It’s All Yours 1937

Comedy

Runtime

80 mins

Language

English

Directed by

Elliott Nugent

Made by

Columbia Pictures

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It’s All Yours Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for It’s All Yours (1937). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Jimmy Barnes, Francis Lederer, returns from Europe to be educated by his ultra-wealthy uncle, Edward J. Barnes, and within five years has become a flamboyant lawyer whose extravagant escapades are the talk of San Francisco. Linda Gray, Madeleine Carroll, is a mouse-like secretary to the elder Barnes who has fallen in love with Jimmy, but he favors Constance ‘Connie’ Marlowe. Mr. Barnes dies and leaves everything to Linda, but he urges his partner, Alexander Duncan, to plan that Jimmy and Linda will get married. Under Duncan’s guidance, Linda accepts the inheritance and announces that she is departing for New York on a wild spending spree. He tells Jimmy that the will can be broken but only after many months, and he suggests that Jimmy follow Linda and curb her spending or there won’t be any money left. In New York, Linda hires Francis Lederer as her private secretary. Connie also arrives in New York, as does the suave Baron Rene de Montigny Mischa Auer with the intention of marrying the wealthy Miss Gray. Linda keeps Jimmy so busy he can’t see Connie, while she, to make Jimmy jealous, starts dating Rene. When Rene proposes, she tells him she has no money, and he replies that he couldn’t marry a poor girl but will coach her in how to catch Jimmy. The latter, now jealous, rushes to Linda’s apartment and attacks Rene, who—being the amateur prize-fighter champion of France—knocks him out.

It’s All Yours Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of It’s All Yours (1937) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Jimmy arrives from Europe to be educated by his uncle

Jimmy Barnes arrives from Europe to be educated by his multi-millionaire uncle Edward J. Barnes. Over time his extravagant escapes begin to draw attention in San Francisco. Linda Gray, a mouse-like secretary, has fallen in love with him.

Start of the story Europe

Five years later: Jimmy becomes a lawyer

Five years pass and Jimmy has become a lawyer, with his extravagant exploits the talk of San Francisco. Linda Gray remains in love with him, while Jimmy secretly favors actress Connie Marlowe.

Five years after arrival San Francisco

Barnes dies and leaves everything to Linda

Mr. Barnes dies and leaves his entire estate to Linda Gray. He urges that Jimmy and Linda should marry, a plan his partner Alexander Duncan is told to help carry out.

Immediately after Barnes's death Barnes estate

Duncan plots to secure the marriage

Alexander Duncan coaches Linda on accepting the inheritance and playing along with the marriage plan. He also informs them the will can be challenged only after many months and advises Jimmy to shadow Linda and curb her spending.

Shortly after Barnes's death San Francisco

Linda departs for New York on a spending spree

Linda accepts the inheritance and announces a departure for New York to spend the money. Jimmy is told to follow and keep her spending in check to safeguard the estate.

Soon after Barnes's death San Francisco to New York

Linda hires Jimmy as private secretary in New York

In New York, Linda hires Jimmy as her private secretary to keep him close and busy. The arrangement tightens the control over her finances and social life.

Upon arrival in New York New York

Connie and Rene arrive in New York

Constance 'Connie' Marlowe arrives in New York, while Baron Rene de Montigny also arrives with the aim of courting Linda. The triangle begins to take shape in the big city.

Shortly after Linda's secretary job begins New York

Linda keeps Jimmy busy while courting Rene

Linda keeps Jimmy occupied with work to prevent him from seeing Connie, while she starts dating Rene to provoke Jimmy's jealousy. The social dance in New York accelerates the tension between them.

During the New York interludes New York

Rene proposes; Linda reveals she has no money

Rene proposes to Linda, but she reveals she has no money of her own. Rene then offers to coach her in how to catch Jimmy, seeing an opportunity to control the situation.

Concurrent with the proposal New York

Jimmy is jealous and confronts Rene

Jealous of Linda's engagement with Rene, Jimmy rushes to Linda's apartment to confront the rival. The confrontation underscores the volatile dynamic at the center of the will and the relationship.

Immediately after the confrontation Linda's apartment, New York

Rene knocks Jimmy out in the confrontation

Rene, a former amateur prizefighter champion of France, knocks Jimmy out when the two men clash. Linda watches as the fight exposes the fragility of the scheme and the lengths to which everyone is going to secure money and love.

During the confrontation Linda's apartment, New York

Outcome unresolved; jealousy and schemes linger

The knockout ends the scene with the jealous tension unresolved. The will, the future of Linda and Jimmy, and Connie’s and Rene's desires remain in play, leaving the audience with an open-ended dynamic.

Immediately after the attack New York

It’s All Yours Characters

Explore all characters from It’s All Yours (1937). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Linda Gray (Madeleine Carroll)

Linda is a shy, unassuming secretary who becomes central to the inheritance plot. She moves from a quiet office to New York's glittering high society after Edward Barnes's death. Her heart is torn between Jimmy and the social ambitions that money can unlock, making her both vulnerable and determined.

💼 Secretary 💘 Romantic Lead 🏦 Heiress

Jimmy Barnes (Francis Lederer)

Jimmy is a young, carefree lawyer-son who returns from Europe and draws attention with his extravagant lifestyle. His affections swing between Linda and Connie, and jealousy over rivals pushes him into impulsive actions. He is loyal to family but often driven by desire and pride.

👔 Lawyer

Alexander Duncan (Charles Waldron)

Duncan is Edward Barnes's partner, a calculating tactician who engineers the marriage plan. He coaches Linda, manipulates situations, and keeps the money-and-marriage scheme in motion. He embodies the film's thread of strategic manipulation behind social romance.

🧠 Mastermind

Constance Marlowe (Grace Bradley)

Connie is a glamorous actress who becomes a rival to Linda for Jimmy's affections. She arrives in New York with ambition and flair, testing Linda's resolve and complicating the love triangle. She depends on charm and social maneuvering to gain wealth and status.

🎭 Actress

Baron Rene de Montigny (Mischa Auer)

The baron is a witty French aristocrat and amateur prizefighter who pursues Linda's hand. He coaches Connie on how to win Jimmy and adds a cosmopolitan, slightly roguish flavor to the social plot. He embodies the lure and danger of noble pretensions in New York society.

🎩 Baron

Edward J. Barnes (J. C. Nugent)

Edward Barnes is the multi-millionaire patriarch who dies and leaves everything to Linda but instructs his partner to ensure Jimmy and Linda marry. He acts as the wealth-creator whose legacy drives the characters' choices, even after his death.

💰 Millionaire

It’s All Yours Settings

Learn where and when It’s All Yours (1937) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Location

San Francisco, New York

The story unfolds across two iconic American cities, highlighting the West Coast wealth and East Coast social scene. San Francisco serves as the initial backdrop for Jimmy and Linda’s extravagant circles, while New York becomes the arena for high-society maneuvering and romantic rivalries. The contrast between the two cities underscores the themes of money, status, and romance that drive the plot.

🌁 San Francisco 🗽 New York 🎭 Romantic comedy

It’s All Yours Themes

Discover the main themes in It’s All Yours (1937). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

💘

Love Triangle

A central romantic triangle emerges as Linda’s affection for Jimmy clashes with Connie’s presence and Baron Rene’s schemes. The characters maneuver for attention, status, and affection, exposing how love can be entangled with wealth. Jealousy and rivalry propel key confrontations, balancing humor with the drama of romantic competition.

💰

Inheritance

Edward Barnes's fortune and the later inheritance drive the plot, shaping characters’ ambitions and choices. Linda’s sudden windfall brings her into a world of money-management and social climbing, while Duncan’s plans hinge on controlling the terms of the will. The pursuit of wealth tests loyalty, love, and integrity, highlighting money’s power to transform relationships.

🕵️

Deception

The narrative is built on calculated moves, hidden agendas, and social performance. Duncan engineers the marriage scheme, while Linda, Jimmy, Connie, and Rene navigate lines between sincerity and manipulation. The humor and tension rise from misdirection, schemes, and the characters’ attempts to outplay one another.

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It’s All Yours Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of It’s All Yours (1937). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

Returning to San Francisco after years abroad, Jimmy Barnes has cultivated a reputation as a brilliant and somewhat flamboyant lawyer under the strict tutelage of his millionaire uncle, Edward J. Barnes. While Jimmy enjoys the privileges of his station and the thrill of high-profile cases, his personal life presents a more complicated equation. His shy, dedicated secretary, Linda Gray, quietly harbors deep affection for him, yet Jimmy remains blind to her devotion, his attention firmly fixed on the dazzling actress Constance ‘Connie’ Marlowe. The dynamics of their professional and personal lives seem set in stone, defined by unrequited feelings and the looming shadow of the elder Barnes’s vast fortune.

However, the established order is upended when Edward passes away, leaving his entire estate to Linda rather than his own nephew. Entrusting his partner, Alexander Duncan, with a final wish to steer the two toward marriage, the elder Barnes sets in motion a chain of events that reverses the power balance entirely. Duncan encourages Linda to embrace her newfound wealth with a move to New York, prompting a dramatic lifestyle shift that forces Jimmy to reconsider his position. In a twist of professional fate, Linda hires Jimmy as her private secretary, placing him in a position of subservience to the woman he once overlooked.

As the group converges on the glittering, chaotic backdrop of New York society, the stakes rise with the arrival of Baron René de Montigny, a suave figure with designs on the newly wealthy Linda. With romantic entanglements tightening and schemers circling the Barnes fortune, the lines between business and pleasure begin to blur. Jimmy finds himself navigating a labyrinth of jealousy and social maneuvering, where the ultimate prize remains uncertain and the rules of engagement are constantly being rewritten.

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