1937: Olivia de Havilland in "It's Love I'm After"
Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 10:00AM The 1937 smackdown late tonight. Before each Smackdown Nick Taylor suggests alternates to Oscar's Supporting Actress ballot.
First thing’s first, everyone should run to see It’s Love I’m After, a romantic farce that pulls liberally from the tropes of stage comedies while staying as fleet and entertaining as the best screwball films. If you’re a fan of above-the-title players Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, and Olivia de Havilland, relish in their easy camaraderie and shimmering star turns (and look out for Eric Blore’s put-upon, bird-imitating manservant, who steals the film every chance he gets). If you’re not a fan of these three, take heed! It’s Love I’m After gives these famous dramaturgists a ripe outlet for prime Hollywood farce way outside their most famous, legacy-defining role (All About Eve being the big exception). De Havilland in particular shines. I’ve never seen her flex her comedic chops like this, and she excels marvelously as an engaged socialite with a puppy-love celebrity crush that’s got her man increasingly anxious...