What a difference a year makes....
I was doing a comparison of Doris Day films for work and what difference from the sweet and frothy "Lucky Me" and "Young at Heart" to the dramatically dense "Love Me or Leave Me". Learning that the studio wanted Eva Gardner but that Cagney fought for Doris Day was also interesting and a comment on how "they" saw the role. Doris Day was excellent, James Cagney added life and reality to a stock "bad guy/goon" character and the music is superb. The dvd extras are also first rate with period shorts and one, "Roseland", stars Ruth Etting herself.

I'll Leave It
Love Me or Leave Me is the story of Ruth Etting (Doris Day), a real-life jazz singer from the 1920s who made hits with songs like "Ten Cents a Dance" and "You're the Cream in My Coffee." Her manager Marty Snyder (James Cagney) is an overbearing older man whose love for Etting causes him to bend over backward to help her career. She appreciates him but does not love him, and this unequal feeling between them causes plenty of problems.

Although she is obviously a great talent, the casting of Day as Etting is terrible. Etting had a much more subdued voice, so this movie comes out as a showcase for Day's singing talents instead. The song choices are odd too, especially since "You're the Cream in My Coffee" is missing. Cagney is very good, but this role is unlike many of his other films, where he is extremely likable in spite of his toughness. Here it is more difficult to care for him. Overall, the main flaw with this movie is the dull storyline. The ascent to stardom is peppered with musical performances, but the movie is thin on plot. The exciting event at the end is too little too late.

If you are a fan of either stars, this movie is worth seeing, but unless you adore Day's vocal performances, you will be bored with Love Me or Leave Me.

Doris's Favorite
Of all the movies Doris made, this was her favorite; and it is apparent why.

Hollywood Biography of Ruth Etting
The film begins in "Chicago in the Twenties", the wide-open free market. At a dancehall men select the hostess they pay to spend time with. Ruth Etting isn't happy in her work. A man offers her a chance to get a new position in a night club. Marty Snyder finds Ruth has a mind of her own. [The film explains how show business is controlled.] "What does the public know?" Ruth knows how to work her points to get ahead by knowing the right man. She also has the right stuff. There is irony in her song "You Made Me Love You". Ruth blossoms into "Chicago's Sweetheart" as a famous singer.

Marty Snyder keeps her on a tight leash, but will put her on the local radio. Ruth prefers fame over love. Marty arranges for Ruth to star in the Ziegfield Follies in New York city, the best in the business. Now that Ruth is somebody she wants to drop the man holding her back. But she marries Marty after a dark emotional scene. She tours the big cities and becomes a national star. Now she is drinking after a show. They go to Hollywood for a picture. Marty is not a diplomat. Ruth keeps on drinking. Marty buys a nightclub, he shoots the works. Conflicts develop between Ruth and Marty, Ruth wants a divorce. This romantic triangle ends violently. Marty's nightclub opens with the success from the scandal. There is a happy ending needed for commercial success in Hollywood movies.

Doris Day shows her talents in this film. This film is not a musical with drama but a dramatic biography with singing. [You could read Andy Edmonds book on Thelma Todd to learn more about life in 1930s Hollywood.]

Great Movie & Musical
I always have been a sucker for a good musical and Doris Day did some great ones. This 1955 Academy Award winner (Best Motion Picture Story) is no exception, for her strong portrayal of songstress Ruth Etting, along with her superior acting and singing, make this an excellent film. This was a different role for Doris Day, a much stronger acting part and not the usual sunny girl next door. Of course, we all know how great Jimmy Cagney was, especially when he played a tough guy, gangster type. Well, he excels as Chicago racketeer Martin "The Gimp" Snyder. (The Gimp walks with a kind of limp and skip.) Cagney earned one of the film's 6 Oscar nominations.

This film is set in the Roaring `20s, complete with a Chicago hoodlum, dancing girls, and fancy nightclubs and is based on the story of Ruth Etting and The Gimp, her rise in show business and their relationship in the process. Ruth is a nobody dancer in a club who can't dance in the beginning and really wants to sing. The Gimp is attracted to her and decides to help her, while making romantic advances to her. Oh, they butt heads at first when he comes on to her. And while she doesn't exactly jump into bed with him, she does string him along and use his help to advance her career. Well, eventually the Gimp thinks of her as HIS girl. For awhile, she twists him around her little finger while she bats her big eyes at him. But, of course, she is playing a very dangerous game, thinking she can use the little gangster and never have to pay the piper. Of course, she doesn't want him and he wants to possess her, so they make each other pretty miserable.

As Ruthie is climbing the ladder of success, she does some beautiful songs. With the voice of an angel Ruth/Doris sings "It All Depends on You," "You Made Me Love You," "You're Mean to Me," "Love Me or Leave Me," "After I Say I'm Sorry ," "I Cried for You," "My Blue Heaven," "Ten Cents a Dance," "I'll Never Stop Loving You," and "Never Look Back".

Other great songs are (and I hope I get all the titles right): "Stay On the Right Side of the Road," "Every Body Loves My Baby," "Sam, The Old Accordion Man," "Shakin' the Blues Away," and "At Sundown".

There are some very strong performances by Day and Cagney and as you can see, there are TONS of beautiful songs, just a few are short clips. Cameron Mitchell co-stars as Ruth's piano player. Ruth/Doris has some drop-dead gorgeous clothes for her night club appearances, and to walk around in. The sound has been remastered in Dolby Digital 5.0. The color is great and clear. The club scenery is great, the orchestras are great, and the movie and story line is fantastic as are the performances. Now what more could you possibly want? If you want a great movie and great music, this is it!