Love Affair
They Part as Strangers... to meet again as lovers...! Two people who were true to themselves...and who loved each other...at the expense of those who loved them!
1939 | 88m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Leo McCarey |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Leo McCarey, Delmer Daves, Donald Ogden Stewart, Mildred Cram |
| Staring: |
| A French playboy and an American former nightclub singer fall in love aboard a ship. They arrange to reunite six months later, if neither has changed their mind. | |
| Release Date: | Apr 07, 1939 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Leo McCarey |
| Writer: | Leo McCarey, Delmer Daves, Donald Ogden Stewart, Mildred Cram |
| Genres: | Drama, Romance |
| Keywords | new york city, artist, madeira, ocean liner, champagne, orphanage, playboy, love, singer, chapel, grandmother, empire state building, ocean voyage, shipboard romance, shawl |
| Production Companies | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 05, 2026 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Irene Dunne | Terry McKay |
| Charles Boyer | Michel Marnet |
| Maria Ouspenskaya | Grandmother |
| Lee Bowman | Kenneth Bradley |
| Astrid Allwyn | Lois Clarke |
| Maurice Moscovitch | Maurice Cobert |
| Mary Bayless | Theatre Patron (uncredited) |
| Scotty Beckett | Boy on Ship (uncredited) |
| Ferike Boros | Terry's Landlady (uncredited) |
| Mary Bovard | Autograph Seeker (uncredited) |
| Tom Dugan | Drunk with Christmas Tree (uncredited) |
| Bess Flowers | Ship Passenger (uncredited) |
| George Ford | Ship Passenger (uncredited) |
| J.C. Fowler | Doctor (uncredited) |
| Joe Gilbert | Theatre Patron (uncredited) |
| Dell Henderson | Cafe Manager (uncredited) |
| Leyland Hodgson | Doctor (uncredited) |
| Carol Hughes | Nightclub Patron (uncredited) |
| Lloyd Ingraham | Doctor (uncredited) |
| Phyllis Kennedy | Terry's Maid Annie (uncredited) |
| Joan Leslie | Autograph Seeker (uncredited) |
| Fred Malatesta | Shipboard Photographer (uncredited) |
| Frank McGlynn Sr. | Orphanage Superintendent (uncredited) |
| Harold Miller | Man in Couple on Deck (uncredited) |
| Gerald Mohr | Man (uncredited) |
| Bert Moorhouse | Shipboard Passenger (uncredited) |
| Richard Neill | Theatre Patron (uncredited) |
| Field Norton | Shipboard Passenger (uncredited) |
| Kitty O'Neil | Orphanage Housekeeper (uncredited) |
| Oscar O'Shea | Priest (uncredited) |
| Fred Rapport | Ship Passenger (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Leo McCarey | Story, Director |
| Delmer Daves | Screenplay |
| Donald Ogden Stewart | Screenplay |
| George Hively | Editor |
| Darrell Silvera | Set Decoration |
| Howard Greer | Costume Design |
| Edward Stevenson | Costume Design |
| Mel Berns | Makeup Artist |
| James H. Anderson | Assistant Director |
| Mildred Cram | Story |
| Buddy G. DeSylva | Songs |
| Ted Koehler | Songs |
| Alfred Herman | Assistant Art Director |
| Douglas Travers | Other |
| John L. Cass | Sound Recordist |
| Roy Webb | Original Music Composer |
| Rudolph Maté | Director of Photography |
| Van Nest Polglase | Art Direction |
| Harold Arlen | Songs |
| Vernon L. Walker | Special Effects |
| S. N. Behrman | Additional Writing |
| Edward Dmytryk | Editor |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Leo McCarey | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 27 | 51 | 15 |
| 2024 | 5 | 65 | 80 | 50 |
| 2024 | 6 | 41 | 73 | 20 |
| 2024 | 7 | 16 | 26 | 8 |
| 2024 | 8 | 13 | 28 | 7 |
| 2024 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 11 | 25 | 5 |
| 2024 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 5 |
| 2025 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 5 |
| 2025 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 695 | 713 |
A classy feature from Leo McCarey, this one. Charles Boyer is a playboy crossing the Atlantic on a luxury liner; he meets and falls in love with Irene Dunne, a talented chanteuse heading to New York. They agree to meet six months later once he has become less of a rake and is able to support them bo ... th. On that fateful day, she arrives at the Empire State Building only to be involved in a paralysing car accident of which he - already at the top of the tower - is and remains unaware. It's a gentle, well acted melodrama with a simple, engaging plot and two charismatic leads. The writing is a touch on the sentimental side at times, but it's still a lovely film to watch 80 years after it was made.