IT HAD TO BE YOU is an imaginative fantasy/comedy, but by 1947 the era of screwball was pretty much finished. Its comedy is real but forced, not least in the hyperactive performance given by Ginger Rogers, almost as if she didn't have confidence that the material could play without a serious push. But fantasy requires a lighter touch than it got from Rogers in this movie. Cornel Wilde's performance isn't exactly understated either, but it remains controlled and effective, and surprisingly, he seems to have had more of a flair for farce than he had for the adventure flicks that filled his career.His George McKesson is certainly an unusual character. Something of a guardian angel for Ginger's Vicki, George appears not as a disembodied spirit but as a physical man, and in the image of her subconscious 'true love' who turns out to be a fireman, also played by Wilde. This is an angel who doesn't know exactly why he's been sent to earth (beyond helping Victoria, of course), and has to discover the secret right along with her. He isn't much of a help in this regard, merely serving as an embarrassment to her as he comes between Vicki and her latest false fiancée. Ultimately, George would seem to be more of a plot device than anything else, but that's fair enough, the movie has no pretension to being anything more than an amusement, and it amuses tolerably well.Did Wilde ever have another chance to do comedy? If not, it's a pity. As for Ginger, IT HAD TO BE YOU is something of a milestone in her career. This is the last time she played a character noticeably younger than her actual age (a common occurrence up to this point. MONKEY BUSINESS is kinda, sorta an exception). 1948 would be the first year since 1928 in which she would not make any films at all (an unfortunate contract signed with a fledgling studio would be the cause of that delay). When she returned in THE BARKLEYS OF BROADWAY she played a mature wife, and it would be mature characters for the rest of her career. And it would be a different Hollywood. The Classic Period was already slipping away, and it slipped away a lot faster for its aging female figures, particularly those who weren't the type to play human grotesques. Maybe that's the reason she seemed so uncharacteristically frantic in IT HAD TO BE YOU. She sensed that time was beginning to run out. Happily, she would have a long and graceful denouement.

When reading the reviews, I agreed with Neil Doyle's, though I felt he was still way too kind to this incredibly annoying and stupid film. Quite simply, this is among the worst films Ginger Rogers ever made--partly because of its terribly unfunny writing and partly because Ginger has never been more unlikable and irritating. Like the film RUNAWAY BRIDE, Ginger plays a woman who uses men--leaving them again and again at the alter. All this is intended to be kooky, but I found myself hating her character from the start due to her selfishness and whiny voice. I honestly would have loved it if one of her many fiancés had just slugged her! While all this wasn't very promising and Ginger's performance was VERY broad and "kooky", the film abruptly got worse while she was on a train trip. During her dream, she imagined an American Indian beau (played by Cornell Wilde) and when she awoke, he was real and pursued her rabidly. Some of his lines were admittedly funny, but this plot wore thin almost as soon as it began.Perhaps one of the better (and this isn't saying much) acts in the film was the part played by Ron Randell--as a very, very effeminate and ineffectual boyfriend. He wasn't that good, but compared to Rogers and Wilde, he looked like Olivier! Try watching this tedious film if you'd like, but understand that I am a huge fan of classic Hollywood films and I really wanted to like this movie--which came off like a bad episode of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND. However, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't like this movie or recommend it to anyone I like.

It's a loss not to find this flick in video. It's a hoot with decent acting (well, for Ginger it's ok) by the cast and a humorous plot. If I could find it on some TV late show, like I did when I first saw it before there was VHS, I'd tape it myself.

Life holds much promise as Victoria (Ginger Rogers) stands beautifully gowned in her wedding dress next to her chosen mate for the big moment of saying "I do." But to her dismay the words just never do come out and she runs off down the aisle leaving mayhem behind her. This disaster occurs three times, a year apart, in the end leaving her and everyone else exasperated.Enter prospective groom No. 4 named Oliver and she's determined to see it through this time no matter what. However, Fate steps in with a most peculiar fantasy figure (of her imagination it seems) she names George (Cornel Wilde), who creates compromising situations in her life yet gradually points the way out for her bewilderment.When she recalls an old sweetheart from childhood days, Johnny, who is now a fireman (also played by Cornel Wilde), she realizes he's the one for her but there are many tangled threads to set aright.The beginning of the movie is amusing but picks up momentum as it progresses and becomes downright hilarious. I found it very funny where Victoria bursts out in confusion, "But I'm going to marry Oliver," (or words to that effect) as if trying to convince herself. It reminds me of that saying, "The heart has reasons that reason does not understand."It's an enjoyable movie with a surprising twist to the ending. I too wish the video was available; was lucky to see it on tv.