Love Me or Leave Me (1955)

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The storyline follows 20's singer Ruth Etting's climb from obscurity to show-biz heights, thanks in part to gangster Moe Snyder's leverage and scheming. At the same time, Etting has to straighten out her love life without alienating the temperamental Snyder.As I recall, the movie had a lot of hoopla in '55. No doubt, it was a change of pace for the fast rising Day and a revival for tough guy Cagney. Plus, there's the lavish staging in candybox Cinemascope and MGM's promise of big production numbers. Unsurprisingly, it was a big box office success. After sixty years, I finally caught up with the production the other night, but was somewhat disappointed. Of course, Day's tuneful warbling can do no wrong and is the two-hours' best part. Still, it's not really a musical since the dramatic side overshadows Day's numbers. But then the scenario was supposed to feature a dramatic Day, apparently a chance to show her chops in a dramatic change of pace. Trouble is her Ruth Etting is in an almost uniformly bad mood, which may be a real change in Day's usual sunny roles, but is out of sync with singer Etting's (Day) ascendant career. You would think success would bring about a few smiles, but no such luck for either us or the movie.Then there's Cagney who's swallowed an even bigger lemon than Day, snarling the whole way through. How Etting could stand Snyder's (Cagney) company in any capacity seems inexplicable. No doubt the actor made an unforgettable gangster, in Public Enemy (1931). But here, the constant snarling seems more caricature than expressive of his role. I suspect the movie appealed to 50's audiences for its novel pairing of two popular stars from opposite ends of the spectrum. That particular appeal, however, has worn off with the years. To me, the movie appears regrettably flawed despite the entertaining musical moments. But, at least, the charming Day was able to show she had a dramatic side even if unfortunately overdone.

"Love Me or Leave Me" is the fictionalized but essentially accurate biopic of Ruth Etting (Doris Day), popular vocalist from the 1920s and 30s. It's a tragic story about an ambitious but principled young woman who attracts the attention of a gangster, Marty Snyder (James Cagney), with an inferiority complex and a need for control.Cagney plays his part with such conviction that the film is not enjoyable to watch. His Marty Snyder never ceases to dominate Ruth with his smothering attentions and a jealous eye.Day displays her singing voice, some dance moves, a killer body that is often overlooked because of her prim portrayals, and a strong dramatic performance. Ruth's sad story, in reality, is much as the film depicts. The ending of the film is a concession to neat Hollywood endings, but dramatically it serves its purpose.There have been other films about women who were dominated by men wanting to capitalize on their talents (see "Star 80"), with destructive results. This one is convincing, thanks to its two stars. Fans of either will want to see this film.

Interesting and revealing how many of the reviews here are written by Cagney fans who do not generally like Day and vice versa, so hidebound are we by styles and maybe gender. They would never have made this movie in this genre-obsessed age where actors and films must remain consistent and predictable. Here, Cagney, one of the greatest of all cinema actors, whose cocky, little man bravura is usually found in gangster vehicles (where his vulnerability beneath the sociopathic veneer always comes as a delightful surprise), combines with Day, whose sensuality and strength of feeling, though betrayed by her voice, were to be smothered in syrup in those bubblegum romcoms. Both are magnificent performers. Day plays it low-key. She keeps the passion for the singing, which is superb. Cagney's boyish swagger and confusion are heartbreaking. This is a nigh unique melodrama which defies genres and could only have worked in so wholehearted and apt a melding and transcendence of stereotypes.

One of the more adult mid-'50s musicals, and it's surprising that it came out of MGM, which generally preferred happy-happy song-and-dance shows, and starred two big stars who had never before worked at Culver City. Day and Cagney are tremendous, she playing up Ruth Etting's unattractive ambition without flinching, and he bringing unexpected charm to a thoroughly unlikable gangster character. As a study of how bad relationships stay stuck in the groove, it's remarkably grown-up for its day, and you might not expect these two stars to play well off each other, but they certainly do. The downside: Ruth Etting had a small, chirpy voice, rather like her contemporaries Janet Gaynor or Nancy Carroll, and Day's vocal delivery is nothing like hers. She sings like... Doris Day. Nor are the arrangements anything like period--they're standard mid-'50s overkill. The costumes and hairstyles don't even pretend to be '20s. And though much is made of Miss Etting's film career--you'd have thought she was a great movie musical star--her Hollywood sojourn was actually brief and unimpressive. Finally, there's that audience depressant Cameron Mitchell as her love interest, and you can't get very interested in him, or root for him. After so many vacuous sunny-side-up musicals at Warners, Day must have relished this opportunity to show what she could really do, and it's very worth sitting through to watch the Day-Cagney fireworks. I guess an accurate portrayal of Ruth Etting and her times would be asking too much.