Love Affair *** (1932, Dorothy Mackaill, Humphrey Bogart, Hale Hamilton) – Classic Movie Review 12,467

The 1932 romance drama film Love Affair stars Dorothy Mackaill in her most memorable role of the early 1930s pre-Code era with a then little-known Humphrey Bogart.

‘Youth’s Cry of Freedom!’

Director Thornton Freeland’s 1932 Columbia Pictures black and white 1932 American romance drama film Love Affair stars Dorothy Mackaill in her most memorable role of the early 1930s pre-Code era with a then little-known Humphrey Bogart as her leading man.

Bogart plays penniless flier/ mechanic/ aeronautical engineer/ aviation designer Jim Leonard, who is chased by the adventurous rich girl heiress Carol Owen (Mackaill) he teaches to fly. Jim neglects his work as they start an affair. Then she discovers that her father died penniless and that she is being supported by her financial advisor and suitor, Bruce Hardy (Hale Hamilton).

This well above-average comedy drama, B-film release is certainly worth a look, maybe, for the vivacious Dorothy Mackaill and the young, unlined Bogey as he struggles to become a star. But most everything else about it – from the stagey other performances to the rather drippy, melodramatic script by Jo Swerling and Dorothy Howell – is pretty darned feeble. The screenplay is based on a 1930 short story by Ursula Parrott published in the monthly College Humor magazine.

Also in the cast are Jack Kennedy, Astrid Allwyn, Bradley Page, Halliwell Hobbes, Barbara Leonard, and Harold Minjir .

The stunt flying involves the aircraft Buhl Bull Pup LA-1, Travel Air 2000 c/n 288, NC3670, Travel Air 9000 c/n 381, NC4421, and Waco ATO c/n A-45, NC9554

Principal photography took place from December 22, 1931 to January 15, 1932. It was released on March 17, 1932.

The cast are Dorothy Mackaill as Carol Owen, Humphrey Bogart as Jim Leonard, Hale Hamilton as Bruce Hardy, Halliwell Hobbes as Kibbee, Astrid Allwyn as Linda Lee, Jack Kennedy as Gilligan, Bradley Page as Georgie Keeler, Barbara Leonard as Felice, and Harold Minjir as Antone.

British-American actress Dorothy Mackaill (March 4, 1903 – August 12, 1990) was a star in the silent-film era and early 1930s pre-Code era. Her contract with First National Pictures was not renewed in 1931 after the studio was acquired by Warner Bros. After the 1932 Love Affair, she made films for MGM, Paramount and Columbia before retiring in 1937 to care for her sick mother.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,467

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