In 1920's Chicago, taxi dancer Ruth Etting (Doris Day), tired of being pawed by men and wanting to embark on a singing career, is hoping for her big break, which soon arrives, in the person of Marty Snyder (James Cagney). Called "The Gimp" because of the limp he has, Marty---who is a local gangster---uses his connections to get Ruth first a dance gig, then a singing one. Although Ruth's piano player, Johnny (Cameron Mitchell), warns her that Marty is bad news and that his help will come with a price, Ruth blows him off. She knows she could eventually make it on her own, but since doing so means success won't come as quickly as she wants, she's willing to let Marty pave the way for her.
With Marty as her manager, Ruth soon finds herself on the radio and part of the Ziegfeld Follies. She has become the sensation she always dreamed of being, but Marty, wanting to maintain control of Ruth's career, makes a scene, which embarrasses Ruth and brings her to the place of trying to break from him. For Marty, though, it's time for Ruth to payoff---he brought her where she is, and he won't be pushed aside any longer. The two marry and head to Hollywood, where Marty has obtained a picture deal for Ruth.
As the film plays out, Ruth is reunited with piano player Johnny, causing the angry, hot-tempered Marty to explode in a jealous rage.
Neither lead character in this film is particularly likable. While Day's character is not physically abusive as Cagney's is, I, nevertheless, found her to be an unlikable sort. Ruth was a user, taking Marty for what he could do for her career, then dumping him when she no longer needed him. I found it hard to root for her. Despite unlikable characters, however, Love Me or Leave Me has many other things going for it.
First of all, the acting is brilliant. Both Miss Day and Mr. Cagney are magnificent. Mr. Cagney received his final Academy Award nomination for his work here, and Doris, while not being recognized by The Academy, was praised by Mr. Cagney. In his autobiography, Cagney by Cagney, he says "She had matured into a really exceptional actress, and I told her so. I said, "You know, girl, you have a quality that I've seen but twice before. There was a gal named Pauline Lord who created the title role in Eugene O'Neill's, Anna Christie, and I'm also thinking of Laurette Taylor. Both these ladies could really get on there and do it with everything. They could take you apart playing a scene. Now, you're the third one." He further went on to say that "After Love Me or Leave Me, Doris went into the Pillow Talk things, and I for one have always considered that one hell of a waste." Doris had to be thrilled with those words. To have James Cagney---whom I think may be the finest actor there has ever been---praising one's abilities has to be almost as wonderful as receiving an Academy Award.
The music in this film is spectacular! Doris sings close to a dozen songs, including "It All Depends on You" and "You Made Me Love You." It's always a joy to hear her beautiful voice in song. Additionally, Miss Day's gowns are simply stunning, though definitely not the "girl next door" type fans had come to expect to see her in. According to Doris's autobiography, Love Me or Leave Me was the film she considered to be her best.
Mr. Cagney was enamored of the script for Love Me or Leave Me at first glance. According to his autobiography, it was one of those "rare, perfect scripts that needed nothing added to it, nor nothing taken away from it." It was a role that had at first been offered to Spencer Tracy, who turned it down. Mr. Cagney never knew why Mr. Tracy had turned the role down, saying that "it was a damned good part."
According to Robert Osborne, when this film was originally in the works, George Cukor was to have directed and Ava Gardner was to have been the female lead. For whatever reason, those roles went to Vidor and Day, and when Cukor and Gardner saw the film, they were wowed, and Ava said something to the effect of "We made a big mistake" to which Cukor responded, "No, we didn't. If we had made it, it wouldn't have been that good."
Even if you've never heard of Ruth Etting, this film is definitely worth seeing, especially for Doris Day and James Cagney fans. It's easily a 4-star film in my mind (more like 4.5...and extremely close to 5 stars). Out on DVD, it should be fairly easy to track down.
Happy viewing!!