Now and Forever (1934)

Am I Missing Something?

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The characters of Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard are established early in this tearjerker with a few laughs when Cooper pretends to be a books inspector to con fellow guests at a hotel in order to pay off his own bill. They head separate ways-Lombard to Paris and Cooper to America, where he stops by to collect money promised in order to let his in-laws adopt his daughter (Shirley Temple). Bartering for the perky young miss as if she was a prize heffer at a county fair, Cooper obviously has no interest in taking her in until he spends some time with her and finds that she has a free spirit that his former brother-in-law is trying to subdue. Cooper takes her to Paris so he can marry Lombard and continue their string of cons, but circumstances arrange themselves so he has no choice but to make some strong moral decisions based upon his own growing love for his flesh and blood.At first, Temple and Lombard hit it off like oil and water, but who can resist Shirley's curls and Lombard's blue eyes? This makes their situation all the more dangerous as Cooper finally agrees to take on a respectable career but can't stop his extravagant lifestyle which includes trying to con a wealthy widow (Charlotte Granville) with the help of an old colleague (Guy Standing).There's a lot of sentimentality in this drama, one of two pictures which Temple made on loan to Paramount at the start of her major stardom years. She shows some adult cynicism when she first meets the pretty Carole, and you know that they will open their hearts to each other. Some actors warned you about the focus being stolen by dogs and children, but they forgot about spunky old ladies, which is true in the case of Granville who comes off the champion here, her acidic delivery (mixed with love) the highlight of the film. This is an enjoyable family drama that may seem forumulatic in some respects, but is memorable on its own rights.

Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard reminded me of the romantic thieves in "Algiers" played by Charles Boyer and Hedy LaMarr. That movie was 1938 and this one 1934, so this movie is the original. It is a pre-code movie, so don't expect the stupid moral standards that the Hays office enforced in the years after this movie. Cooper and Lombard are wonderfully charming in their first few scenes together. They become more intense later on and less fun. In fact the whole film become less fun when Shirley Temple enters. At age six, Temple wasn't yet the brilliant seasoned pro and entertainer she became the following years. This is Henry Hathaway's eleventh film, but eight of those were one hour Westerns with Randolph Scott, so it is only his third non-Western. His work with the actors, camera placements and story-telling techniques are excellent.The main problem I found was with the stings or cons that are in the film. They seem far too easy. Perhaps people were much more gullible and assumed honesty in those days, but it is hard to believe that Cooper could have pulled off his cons without the luck of having a screenwriter watching over him.It is not a great film, and not the best for Cooper, Lombard, Temple or Hathaway, but there is a lot of talent here and the film is enjoyable most of the time.Incidentally, Dorothy Dell starred with Shirley Temple in 1934 in "Little Miss Marker" and died in a car crash at the age of 19. Carole Lombard starred with Temple in this movie and died in a plane crash at the age of 34. I thought I had discovered a "Temple Curse," but when I checked all of Temple's other female co-stars, almost all lived into their 80's or 90's and died of natural causes.

Even longtime Shirley fans may be surprised by "Now and Forever." The movie was filmed with Paramount studios – not with Shirley's parent company Twentieth Century Fox – in 1934, before Fox producer Darryl Zanuck had perfected the successful Shirley formula (cute songs, cold hearts for her to melt, young couples for her to play cupid to, happy endings). Thus "Now and Forever" falls into the category of a Shirley vehicle without the standard Shirley story. It is an awkward position for any movie, but this impressive, talented cast makes it work.Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard star as fun-loving, irresponsible con artists Jerry and Toni Day. The only thing that this devoted yet dysfunctional duo seems to hate more than being together is being apart. When they are suddenly landed with custody of Jerry's young daughter Penny (Shirley Temple), it is Toni – and not Penny, as many believe – who persuades Jerry to give up his criminal career. But Jerry flounders at his desk job, and desperate to prove that he can provide for his new family, he soon returns to thieving and dishonesty. In a standard Shirley device, Penny tries to melt the heart of crusty curmudgeon Felix Evans, the victim of one of Jerry's cons, but her attempt fails, for Evans is revealed to be a con artist himself, and he blackmails Jerry into helping him steal jewels. The drama, gunfight, death, and sorrow that follow all make this film a very unusual one for Little Miss Sunshine. There is no happy ending, no dancing, and only one song sequence (the cute number "The World Owes Me a Living").But this does not mean that Shirley fans should avoid "Now and Forever." Rather, it's divergence from the usual Shirley story make it more interesting and memorable than many of her other films. But beware: You should avoid colorized version of this film, and see it in black-and-white if you can. The color is bright, garish, and unrealistic, and in many scenes, Shirley's famous curls are actually red instead of blonde. Yikes!

This movie has a warm feel to it, and with Shirley as the child, she brings out the sweetness. Though there isn't much song and dance routine in this movie as in all her rest, she still charms us with the song "The World Owes Me A Living". The tale of a lil girl wanting her daddy to be honest is a sure-win family movie. However, the ending is a lil sad... This movie shows how much the father loves his daughter, and the sacrifice he's willing to make. A good movie to watch, with your family would be best :) Let children have fun after all! Not just plain discipline!