternak Films scored by Georgie Stoll Films that won the Academy Award for Best Story Jukebox musical films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Musical films based on actual events Romantic drama films based on actual events 1950s American films English-language biographical drama films English-language romantic drama films English-language romantic musical films English-language musical drama films