Maytime

MGM, 1937
Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, John Barrymore, and Herman Bing
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Music by Sigmund Romberg, Herbert Stothart, and others

This movie's early May setting makes it perfect to kick off this month. It was the biggest hit of the eight movies Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy made together, and one of the blockbusters of 1937. How does this tale of a spring romance that turns tragic hold up nowadays? Let's go to a small-town May Day celebration around the turn of the century to find out...

The Story: Miss Morrison (MacDonald) has just come back from the town's May Day celebration when she overhears an argument between her young neighbor Barbara (Lynne Carver) and her sweetheart Kip (Tom Brown). Later, Barbara reveals that she wants to go to New York to become a great opera singer, like Marcia Mornay. The older woman reveals that she was Marcia Mornay, who gave up love for her career.

We then flashback to Paris in the 1860's. Her demanding teacher Nazaroff (John Barrymore) has just presented her to Napoleon and his court. She's so dazed from her success with her song there and with the dazzle of the ball and the evening, she unthinkingly accepts Nazaroff's proposal, even though she doesn't love him. She regrets her decision when she goes for a midnight carriage ride and finds herself at a local bar, where handsome music student Paul Allison (Eddy) is singing a rousing drinking song. He's smitten with Marcia right away and convinces her to visit his tiny apartment for lunch with him and his teacher Archipenko (Bing). He manages to get into her most recent opera vehicle and ask her to a May Day fair in the country with him. They attend and have a wonderful time...and fall in love. But Marcia has already promised herself to Nazaroff and doesn't want to give up her music for Paul.

Seven years pass. Marcia has become a beloved opera star, but her marriage with Nazaroff lacks passion and romance. On her debut at the Met, she finds herself paired with up-and-coming baritone Paul. They resist it, but their love too strong to ignore anymore. It makes their debut a smashing success...but it also makes Nazaroff insanely jealous. He's not about to share Marcia and her career with anyone, including a younger man.

The Song and Dance: This is my favorite MacDonald/Eddy vehicle. I'm not normally a fan of sad love stories, but for all the melodrama, this one really works. It was MacDonald's favorite of her movies as well, and she puts in one of her best performances as the diva who gives up love for her career, only to regret it later. Eddy's still a little stiff in the dramatic scenes; he's more at home in the first half of the film, singing in the bar or convincing Bing to help him set up for a very frugal lunch. Barrymore may have been so drunk by this point, he had to read his lines off cue cards, but he's still magnetic in the role of the possessive teacher who doesn't want to give up the woman whose career he's guided.

MGM went all-out on this one. Everyone, men and women, are dressed in acres of ruffles, puffs, lace, bows, and sequins. The black-and-white cinematography and lavish sets, including a nifty montage of Marcia's operatic successes, nicely evokes both small-town America at the turn of the century and the romance of Paris and the French countryside during the reign of Louis Napoleon.

Favorite Number: By far the most famous song from this one is "Sweetheart, Will You Remember?," the only number retained from the original 1917 Broadway show. MacDonald and Eddy sing it just after their day at the fair, as Marcia tells Paul she can't stay with him. It's a beautiful number, passionate and romantic, and it's one of their best duets. They also sing a nice version of "Carry Me Back To Old Virginny" at Paul's apartment after lunch, and their "Czarina" duet towards the end in the opera is equally strong.

Trivia: This was originally supposed to have been filmed in color and feature more songs from the original show. The first version was scrapped and restarted in black and white after producer Irving Thalburg died. MGM would finally film a MacDonald/Eddy vehicle in color a year later, Sweethearts.

The original Broadway show debuted in 1917; there's a story that it was so popular, two different companies ran in New York at the same time.

What I Don't Like: Not for people looking for a more upbeat musical, those who don't like opera or operetta, or who aren't fans of romantic melodrama. Nelson Eddy supposedly didn't share his partner's fondness for this movie. He found it to be a tad too frilly, and many critics then and now echo his sentiments that it's way too campy.

The Big Finale: If you love tragic romances, historical romances, opera, or MacDonald and Eddy, you'll want to spend your own May Day checking this one out.

Home Media: The solo Warner Archives DVD I have is now out of print, but it's available as part of the first MacDonald/Eddy Archives DVD set...and unlike many Archives titles, it can be found on several streaming services.

DVD - MacDonald-Eddy Collection, Volume 1
Amazon Prime