If Ever I See You Again

If Ever I See You Again (1978)

The Most Romantic Love Story of the Year.

Bob Morrison, a successful composer of TV commercial jingles, is unhappy with his lack of creative freedom in developing the definitive dog-food song. Frustrated, he heads out to Hollywood to score a movie. While in California he establishes contact with an old girlfriend.

Date of release
1978-05-24
TMDB
6.7 / 10 (3)
Runtime
1h 45m
Genres
Romance, Drama
Director
Joseph Brooks

Casting

Interesting facts

If Ever I See You Again is a 1978 American romantic drama film about a composer who rekindles his relationship with a former girlfriend. It stars Joe Brooks, who also co-wrote, produced, directed, and scored the film, and Shelley Hack. The film's theme song, "If Ever I See You Again", was a moderate hit for Roberta Flack, reaching #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Production

Brooks made If Ever I See You Again as the follow-up to his successful 1977 film, You Light Up My Life, which Brooks had produced, written, directed and scored. You Light Up My Life was a box office hit and the title song "You Light Up My Life" was an even bigger success, setting a new record for most weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 Chart and winning Brooks an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Grammy Award for Song of the Year, and other honors.

Brooks' partner, Robert K. Lifton, later wrote that he and Brooks set out to make a similar follow-up, as financing was likely to be available for a concept that had already been proven successful. In his self-published memoir, Lifton wrote that they "focus[ed] on making low cost movies with music that could carry the movie and let the record help the movie and the movie help the record." For If Ever I See You Again, Brooks and Lifton obtained fi…

In addition to producing, co-writing, directing and scoring the film, Brooks also decided to play the leading role of "Bob Morrison" himself. Although the character mirrored Brooks' own life as a rich, successful composer of advertising jingles who moved into film work, Brooks had no significant acting experience.

Like Brooks, most of the other main actors were also inexperienced. Jerry Keller and Kenny Karen were former pop musicians turned jingle creators who had worked with Brooks in the past. Keller's film experience consisted of a bit part in You Light Up My Life as an orchestra music director.

Working titles for the film included The Mozart of Madison Avenue and California. It was shot in New York City and Los Angeles during the holiday season of 1977. Flashback scenes to Bob and Jennifer's college days were shot on the campus of Cazenovia College in the winter of 1977. College students were used as scene extras. The cast provided their own wardrobes. Hack, who in real life was nearsighted, wore her own glasses.

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