Now and Forever is a 1934 American drama film directed by Henry Hathaway. The screenplay by Vincent Lawrence and Sylvia Thalberg was based on the story "Honor Bright" by Jack Kirkland and Melville Baker. The film stars Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, and Shirley Temple in a story about a small-time swindler going straight for his child's sake. Temple sang "The World Owes Me a Living," introducing the future standard. The film was critically well received. Temple adored Cooper, who nicknamed her 'Wigglebritches'. This is the only film in which Lombard and Temple appeared together.

Plot

Carefree, irresponsible Jerry Day (Cooper) and his second wife, Toni (Lombard), are running up a bill at a Shanghai hotel that Jerry has no means to pay. Jerry hatches a scheme to swindle other guests to get money to pay his hotel bill and the two escape to the next leg of their foreign vacation. Desperate for more cash, Jerry is willing to sell the custody rights of his 5-year-old daughter Penelope (Temple) from his first marriage, known as Pennie, whom he has never met, to his former brother-in-law. Toni is shocked and goes by herself to Paris, while Jerry meets his daughter and is captivated by her, deciding to retain custody after all. Pennie and Jerry arrive in Paris to be reunited with Toni, who will now play her mother. After selling a non-existent gold mine to Felix Evans, a man who turns out to be much more versed in the art of swindling than he, Jerry decides to re-enter the workforce as a real estate salesman, but is not very successful. Soon he finds himself in need of cash to support himself, Pennie and Toni.