It Started with Eve (1941) Charles Laughton, Bob Cummings, Deanna Durbin This movie gradually won me over. I wasn't so crazy about Robert Cummings' performance in the opening scenes; his manic over-acting took me out of the moment. But Charles Laughton is so endearing as the millionaire patriarch and Deanna Durbin (who we lost this year at age 91) was delightful. But it was the writing that made it all work. And won me over! Two nice musical numbers. And a story line that really touched on deep human issues.Beyond the snappy banter there is also embedded deep insights into social values. The eccentric Charles Laughton, a dying millionaire, indifferent to extravagance, declining into ennui on his deathbed literally "comes alive" to the simple things in life. Namely, the sweet innocence of Deanna Durbin.But a mixup ensues based on (the typical Hollywood Macguffin) an unnecessary lie which leads to chaos.Stumbles now and then but the hilarious yet insightful writing saves it. And Durbin is a tour de force. She seems at first a wallflower but then springs to life (which Laughton as John Reynolds even remarks on).Durbin walked away from acting when she was 27, was the highest paid actress for a while, was far more popular than Judy Garland but moved to France to raise a family and never looked back.

Although this was a Deanna Durbin movie and she does sing a few songs in the film, It Started With Eve is completely stolen by Charles Laughton playing Robert Cummings's father. Laughton is in the kind of role normally reserved for someone like Charles Coburn, but Laughton does make the most of it.It Started With Eve does start out solemn enough, Laughton is on his deathbed and his last wish is to see the girl whom his son Robert Cummings has been engaged to. Cummings being a dutiful son endeavors to get his fiancé Margaret Tallichet to Laughton's deathbed for the old man's last request. But a mixup leaves Cummings without meeting Tallichet and with time running out, he offers a hatcheck girl Deanna Durbin $50.00 to come home and pretend to be his fiancé. What girl couldn't use an honest $50.00 so Deanna agrees.But she so captivates Laughton upon meeting him that the old guy gets a new lease on life. I think you can figure the rest of this situation out and how the film ends.Of course Deanna is an aspiring singer, that's a given in her early films. She does do a few numbers, but I have a feeling she may have had more in It Started With Eve, but the people at Universal Studios saw that Laughton was stealing the film and may have cut a few of her songs. Of course she stayed with top billing because until Abbott&Costello arrived on the scene with Buck Privates, Durbin was their chief money making star at Universal Pictures.It Started With Eve was Laughton's first comedy since Ruggles Of Red Gap and in his scenes he steals all, but the furniture. His facial expressions are priceless. What a foxy scheming old man he was, determined to see Cummings marry Durbin or have Durbin in the family one way or another. I do believe if it came to it, he'd have married Durbin himself.All in all like Richard Bennett in If I Had A Million, Laughton plays another millionaire who starts the film on his deathbed, but by the end of it has plenty of reason to live. The reports of his death are greatly exaggerated, but the laughs in It Started With Eve are not.

Charles Laughton had a personality that was totally dominating, as one can see in his greatest performances as Henry VIII, Captain Bligh, Quasimodo, Sir Wilfred Robards, Henry Horatio Hobson. But he knew (for the most part) when to control his more hammy moments. It is unfair to compare him with his sometime co-star Robert Newton, as Newton had an alcohol problem not shared by Laughton. But Newton's overblown, drunken performances (like his BLACKBEARD) are never matched by Laughton, the consummate professional. Laughton could do a role badly due to poor script or direction. Commander Sturm, the jealous submarine commander married to Talullah Bankhead, is one of his worse parts. But they are usually early roles. Once he was established he rarely made such missteps.IT STARTED WITH EVE is not one of Laughton's greatest film parts, but it is a feel good comedy. He plays Jonathan Reynolds Sr., a multi-millionaire who is on his death bed. He only wants to see his son (Bob Cummings) and his son's fiancé once before he dies. But the fiancé is not in New York City yet (she will be the next day). So Cummings takes a hat check girl (Deanna Durbin) with him to introduce to his father as "Gloria" his fiancé. Unfortunately, Durbin's personality is very pleasing to the old man - and his spirits rising, his health improves. This brings all sorts of complications up, not even just for Cummings and Durbin.For example,a side issue in the first half hour of the film - two harpies from the national museum are there to make a death mask of Mr. Reynolds. They are sitting quietly waiting for the good news (that Reynolds is dead and they can make their death mask). Every time it looks promising, they perk up - only to be forced to wait longer. Then, when Durbin plays the piano and sings for Laughton, he gets out of bed to hear it. The two men realize that this is hopeless, and pack up and leave.Cummings' character is faulted for not confronting his father with the truth, and turning wimpish. It is not quite fair. The doctor (Walter Catlett) feels that Laughton's health has to rebuild itself for awhile before the truth can be revealed, and he convinces Cummings not to tell Laughton that Durbin is not his future daughter-in-law.All three leads actually blend quite nicely, Laughton's tendency to dominate reduced because he is recovering from his illness (although his booming dominance reappears once, when he gets impatient with Cummngs not supposedly forgetting a quarrel with Durbin, and starts shouting, "Say you forgive her, say you forgive her" in his best Bligh tones). Durbin, who was a good actress when the right part came her way, easily ingratiates herself with Laughton by being his lookout when he smokes his forbidden cigars. Cummings trying to figure out how to break up with the false "Gloria", and to reintroduce the real "Gloria" actually is not so wimpish at just pathetically unable to carry out any of his schemes successfully. Add to the three Walter Catlett, here playing a decent doctor who has gotten onto Laughton's nerves (because of his forcing Laughton to lose weight and to stop smoking) gives a fine performance as he is slowly driven to distraction by his patient's antics. Not a great film, but a good example of a studio inspired comedy that is well worth watching.

This is a sweet movie. Far better than remakes that followed. Durbin and Laughton seemed to really enjoy their scenes together (The Conga is unforgettable). Her singing is beautiful-"Going Home" brings a lump to the throat. This is my all time favorite movie set of the interior of the mansion. They don't (can't afford to) build sets like that anymore. Great escape.