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What's After the Movie?
Music drama

Love Me or Leave Me (1955): Cast, Box Office & Plot

Love Me or Leave Me (1955) movie poster

Love Me or Leave Me is a 1955 music drama directed by Charles Vidor, starring Doris Day as Ruth Etting, James Cagney and Cameron Mitchell. It runs 2 hours 2 minutes and earned $193 worldwide.

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Love Me or Leave Me (1955) movie poster
Released
Runtime
2h 2m (122 min)
Director
Charles Vidor
Genres
Drama , Music , Romance
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Love Me or Leave Me About?

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

A lavish musical set in the Roaring Twenties, presenting a fictionalized portrait of jazz singer Ruth Etting’s rise to fame and her volatile marriage to gangster Marty Snyder, whose influence helped propel her to stardom. The production features period costumes, elaborate choreography, and original songs that capture the era’s energy while dramatizing the couple’s turbulent relationship and its impact on Etting’s career.

Love Me or Leave Me Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • bad temper
  • fired from a job
  • taxi dancer
  • roaring twenties
  • title based on song
  • limping man
  • star the person
  • theater director
  • cagney and day
  • ruth etting character
  • california
  • music biopic
+38 more
  • backstage drama
  • age gap romance
  • handicapped
  • loveless marriage
  • hollywood biopic
  • gangster drama
  • orchestra conductor
  • popular music
  • aggressive courtship
  • battle of the sexes
  • rough romance
  • mob of reporters
  • radio broadcast
  • domestic drama
  • chicago gangster
  • unprovoked attack
  • explosive temper
  • romantic rivalry
  • sexual conquest
  • toxic relationship
  • based on story
  • prohibition era
  • showbiz drama
  • implied rape
  • talent manager
  • commercial laundry
  • marriage break up
  • ziegfeld girl
  • abusive relationship
  • dance hall
  • title co written by female
  • abused woman
  • laundry
  • playing accordion
  • woman wears a red dress
  • reference to william shakespeare
  • woman changes clothes
  • based on real person
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Cast & crew

Love Me or Leave Me Cast & Characters

Doris Day leads the cast as Ruth Etting, with James Cagney as Martin Snyder and Cameron Mitchell as Johnny Alderman. Directed by Charles Vidor; 17 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Love Me or Leave Me

· 13 more
From the director

More from Charles Vidor

More films directed by Charles Vidor: A Farewell to Arms, The Joker is Wild, Rhapsody and Hans Christian Andersen.

Full filmography
Plot

Love Me or Leave Me Plot Summary

What happens in Love Me or Leave Me from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Ruth Etting, a 1920s Chicago nightclub singer and dime-a-dance girl, finds her job hanging in the balance after she defends herself from a persistent admirer. Martin Snyder, known as “The Gimp” for his game leg, steps in with a powerful blend of influence and intimidation. He runs a laundry business as a front and commands a thriving protection racket, giving him the clout to pull strings that can launch or ruin a career.

Full summary

The whole story of Love Me or Leave Me, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Love Me or Leave Me Box Office

Love Me or Leave Me grossed $193 worldwide.

1955 box office

Worldwide gross

$193

Videos

Love Me or Leave Me Trailers & Videos

2 videos: 2 trailers.

Love Me Or Leave Me - Trailer
  • Trailer Love Me or Leave Me (1955) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Love Me or Leave Me?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

Who portrays the singer Ruth Etting in the film?

Details

Love Me or Leave Me Also Known As

16 alternative titles, including “Quiéreme o déjame” and “Tyrannische Liebe”.

Also known as
  • Quiéreme o déjame
  • Tyrannische Liebe
  • Amami o lasciami
  • Les Pièges de la passion
  • Ama-me ou Esquece-me
  • Люби меня или покинь меня
  • Обичай ме или ме остави
  • 사랑하거나 떠나거나
  • 爱我否则离开我
  • Amame o déjame
  • Szeress, vagy hagyj el!
  • 情欲の悪魔
+4 more
  • Estima’m o deixa’m
  • Kochaj mnie lub zostaw
  • Dej ska jag ha!
  • دوستم بدار یا ترکم کن

Seen Love Me or Leave Me?

FAQ

Love Me or Leave Me FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office and post-credit scenes of Love Me or Leave Me, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Love Me or Leave Me?

Love Me or Leave Me runs 2 hours 2 minutes (122 minutes).

When was Love Me or Leave Me released?

Love Me or Leave Me was released on May 26, 1955.

Who directed Love Me or Leave Me?

Love Me or Leave Me was directed by Charles Vidor.

More films by Charles Vidor

Who is in the cast of Love Me or Leave Me?

Love Me or Leave Me stars Doris Day as Ruth Etting, James Cagney as Martin Snyder and Cameron Mitchell as Johnny Alderman, among 17 credited actors.

How much did Love Me or Leave Me make at the box office?

Love Me or Leave Me grossed $193 worldwide.

Does Love Me or Leave Me have a post-credit scene?

No. Love Me or Leave Me has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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