You For Me


1h 11m 1952
You For Me

Brief Synopsis

A good-hearted nurse gets mixed up with a millionaire who could help her hospital.

Film Details

Genre
Comedy
Romance
Release Date
Jul 18, 1952
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 11m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6,338ft (7 reels)

Synopsis

After wealthy fertilizer heir Tony Brown is accidentally shot in the posterior while duck hunting, he is taken to a hospital to which he contributes $100,000 a year. Overly solicitous administrator Oliver Wherry orders nurse Katie McDermad to assist Dr. Jeff Chadwick during Tony's minor surgery, even though Katie is exhausted after a long day. Katie is so annoyed that she openly complains during the procedure. Later, Tony tells Wherry about his "shabby" treatment, threatens to cut the hospital off and insists that Katie be fired. After Katie is dismissed by Wherry and her supervisor, Nurse Vogel, she goes to the annual hospital dance with her friend, Dr. Rollie Cobb. There Jeff, asks the provocatively dressed Katie to use her "assets" to persuade Tony to change his mind. Katie, who is attracted to Jeff, agrees in order to save Jeff's job as well as her own. When Katie goes to Tony's hospital room, he does not recognize her without her surgical mask and starts to flirt. After she identifies herself, he becomes furious, but quickly softens and offers champagne. Katie returns, very drunk, to the party and lets Jeff know that she has had some success with Tony, but Jeff now seems annoyed and abruptly leaves. The next morning, Katie arranges for an appointment with Jeff for her pregnant sister, Ann Elcott. Later Vogel, who has been told by Tony to rehire Katie, and Wherry tell Katie that she can have her job back if she persuades Tony to reinstate his contribution. She reluctantly agrees, but soon learns from Tony that he cannot give money to the hospital because Lucille, his ex-wife, is demanding $300,000 to compensate for losses she suffered when he manipulated stock given to her in their divorce settlement. When Katie relates this to Jeff, he tells her to keep at Tony, even though he is attracted to Katie himself. After Tony has been released from the hospital, Jeff invites Katie for dinner at his home, a faded mansion he shares with his eccentric Aunt Clara. When he takes Katie to his basement laboratory, Katie sees a photograph of an attractive woman. She then starts to play up to Jeff, and they kiss, but she cannot help asking about the woman in the picture. He angrily tells her that the woman could not stay by him through years of privation. Hearing this, Katie apologizes, then leaves, after which Jeff confides his feelings for Katie to his research monkeys. The next night, Katie's family tries to spruce up the house to make a good impression on Tony, who has asked Katie out, but he accidentally sits on a chair with a loose spring. At the same time, Jeff comes to the door, claiming that he wanted to check Ann's elevated blood pressure. He examines Tony's reopened wound and determines that Tony must go immediately for a shot of penicillin. After the men leave, Katie takes Ann's blood pressure herself and, because it is normal, realizes that Jeff's excuse for the visit was a ruse. The next morning, Frank, Ann's ne'er-do-well husband, goes to Tony to ask for a $5,000 loan for a real estate deal, and Tony says yes. Meanwhile, Jeff complains to Wherry that he should not be using Katie to get at Tony, but Wherry warns Jeff that his job may be in jeopardy. A short time later, as Jeff and Katie prepare for surgery, they argue until Rollie tells Katie about Jeff coming to her defense with Wherry. After the surgery, Jeff and Katie start to talk, then realize that they are in love, and kiss. That night, Katie gets a call from a man saying that Tony has been in an accident and has been taken to a nearby motel room. When she arrives at the motel, the room is empty, until Tony, who had received a call that Katie was in an accident, arrives. Just as they realize that they have been tricked, a photographer snaps their picture and rushes off. Tony and Katie then follow the man, who drives off in a car with Lucille and her mother. Tony forces them off the road, then fights the photographer, but is interrupted by a policeman, who takes them all to night court. After paying a fine, Tony tells Katie that he has no other choice but to pay Lucille, and she promises that Frank will repay the $5,000 loan. By the time Katie reaches home, though, Frank has been arrested for his unwitting part in a real estate fraud. Needing money for bail, Katie goes to Jeff, who hurts her by turning her down, saying his money is only budgeted for research. She tells him they are through, then asks Tony, who quickly offers the money. The next morning, a very happy Tony tells his lawyer to pay Lucille, send the hospital its money and give Frank a job, certain that his company's finances will improve. He later makes Wherry permanently reinstate Katie, to whom he proposes. When Jeff learns this, he makes a comment to Katie about Tony "buying" her, but quickly apologizes. Tony's generosity toward Katie's family continues over the next few weeks, despite Katie's warning that she does not want him to feel used. One night, when Ann goes into labor, the overly protective Katie is upset that the fun-loving Rollie will be her doctor. Katie begs Jeff to take over, but Jeff insists that he cannot question Rollie's abilities. Ann successfully delivers the baby, but a few hours later, the baby has developed a respiratory problem, and Rollie calls Jeff in to collapse the lung. By the time Jeff arrives, the baby's condition has worsened, and Rollie successfully performs the surgery himself. Jeff then says goodbye because he has taken a position at John Hopkins and must catch a train. Now realizing that Katie loves Jeff, Tony drives her to the station. Katie finds Jeff on the platform, and the two kiss, just as Tony, who has been searching the departing train for Jeff, looks on. He decides to stay after meeting an attractive woman, but immediately sits down on her knitting needles.

Film Details

Genre
Comedy
Romance
Release Date
Jul 18, 1952
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 11m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6,338ft (7 reels)

Articles

You for Me - You For Me


MGM tried to bring back the screwball comedy with the 1952 confection You for Me, the story of a nurse (Jane Greer) torn between the all-business doctor she loves (Gig Young) and the playboy philanthropist (Peter Lawford) she has to romance to keep her job. But instead of allowing this surprisingly adult picture to build the more discerning audience it needed, they rushed it out as the bottom half of double bills aimed at younger audiences. Little wonder that despite strong reviews labeling it "An engaging 70 minutes...designed to brighten many a dual bill" (Variety) it quickly sank out of sight.

The film's limited success was particularly troublesome to star Greer, who had counted on the picture and her move to MGM to elevate her to star status. Greer had gotten her start as one of eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes's protégées and had even dated him for a while. She moved on to a contract at RKO Pictures, where she established a niche as a femme fatale in such classic films noirs as Out of the Past (1947) and The Big Steal (1949). But when Hughes bought the studio, her refusal to rekindle their relationship (by this time she was a wife and mother) resulted in his sabotaging her career. She was frequently absent from the screen, with the few pictures assigned her pale imitations of Out of the Past. As she would later say, "I didn't want my sons to have to grow up, and when someone asked what their mother did, to have to reply, 'Oh Mom's a gun moll.'" So she bought her way out of her RKO contract.

By this time, Greer's original RKO boss, Dore Schary, was head of production at MGM. He brought her over for a short-term contract, but then did little with her. She had hoped for a shot at playing Lina Lamont, the temperamental silent screen star in Singin' in the Rain (1952), but the studio wouldn't even test her for the role, which went to Jean Hagen instead. They highlighted her performance in You for Me with advertising, hailing her as "...a little bit of Eve, a little bit of Delilah - and a gal who just can't say 'no,'" but all the advertising in the world won't help a film that audiences can't or won't find. Of her four MGM films, only one, The Prisoner of Zenda (1952), was a big-budget box-office hit. The others were so minor she eventually negotiated an early end to her contract.

Greer wasn't the only one hurt by You for Me's failure. Leading man Peter Lawford had seen his studio status slip since he came to stardom as a teen idol just after World War II. Eventually, he would be among the many contract players dropped by MGM in the mid-'50s in response to declining box office and the competition of television. Gig Young was at a career high when he signed with MGM, having just won an Oscar® nomination for his performance as an alcoholic composer rehabilitated by James Cagney in Come Fill the Cup (1951). The move to MGM seemed a step in the right direction, but when his wife was diagnosed with cervical cancer, mounting medical bills prevented him from holding out for better films. Failures like You for Me destroyed his career momentum until a second Oscar® nomination, for Teacher's Pet (1958), helped him land more romantic comedy roles.

The one person to profit from his work on You for Me was director Don Weis, who had moved to directing after work as a script supervisor. When Ida Lupino announced that she had signed him to direct films for her production company, MGM lured him away with a contract of their own and put him to work on lightweight fare, which would turn out to be his specialty. Although some critics would complain that his films were so inconsequential they sometimes seemed to float right off the screen, his pacing and delicate touch helped him make some of the clichés in You for Me seem fresh and original. He would follow the film with three minor hits -- the musicals I Love Melvin and The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (both 1953) and the Arabian Nights tale The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954) -- that would make him a cult favorite in France. There, he would be one of the first directors hailed as an auteur by the new generation of critics headed by Francois Truffaut and Jean Luc Godard.

Producer: Henry Berman
Director: Don Weis
Screenplay: William Roberts
Cinematography: Paul C. Vogel
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Eddie Imazu
Music: Alberto Colombo
Cast: Peter Lawford (Tony Brown), Jane Greer (Katie McDermad), Gig Young (Dr. Jeff Chadwick), Rita Corday (Lucille Brown), Howard Wendell (Oliver Wherry), Barbara Ruick (Ann Elcott), Kathryn Card (Nurse Vogel), Tommy Farrell (Rollie Cobb), Elaine Stewart (Girl in Club Car), Alvy Moore (Friend), Julia Dean (Aunt Clara).
BW-71m.

by Frank Miller
You For Me - You For Me

You for Me - You For Me

MGM tried to bring back the screwball comedy with the 1952 confection You for Me, the story of a nurse (Jane Greer) torn between the all-business doctor she loves (Gig Young) and the playboy philanthropist (Peter Lawford) she has to romance to keep her job. But instead of allowing this surprisingly adult picture to build the more discerning audience it needed, they rushed it out as the bottom half of double bills aimed at younger audiences. Little wonder that despite strong reviews labeling it "An engaging 70 minutes...designed to brighten many a dual bill" (Variety) it quickly sank out of sight. The film's limited success was particularly troublesome to star Greer, who had counted on the picture and her move to MGM to elevate her to star status. Greer had gotten her start as one of eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes's protégées and had even dated him for a while. She moved on to a contract at RKO Pictures, where she established a niche as a femme fatale in such classic films noirs as Out of the Past (1947) and The Big Steal (1949). But when Hughes bought the studio, her refusal to rekindle their relationship (by this time she was a wife and mother) resulted in his sabotaging her career. She was frequently absent from the screen, with the few pictures assigned her pale imitations of Out of the Past. As she would later say, "I didn't want my sons to have to grow up, and when someone asked what their mother did, to have to reply, 'Oh Mom's a gun moll.'" So she bought her way out of her RKO contract. By this time, Greer's original RKO boss, Dore Schary, was head of production at MGM. He brought her over for a short-term contract, but then did little with her. She had hoped for a shot at playing Lina Lamont, the temperamental silent screen star in Singin' in the Rain (1952), but the studio wouldn't even test her for the role, which went to Jean Hagen instead. They highlighted her performance in You for Me with advertising, hailing her as "...a little bit of Eve, a little bit of Delilah - and a gal who just can't say 'no,'" but all the advertising in the world won't help a film that audiences can't or won't find. Of her four MGM films, only one, The Prisoner of Zenda (1952), was a big-budget box-office hit. The others were so minor she eventually negotiated an early end to her contract. Greer wasn't the only one hurt by You for Me's failure. Leading man Peter Lawford had seen his studio status slip since he came to stardom as a teen idol just after World War II. Eventually, he would be among the many contract players dropped by MGM in the mid-'50s in response to declining box office and the competition of television. Gig Young was at a career high when he signed with MGM, having just won an Oscar® nomination for his performance as an alcoholic composer rehabilitated by James Cagney in Come Fill the Cup (1951). The move to MGM seemed a step in the right direction, but when his wife was diagnosed with cervical cancer, mounting medical bills prevented him from holding out for better films. Failures like You for Me destroyed his career momentum until a second Oscar® nomination, for Teacher's Pet (1958), helped him land more romantic comedy roles. The one person to profit from his work on You for Me was director Don Weis, who had moved to directing after work as a script supervisor. When Ida Lupino announced that she had signed him to direct films for her production company, MGM lured him away with a contract of their own and put him to work on lightweight fare, which would turn out to be his specialty. Although some critics would complain that his films were so inconsequential they sometimes seemed to float right off the screen, his pacing and delicate touch helped him make some of the clichés in You for Me seem fresh and original. He would follow the film with three minor hits -- the musicals I Love Melvin and The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (both 1953) and the Arabian Nights tale The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954) -- that would make him a cult favorite in France. There, he would be one of the first directors hailed as an auteur by the new generation of critics headed by Francois Truffaut and Jean Luc Godard. Producer: Henry Berman Director: Don Weis Screenplay: William Roberts Cinematography: Paul C. Vogel Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Eddie Imazu Music: Alberto Colombo Cast: Peter Lawford (Tony Brown), Jane Greer (Katie McDermad), Gig Young (Dr. Jeff Chadwick), Rita Corday (Lucille Brown), Howard Wendell (Oliver Wherry), Barbara Ruick (Ann Elcott), Kathryn Card (Nurse Vogel), Tommy Farrell (Rollie Cobb), Elaine Stewart (Girl in Club Car), Alvy Moore (Friend), Julia Dean (Aunt Clara). BW-71m. by Frank Miller

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

According to Hollywood Reporter news items, Peggy Dow and Dean Miller were sought for roles in the film. Another Hollywood Reporter news item noted that Mollie Dunne was to be in the cast. Neither Dow nor Miller were in the film, and the appearance of Dunne has not been confirmed. As noted in the Hollywood Reporter review, You for Me was the initial film release of Charles Schnee's production unit at M-G-M.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States Summer August 1952

Released in United States Summer August 1952