I Live for Love

Warner Bros, 1935
Starring Dolores Del Rio, Everett Marshall, Allen Jenkins, and Guy Kibbee
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Music by Allie Wrubel; Lyrics by Mort Dixon

Berkeley didn't just direct spectacular musicals. He also made the occasional dive into smaller-scale projects, such as this radio-set romantic comedy with song sequence. This was also Metropolitan Opera performer Everett Marshall's second go at a film career after Dixiana from 1930, and Del Rio's second small-scale musical that year. How do she and Berkeley fit with the story of a South American stage actress who finds herself linked to a radio star? Let's head to a theater in New York, where Donna (Del Rio) is about to star in her next big show, and find out...

The Story: Donna is hoping to push her eager young lover Rico (Don Alvardo) as her leading man. The producers Fabian (Benton Churchill) and Townsend (Hobart Canavaugh) would rather have anyone else, including an out-of-work opera singer named Roger Perry (Marshall) whom they yank off the street and hand a contract to. Angry over them pushing an unknown into the role, Donna constantly berates Roger's acting until he quits. Roger eventually becomes a major radio star, while Donna's show flops. Donna is pushed onto Roger's show, which she hates at first...until they fall in love. Their producers try to push them together, but when they actually announce a wedding, they pull them apart for the good of their careers.

The Song and Dance: A few good comic bits and some nice songs from Marshall are pretty much all to recommend in this B movie. Jenkins is joined by Al Shaw, Sam Lee, and pianist Eddie Conrad as Roger's street musician buddies who take advantage of his radio fame to join his show, and later help reunite him and Donna. They have some decent gags, especially in the beginning when they're trying to get noticed and during the "Man Must Shave" number.

Favorite Number: "Silver Wings" is a mildly attractive ballad Marshall sings at a nightclub when Donna and her producers are watching his show towards the end. The street singers and Allen Jenkins join Marshall for the hilarious "A Man Must Shave," as they disrupt his attempts to get himself cleaned up and out the door.

What I Don't Like: Dull romantic comedy is nothing like Berkeley's usual backstage extravaganzas. Other than showing a few of his touches in the numbers, it barely evinces his touch. Despite being the nominal star, Del Rio doesn't have much to do. Marshall is only slightly improved from his previous outing in Dixiana. His face does look slightly better without the mustache, but he still plays to the balcony instead of the camera and comes off as a bit stiff.

The Big Finale: Completely unnecessary unless you're a huge Berkeley or Del Rio fan or are looking for something semi-cute to pass time on TCM.

Home Media: To my knowledge, the only place you can see this one is occasionally on the cable channel Turner Classic Movies that specializes in older films. Check their website and on-demand service for dates and times.

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