If the title of the Shirley Temple film “You Belong To Me” doesn’t sound familiar, that’s because it was changed before release to “Now and Forever.” Need more proof? How about this vintage still labeled as such:
The photo shows a deleted scene set in Paris between Carole Lombard’s character, Toni Day, and her husband, played by English film actor Jameson Thomas (better known as King Westley in “It Happened One Night). If you thought Gary Cooper played her husband, well…you’re kind of right. In the original treatment, which was written just as the Hays Code was being put together, Cooper and Lombard are living in sin and she still has a husband in Paris (Thomas).
Joseph Breen and company were not crazy about that and pressured Paramount to ditch the hubby and make Cooper and Lombard a respectable married couple. Breen also didn’t like Shirley’s attempt at suicide. What?!? Yup… that was in an outline from February 22, 1934:
That outline also included the original “Thelma and Louise” ending:
What the heck was Paramount thinking?!? This is one instance of where it was probably a good thing that Will Hays and Joseph Breen came along to see what the movie studios were doing. Based on the title and other things that were in the script, it would appear that the main emphasis of the film was to be the unhealthy and co-dependent relationship, between Cooper and Lombard.
Shirley offing herself?!? Please tell me that wasn’t filmed.
See more Shirley photos at my main website.
Wow. That is dark. All of it. Thank God for the changes.
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