Give Me Your Heart

After a child-producing European affair, attractive socialite Kay Francis (as Belinda "Bill" aka "Linda" Warren) woefully returns to New York. On the train, she meets wealthy and attentive George Brent (as James "Jim" Baker). They are married, but Ms. Francis is haunted by her past. Francis' little secret adversely affects her relationship with Mr. Brent. Two years later, Francis' globe-trotting friend Roland Young (as Edward "Tubbs" Barron) arranges for Francis and her husband to meet former lover Patric Knowles (as Robert "Bob" Melford), his wife Frieda Inescort (as Rosamond Melford), and their collective son...

Though faltering as Florence Nightingale in "The White Angel" (1936), Francis reasserts some box office appeal by treading more familiar waters; she attained a respectable #15 position for the year 1936, in the annual exhibitors' poll conducted for "Boxoffice" magazine...

Tailor-made for Francis, this short-lived Broadway production (by Jay Mallory) revisits a tried and true story. The subjects are treated with more respect than was prevalent at the time, although it's not ground-breaking. Best of the episodic scenes is the confrontation between husbands and wives. The short, less starry performances of Mr. Knowles and Ms. Inescort are especially effective. The subplot involving Mr. Hobbes' interest in alcohol and doctor Helen Flint (as Florence "Bones" Cudahy) is strange and unsatisfying. Veteran actors like Henry Stephenson add credence.

***** Give Me Your Heart (9/17/36) Archie Mayo ~ Kay Francis, George Brent, Roland Young, Patric Knowles