An Earthquake and Hurricane in the same week? I think it's time to discuss The Rains Came (1939)

Tom Ransome (George Brent),  a nonchalant philanderer has spent years in India watching the people and the rains come and go. He has an ardent admirer in Fern Simon (Brenda Joyce), the daughter of American missionaries who is fascinated by Tom and his reputation. However, Tom regards her as a child. When he runs into an old flame who is now Lady Edwina Esketh (Myrna Loy), having married the wealthy and uncouth Lord Esketh (Nigel Bruce), Tom is alarmed by her behavior. Worse yet, he realizes he has built his reputation on behaving just like her.  

Edwina, bored with her marriage, carelessly tries making a conquest of Tom's friend, Major Rama Safti (Tyrone Power). However, the major is too preoccupied with his work as a doctor to pay her any attention. Meanwhile, as the rains fall, Tom finds himself falling in love with Fern. Then disaster strikes when an earthquake destroys the dams and releases flood waters into Ranchipur, killing Lord Esketh and the Maharajah (H. B. Warner). When the Maharani (Maria Ouspenskaya) asks Tom to help her people, Fern joins him. Plague sweeps the city and as the major fights to contain it, Edwina volunteers to help in the hospital despite the risks. The major, touched by her selflessness, finally falls in love with her. However, in the most harrowing scene Edwina accidentally drinks from a contaminated glass and falls victim to the plague. The major is unable to save her. Tom and Fern get married and the major, successfully contains the plague to become the Maharajah.

The Rains Came isn't quick entertainment, it has its slow moments but it also has a few heavy hitters. Besides some pretty good special effects, Brent, Power, Ouspenskaya, and Joyce play their parts wonderfully. The real star however, is Loy. An unusual part for her as evidenced in her future work, she nonetheless shows her dramatic chops and is most touching in her deathbed scene. Definitely worth seeing just once.


Tonight on TCM- if the power stays on...
Linda Darnell! Oh, A Letter to Three Wives sounds fun!

Love Affair (1939)

French painter and renowned playboy Michel Marnet (Charles Boyer) is on his way to America to meet with his fiance heiress Lois Clarke (Astrid Allwyn). He meets American singer Terry McKay (Irene Dunne) who is involved with a rich man herself, Kenneth Bradley (Lee Bowman). Since Michel’s escapades are always newsworthy, Terry tries to avoid him on the ship but when they stop at Madeira, she agrees to go with Michel to visit his grandmother Janou (Maria Ouspenskaya). Janou approves highly of Terry, she reveals that Michel is a great artist and needs the right kind of woman to lead him in the right direction.

As they resume their cruise, Michel and Terry, through clandestine meeting aboard, eventually fall in love. Michel and Terry agree on a six month time limit to prove to themselves and one another that they can make it on their own. They make an appointment to meet six months later on top of the Empire State Building. Michel goes on to become a great painter and Terry works in a nightclub as a singer.

Six months later, as Terry is hurrying to get to her destination, she is struck by a car and informed that she may not be able to walk again, that the doctors won’t know for certain for several months. Not wanting to be a burden to Michel, she does not contact him, preferring to let him think the worst.

Meanwhile, Michel goes back to Madeira to find that Janou has passed away but left a beautiful lace shawl for Terry. The same shawl that Michel painted her in from his memory of that day in Madeira with Terry. Back in America six months later, he meets Terry by accident at the theater. Though he does not really speak to her, he finds out where she lives and confronts her. Through their conversation it is revealed that the painting of her was given to a woman who had little money and was crippled. Finally putting two and two together, Michel goes into the next room and finds the painting on the wall. He then assures Terry that no matter what the diagnosis, he will be by her side.

I will have to compare it against McCarey's later version An Affair to Remember however, I thought Love Affair was mildly entertaining. There are some very interesting cinematographic shots in the film and Dunne even stepped outside of her realm of operatic singing and to perform Sing My Heart, a wonderfully modern song for it's time. Other than that, I wasn't really moved by any of the performances or even the story.

Oscar Trivia:

Irene Dunne was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in Cimarron, Theodora Goes Wild, The Awful Truth, Love Affair, and I Remember Mama.


Charles Boyer received four Academy Award nominations for Best Actor for his performances in Conquest, Algiers, Gaslight, and Fanny. However during WW II he became active in encouraging French-American relations and established the French Research Foundation, for which he was awarded a special Academy Award for "progressive cultural achievement".

Maria Ouspenskaya was nominated for Best Supporting Actress twice in her career for her performances in Dodsworth and Love Affair.

Leo McCarey was nominated seven times in his career for various categories: Best Music, Best Writing, Best Original Story, and Best Director. He won twice for Best Director for the films The Awful Truth and Going My Way.