NEXT TIME WE LOVE (1936)
90TH ANNIVERSARY PRESENTATION
Ninety years ago, James Stewart achieved leading man status in only his third feature thanks to Margaret Sullavan. The two had become friends working in the theater, but she rose to stardom first on stage and in films. By 1936, MGM had only cast him in two supporting roles, so Sullavan insisted Universal Pictures cast him as her leading man in this romance about the dueling careers of a journalist and his actress wife. She even took him aside and coached him on how to adapt his stage technique to film. That kindness cemented a friendship that would endure for three more films, including 1940’s The Shop on Around the Corner and The Mortal Storm, and continue off screen. It was more than a friendship for Stewart; when asked why he hadn’t married until he was in his forties, he’d always say he was holding out for a woman like Sullavan.
d. Edward H. Griffith, 87m, 35mm
35mm print courtesy of Universal Pictures.