Main Cast: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, James Mason, Louis Calhern, John Emery
Release Year: 1956
Country: US
Run Time: 91 minutes
Plot
When Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz beat the odds against TV stars succeeding on the big screen in The Long, Long Trailer (1954), MGM contracted America's favorite couple for a second theatrical feature. Forever Darling casts Desi as Lorenzo Xavier Vega, a brilliant scientist and Lucy as Susan, his neglected wife. Wishing out loud that her husband would pay attention to her, Susan is surprised to find her Guardian Angel standing in her living room. Even more surprising is the fact that said angel is an exact double for Susan's favorite movie star, James Mason. Following the angel's advice, Susan tags along when Lorenzo takes a trip in the woods to test out a revolutionary new insecticide. Hoping that the trip will constitute a second honeymoon, poor Susan is in for a major disappointment; as for Lorenzo, he must suffer his wife's well-intentioned "assistance," which of course is no help at all. After a number of I Love Lucy-style comic situations, the couple is on the verge of divorce, but the angelic Mason straightens things out. Forever Darling tanked at the box office, but at least Desi Arnaz cultivated a hit song by recording the title tune. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Originally conceived as a vehicle for Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Forever Darling was re-tailored to fit the talents of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The results make one wonder why anyone bothered to re-tailor this particular piece of thin, bland material. While not a terrible film, Darling has very little to recommend it. Certainly, Ball and Arnaz are amiable company, and Darling does give Arnaz a little more chance to act than one is used to. But the material doesn't allow Ball many chances to use her unique comic spark, and accepting Arnaz as a brilliant chemist is a bit of a stretch. The situations are hackneyed, the dialogue is weak, the characterizations are too pat and the screenplay as a whole is unfocused and prone to wandering. A stronger director might have been able to force some life into this, but Alexander Hall's work is wan. There are some moments that work, such as the camping trip, but even this feels like something that would have been better served on the stars' TV show. The title song, quite popular, is pleasant. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
