Next Time We Love - Production

Production

Ursula Parrott was a popular novelist of the time, several of whose novels were turned into films, most prominently Ex-Wife which became the 1930 movie The Divorcee. The story which provided the source material for Next Time We Love was first serialized as Say Goodbye Again in McCall's from December 1934 to April 1935, and was then published as a novel called Next Time We Live, which was also the working title of the film. There was debate about what to call the movie, with studio executives worrying that "Next Time We Live" might be misinterpreted to be about reincarnation, while director Edward H. Griffith didn't want to lose the publicity value of using the title of the novel. Although the film was released as Next Time We Love, the alternate title Next Time We Live was used for its release in the U.K.

Francis Lederer was originally cast for the part of "Christopher Tyler", but was unavailable. Margaret Sullavan was responsible for getting her friend Jimmy Stewart borrowed from MGM for the part. Production on the film was delayed because Sullavan was shooting retakes for So Red the Rose, but it began on 21 October 1935 and continued through 30 December. Shooting began with only half the script written by Melville Baker, so three weeks into production, the studio put Doris Anderson on the project as well. Some scenes in the film were directed in San Francisco by assistant director Ralph Slosser using doubles, and Slosser also directed some studio scenes as well.

Next Time We Love was released at the end of January 1936.