| Love Comes Along | |
| Director: | Rupert Julian |
| Producer: | William LeBaron Henry Hobart |
| Starring: | Bebe Daniels Lloyd Hughes Montagu Love |
| Music: | Victor Baravalle (director) Sidney Clare (lyrics) Oscar Levant (music) |
| Cinematography: | J. Roy Hunt |
| Editing: | Archie Marshek |
| Studio: | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Distributor: | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Country: | United States |
| Runtime: | 72 minutes |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $220,000[1] |
| Gross: | $478,000 |
Love Comes Along is a 1930 American romantic film directed by Rupert Julian, written by Wallace Smith, based on the uncompleted play Conchita by Edward Knoblock. It was a vehicle specifically picked to highlight the vocal talents of Bebe Daniels, which also starred Lloyd Hughes and Montagu Love. It made a profit of $258,000.[1]
An incomplete print has long been preserved in the Library of Congress collection.[2]
An actress, Peggy, is stranded on the island of Caparoja, which is ruled by a local dictator, Sangredo. For a living, she sings in the local tavern, where she is seen by two sailors from a tramp steamer who are visiting the port, Johnny and Happy. Johnny falls in love with Peggy and plans to marry her, rescuing her from her exile. However, Sangredo hires Peggy to perform at a party he is throwing, when the original singer, Carlotta, backs out. When Johnny finds out about the agreement, he misunderstands their relationship, and blows up at her. Peggy gets furious in turn over the fact he could believe that about her, and calls the wedding off.
At the party, Peggy relents, and sings a love song directly to Johnny, which angers Sangredo. He orders that Johnny be arrested, but Peggy steps forward to intercede on his behalf. She offers to spend the night with Sangredo, if he will release Johnny and let him sail with his steamer. He agrees, and Johnny is escorted to his ship. However, Johnny and Happy, sneak back to the town and break Peggy out of Sangredo's house. Fleeing, they board the steamer, escaping from the island.
With a lower budget, audiences noted the drop in production quality in Love Comes Along when compared to Daniels' prior successful film Rio Rita (1929), but they did enjoy her songs.[3]
This film is based on the play Conchita by Edward Knoblock, which according to his papers, which are saved on the campus of Harvard University in the rare books collection in the Houghton Library, was never completed, with only an outline existing.
The film is also known by its Italian title, Ecco l'amore![4]