Line #20 Film/SwingHighSwingLow


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swinghighswinglowposter.jpg]]
2	''Swing High, Swing Low'' (1937) is a romantic dramedy film starring Creator/CaroleLombard and Creator/FredMacMurray, the third pairing between the two stars. It was directed by Creator/MitchellLeisen and is [[TheFilmOfThePlay based on]] the Broadway play, ''Burlesque''.
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4	In Panama, former soldier Skid Johnson ([=MacMurray=]) and Maggie King (Lombard) meet and decide to live together merely out of convenience. During her stay, Maggie finds out that Skid is an incredible trumpet player, so she gets him a nightclub job to showcase his skills. Eventually, they fall in love and become a successful act. In this dingy club, an NYC music promoter spots Skid and offers him a job back in the States. Maggie pushes Skid to accept the job alongside bluesy singer, Anita Alvarez (Dorothy Lamour), so he goes and promises to send money to bring Maggie back to America. However, the day never comes; Skid becomes famous and distracted, making promises he never keeps.
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6	None of Maggie's letters get proper replies, so she borrows money and flies over to find out that Skid has been cheating on her with Anita. Heartbroken, she files for divorce and moves on. This comes out of left field for Skid, so he descends into despair and neglects his talent, leaving Maggie with the choice to either help Skid recover or marry someone else.
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8	This film was never renewed for copyright, so it's [[https://archive.org/details/SwingHighSwingLow19371080p available for free]].
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11	!!This film shows the following tropes:
12	* TheAlcoholic: Skid has bouts of the alcoholic in him, but Maggie is vigilant; she tells him to stop whenever he goes overboard. [[spoiler: However, once Maggie leaves him, Skid drinks heavily, making himself too shaky to play.]]
13	* BetaCouple: Harry, Skid’s friend, and Ella, Maggie’s friend.
14	* BigApplesauce: Maggie helps skid get a fancy job in NYC, and he promises to send money for her to come once he hits it big.
15	* BlatantLies: Skid saying that he’s at the point of having enough money to send to Maggie. He, however, just puts it off repeatedly.
16	* BrilliantButLazy: If Maggie didn’t push Skid to consider going to NYC, he would still be stuck in Panama blowing his cornet.
17	* DescentIntoAddiction: Once Maggie [[spoiler: decides to divorce Skid and marry her old friend]], Skid becomes a rabid alcoholic and bum.
18	* DidNotGetTheGirl: Skid. [[spoiler: Averted in the end; Maggie returns to help him get back on his feet and says that she won’t leave.]]
19	%% * Getting Crap Past The Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
20	* {{Hypochondria}}: Harry is always wearing a coat with an overcoat on top and copious sweaters. When Skid goes away, he gives him all kinds of pills in case he gets sick.
21	* InWithTheInCrowd: The music scene in NYC accepts Skid as the talent that he is and he begins to neglect Maggie because of this.
22	* MeetCute: Skid and Maggie meet while she’s on ship being lowered on the Panama Canal.
23	* RelationshipSabotage: Anita shreds Maggie's telegram, so Skid won't know that Maggie has written about coming to New York. She also actively makes sure that he never sends the flight money over to Maggie; she encourages him to gamble his money away.
24	* TheRemake: This film is a remake of the 1929 version, ''The Dance of Life'' and was also remade in 1948 as ''When My Baby Smiles at Me''.
25	* SexyBacklessOutfit: For their nightclub act, Maggie wears pretty evening gowns and so does Anita.
26	* SpicyLatina: Anita Alvarez.
27	* SpiritualSuccessor:
28	** Creator/MartinScorsese's ''Film/NewYorkNewYork'' was inspired by this film for his film about a volatile relationship between a couple, where the romance and the artistic calling clash against each other.
29	** Damien Chazelle's ''Film/LaLaLand'' which is a successor to both Leisen and Scorsese.

Context Film / SwingHighSwingLow