 
  Popularity: 3 (history)
| Director: | Tay Garnett | 
|---|---|
| Writer: | Gene Towne, C. Graham Baker, Ben Hecht | 
| Staring: | 
| Anita, engaged to solid Don Barnes, is swept off her feet by magician Arturo. Before you can say presto, she's his wife and stage assistant on a lengthy world tour. But Anita is annoyed by Arturo's constant flirtations, and his death-defying stunts give her nightmares. And forget her plan to retire to a farmhouse. Eventually, she has had enough and disappears. | |
| Release Date: | Oct 07, 1939 | 
|---|---|
| Director: | Tay Garnett | 
| Writer: | Gene Towne, C. Graham Baker, Ben Hecht | 
| Genres: | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 
| Keywords | screwball comedy, magician | 
| Production Companies | Walter Wanger Productions | 
| Box Office | Revenue: $0 Budget: $0 | 
| Updates | Updated: Aug 09, 2025 Entered: Apr 20, 2024 | 
| Name | Character | 
|---|---|
| Loretta Young | Anita Halstead | 
| David Niven | Tony "The Great Arturo" | 
| Billie Burke | Aunt Abby | 
| C. Aubrey Smith | Bishop Peabody | 
| Zasu Pitts | Cary Bingham | 
| Broderick Crawford | Don Burns | 
| Eve Arden | Gloria | 
| Hugh Herbert | Benton | 
| Raymond Walburn | Harley Bingham | 
| Virginia Field | Lola De Vere | 
| Ralph Graves | Mr. Morrisey | 
| Lionel Pape | Mr. Howard | 
| Fred Keating | Master of Ceremonies | 
| Richard Allen | Detective | 
| Granville Bates | Ship Captain | 
| May Beatty | Dowager | 
| Hillary Brooke | Blonde On Stage | 
| George Cathrey | Officer | 
| Patti Davis | British Pilot | 
| Mary Field | Peabody's Housekeeper | 
| Bess Flowers | Nightclub Extra (uncredited) | 
| Tay Garnett | Pilot | 
| Jack Green | Detective | 
| Larry Harris | Boy Boxer | 
| Al Hill | Heckler | 
| Leyland Hodgson | Captain Vickers | 
| Arthur Stuart Hull | Audience Extra (uncredited) | 
| Dickie Jackson | Boy Boxer | 
| Walter James | Police Official | 
| Frank Jaquet | Doctor | 
| Paul Le Paul | Butler | 
| Ralph McCullough | Ship's Officer | 
| Doreen McKay | Girl at Shower (uncredited) | 
| Dennie Moore | Waitress | 
| Edmund Mortimer | Nightclub Extra (uncredited) | 
| Ralph Norwood | Waiter | 
| William H. O'Brien | Nightclub Waiter | 
| Broderick O'Farrell | Ship's Officer | 
| Franklin Parker | Croupier | 
| Claude Payton | Scotland Yard Man | 
| Jack Perrin | Ship's Officer | 
| Walter Sande | Ralph | 
| Edwin Stanley | Reno Lawyer Jones | 
| Larry Steers | Nightclub Extra (uncredited) | 
| Eleanor Stewart | Girl at Shower (uncredited) | 
| Patricia Stillman | Girl at Shower (uncredited) | 
| Luana Walters | Girl at Shower (uncredited) | 
| Billy Wayne | Stage Manager | 
| Douglas Wood | Phillips | 
| Evelyn Woodbury | Girl at Shower (uncredited) | 
| John Rice | Scotland Yard Man | 
| Name | Job | 
|---|---|
| Gene Towne | Writer | 
| C. Graham Baker | Writer | 
| Merritt B. Gerstad | Director of Photography | 
| Otho Lovering | Editor | 
| Dorothy Spencer | Editor | 
| Alexander Golitzen | Art Direction | 
| Richard Irvine | Art Direction | 
| Julia Heron | Decorator | 
| Ray Binger | Special Effects | 
| Fred Lau | Sound | 
| Charles Kerr | Assistant Director | 
| Tay Garnett | Director | 
| Ben Hecht | Writer | 
| Travis Banton | Costume Design | 
| Irene | Costume Design | 
| Werner Janssen | Music Director, Original Music Composer | 
| Name | Title | 
|---|---|
| Tay Garnett | Producer | 
| Organization | Category | Person | 
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 
| 2024 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 
| 2024 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 
| 2024 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 
| 2024 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 
| 2024 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 
| 2024 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 
| 2025 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 
Trending Position
David Niven and Loretta Young definitely had an on-screen chemistry between them, but it's not so obvious in this rather procedural comedy romance. He is "Tony", a famous and successful magician who easily captivates the heart of "Anita". Now she has already promised to marry the reliable "Burns" (a ... n adequate Broderick Crawford) but is now determined to join her new beau on his grand tour. Now "Tony" - or the modestly monikered "Great Arturo" is not only a bit of a Lothario - which annoys her; but he is also putting life and limb on the line on stage - and that terrifies her. All that sustains her is his promise that one day, they will return to a quiet life in a rose-covered cottage. Might that ever happen or might she just decide that he will never change? It has something of a love-triangle nature to it, and the love is not just aimed at people ("Tony" is just as addicted to his performing as he is to anything else). The dialogue is a bit strained, that chemistry isn't really on display and after a while the film started to struggle under the weight of it's own limitations. It does, occasionally, pull off the gag - but even they are predictable and as we drift towards a conclusion that I didn't much care for at all. I sort of wondered what the whole point of this was? It is watchable for the stars, and the always reliable Sir C. Aubrey Smith and Zasu Pitts - but this is nobody's most memorable work, I'm afraid.