Romantic comedy

First Love (1939): Cast & Plot

Name: First Love
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Music
Released: 1939-11-10
Duration: 1 h 24 min
Cast: Thurston Hall, Robert Stack, Thomas Martin, Deanna Durbin, Kathleen Howard

First Love is a 1939 romantic comedy directed by Henry Koster, starring Thurston Hall as Anthony Drake, Robert Stack and Thomas Martin. It runs 1 hour 24 minutes.

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Read the plot summary

Released: November 10, 1939
Runtime: 1h 24m (84 min)
Director: Henry Koster
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Music
Original language: English
Studio: Universal Pictures
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is First Love About?

The premise of First Love without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Orphan Connie Harding moves in with her wealthy aunt and uncle after boarding school. Her snobbish cousin Barbara tries to keep her home when the family is invited to a grand ball. With her uncle’s help as a fairy‑godfather, Connie attends the ball and meets her Prince Charming, Ted Drake, her cousin’s boyfriend.

First Love Themes & Keywords

· 14 tags

screwball comedy
cinderella
butler
male police officer
new york city
graduation
song
waltz
girls' school
horseback riding
maid
chauffeur

+2 more

first love
orphan

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Cast & crew

First Love Cast & Characters

Thurston Hall leads the cast as Anthony Drake, with Robert Stack as Ted Drake and Thomas Martin as Drake Servant. Directed by Henry Koster; 44 actors are credited in all.

Director Henry Koster

Thurston Hall as Anthony Drake
Robert Stack as Ted Drake
Thomas Martin as Drake Servant
Deanna Durbin as Constance (Connie) Harding

Also Starring in First Love

· 40 more

Kathleen Howard Miss Wiggins
Eugene Pallette James Clinton
Charles Coleman George, Clinton's Butler
Helen Parrish Barbara Clinton
Leatrice Joy Grace Clinton
Lewis Howard Walter Clinton
Bess Flowers Ball Guest
Sam Harris Ball Guest
Larry Steers Ball Guest
Harold Miller Commencement Guest
Edmund Mortimer Ball Guest
Bert Stevens Chauffeur at Commencement
Ralph Brooks Ball Guest
Samuel S. Hinds Mr. Parker
Jack Chefe Doug
Jack Mulhall Terry

Show all 44 cast members

Mary Treen Agnes, Barbara's Maid
Doris Lloyd Mrs. Parker
Eric Wilton Drake's Butler
Sayre Dearing Ball Guest
Virginia Brissac Commencement Speaker
Ellinor Vanderveer Ball Guest
Frank Jenks Mike the Cop
Amzie Strickland Ball Guest
Ronald R. Rondell Ted's Horseback Riding Friend / Ball Guest
Grace Hayle Madame Margarita Catalini
Broderick O'Farrell Madame Catalini's Escort
Dorothy Vaughan Ollie, Mrs. Clinton's Maid
Russell Wade Ball Guest
Larry Wheat Ball Guest
Marcia Mae Jones Marcia Parker
Lillian Bronson Violin Player
Robert Paige Ball Guest
Walter Tetley Willie, Country Club Page
Rex Evans Gerald Bevins
Lucille Ward Clinton's Cook
Julia Griffith Old Maid Schoolteacher
Peggy Moran Girl at School
Lon McCallister Boy at School
June Storey Wilma van Everett

From the director

More from Henry Koster

More films directed by Henry Koster, best-rated first: The Bishop's Wife, The Singing Nun, Dear Brigitte and Take Her, She’s Mine.

Full filmography

Plot

First Love Plot Summary

What happens in First Love from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Constance Harding, Deanna Durbin, is an unhappy orphan about to graduate from Miss Wiggins’ school for girls. Her only real relatives are members of the James Clinton family, but they show little interest in the teenager. She is brought to New York by one of their loyal butlers, George, Charles Coleman, where she moves in with a circle of snobs. The upperclass crowd looks down on her, yet Connie finds warmth and loyalty among the household staff, who become her true guides through an unfamiliar world.

Full summary

The whole story of First Love, scene by scene

Read the full summary