Love Me Tonight



According to director Rouben Mamoulian, Paramount executive Adolph Zukor hurried  into production to keep two of his more expensive contract players, Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald, from sitting idle. If Mamoulian rushed, it doesn't show in what film historians consider one of the most original of 1930s musicals. By pre-recording the entire score, Mamoulian, who was influenced by the work of Ernst Lubitsch and Rene Clair, combined sound and image with more fluidity than most early musicals achieved. Songs by Rodgers and Hart – including "Isn't It Romantic" and "Mimi" – and an effervescent script filled with risque innuendo are brought to life by Chevalier's saucy charm and MacDonald's angelic voice and beauty.

 was added to the National Film Registry in 1990.


 * Lost Forever: The film was made before the Hays Code (instituted in 1930) was seriously enforced, but was censored to comply with it at some point after its original release.  About fifteen minutes' worth of material was removed from the film to conform to the Code; while excerpts remain the original footage has mostly been lost, and no uncensored Pre-Code versions of the film survive.