Once the highest paid star in Hollywood silent film Queen, Gloria Swanson looks uncomfortable and sounds a little like Gracie Allen in her shaky transition to sound in this solidly made racy comedy. Not her first or last sound picture during that era but a clear indicator her style of acting had become anachronistic overnight with new kids on the block like Joan Crawford and Jean Harlow preparing to take the heat up a notch and send Ms. Swanson packing, only to rise Phoenix like years later in Sunset Boulevard; along with Benji the canine (Petticoat Junction) the greatest comeback in Hollywood history.Talented opera singer Nella Vaga (Swanson) has the tools but not the passion to take her place among the big names in the business. After a solid performance (sans passion) in Venice, American, Jim Fletcher, (Melvyn Douglas) is enthralled and stalks Vaga. A man of nebulous means Nella is intrigued, conflicted and makes a clumsy pass. Fletcher toys with her in a lengthy seduction that cures her stage reticence. Turns out she simply needed to get laid. Her Budapest performance is gang busters and the Met calls on as she finds love and success. Tonight or Never is filled with ambiguous innuendo and dialogue giving it a rye subversive flavor as it keeps the audience in the dark along the way to do so. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, a Wellman like director, I could have been easily persuaded it was a Lubitsch work with it's theme, tart insinuations, use of doors, "Touch" regular Melvyn Douglas and a large ethnic caricature supporting cast with Fernand Gottschalk, Allison Skipworth and Robert Grieg (who has the most touching moment in the film with Swanson) all contributing key moments all of quirky non- stereotype. . J. Carol Naish, uncredited, offers up a tiny gem while Karloff in his Frankenstein year is weirdly perverse as a waiter.This is Melvyn Douglas first major role and he brings the same self assured sophisticated suavity that would carry him through the next dozen or so years when he would loosen up Garbo this time in Lubisch's Ninotchka just before the black list and his own stunning comeback in later years as a multi award winning actor. Swanson looks lovely dressed in Chanel, lounging about lush interiors photographed by the iconic Greg Toland but her performance is inconsistent at best her with comic timing off whether going up against Douglas or the supporting cast. There remain moments however when it becomes crystal clear why Ms. Swanson was a silent superstar, especially in close-ups without dialogue in which LeRoy goes retro silent to capture the star in her halcyon past, only for a moment but with maximum impact.

While not all early sound pictures have poor sound quality, "Tonight or Never" does. This is a problem because Image Entertainment does not have closed captions or DVD captions on the disk--meaning you'll need to really crank up the volume to hear this one well, as the sound range is a bit poor. This is a serious problems with many American films from 1927-1931 and this is because Hollywood still hadn't perfected all the intricacies of sound. Normally this isn't a huge problem--many films from this era do have decent sound, but seeing "Tonight or Never" or "Coquette" is just tough without captioning.This film finds Gloria Swanson playing a diva--literally and figuratively. She is a very successful opera star, but her singing, while very good, lacks something that would take her to the next level. It turns out that what it needs is passion--and a new man in her life (Melvyn Douglas) turns out to be this key to greater success. And until she discovers love, she is a diva in every sense of the word--quick-tempered, demanding and impossible to those around her. But, once she discovers Douglas, her troubles are not over, as she mistakenly thinks he's a gigolo! While I enjoyed this cute film, I found Melvyn Douglas' performance to be amazing. Considering this was his first film, he came off very well--and better than the veteran actress, Swanson. He seemed relaxed and suave. As for her, Ms. Swanson's acting, at times, seemed a bit mannered--as if she WAS acting and not real. Now this might have been due to the type character she played, but I found her performance less approachable and impressive.

Nella Vago (Gloria Swanson), a young singer makes her operatic debut in Venice but discovers her reception disappointing. She learns from her teacher (Ferdinand Gottschalk) that her voice lacks warmth and feeling. While appearing there, a mysterious young man (Melvyn Douglas) follows her everywhere. Returning to her native Budapest, she learns a scout from the Metropolitan Opera refused to sign her until she truly feels her songs. Depressed she goes to the young gigolo's apartment where they make love. The following night, Nella surprises everyone by her marvellous performance of "Tosca". After the Met offers her a contract, she visits the gigolo's apartment again and declares her love. Moved, he asks her to give up her profession and she tears up her contract. To her surprise, she discovers he is in reality a scout for the Met. The misunderstanding is over. Additional notes : The cast - with the exception of Alison Skipworth, Gloria Swanson and Boris Karloff (who plays a waiter) is the one which made the play a success in Manhattan where it was produced by David Belasco.

Gloria Swanson proves easily here what a good talkie actress she could have been. She is funny and charming, and dressed superbly by Coco Chanel. Melvyn Douglas works well with her, but there is way too much chatter in this adaptation from a hit stage play. The screen-writers didn't seem to realise the kind of expansion they needed to give the piece to make it cinema rather than a filmed stage play. Still, in the lovingly restored print from UCLA that is on the DVD, the film looks great - as does glorious Gloria!