Starring Lily Pons, Henry Fonda, Eric Blore, and Osgood Perkins
Directed by John Cromwell
Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
The success of MGM's Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy operettas and Columbia's vehicles for opera star Grace Moore prompted other studios to try out opera singers in the mid-30's. Pons was a French diva whose career spanned over 30 years of concert and stage successes. She and her amazing coloratura soprano were credited with saving the Metropolitan Opera from bankruptcy when she debuted there in 1931. She was also excellent at marketing her face and brand and keeping herself in the public eye...which, along with that stunning soprano, is likely why RKO wanted to turn her into a star. How well did they succeed? Let's start in France, as singing hopeful Annette Monard (Pons) is tiring of her constant lessons, and find out...
The Story: Annette meets carefree American songwriter Johnny Street (Fonda) at a near-by carnival. They have so much fun and get so drunk, they end up married by the end of the night. Johnny's not happy about this at first, but Annette convinces Johnny to let her travel with him and make it work.
She can't keep her talent hidden for long, though. When Johnny learns she's a talented coloratura soprano, he insists on making money to fund her career. She wants to help by singing in a dive bar, but he won't hear of it. He even punches out producer Paul Darcy (Perkins) when he thinks he's getting fresh with her.
Annette finally turns to Perkins to make amends and sell Johnny's opera. She's not able to push his music, but Paul's enchanted with her voice. He makes her into a major opera star, the toast of Europe. Johnny's jealous and upset that he has to live on his wife's money and leaves. After Annette collapses from overwork and loneliness, she has to figure out how to get Johnny back...by turning his stodgy opera into an up-to-date musical comedy.
The Song and Dance: If you love opera or vintage opera stars, you'll really enjoy this one. Pons trills through Jerome Kern songs and opera arias alike. We even get to hear her repeat her success playing the title role of Lakme and singing it's difficult "Bell Song" aria. While RKO didn't go quite as all-out on this one as they often did on their Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films of the time, it's still an attractive production, with some lovely costumes for Pons and sets representing both the charming lower-class French flats and festivals, and the society world of grand opera. Eric Blore has a fine time as the Streets' fussy neighbor whose closest friend is a female sea lion he named Goddess.
Favorite Number: Pons sings "The Jockey On the Carousel" to a sobbing boy while they're riding together. Not only does the lilting lullaby cheer him up, but almost everyone in the carnival who can hear her joins in. "I'm the Echo" is the song she finally performs for Darcy to show him what a wonderful composer her husband is...only to reveal what a wonderful singer she is. The movie ends with the title song, as she trills into her high Cs and Es and dancers whirl around her on a staircase backdrop.
Trivia: Look for Lucille Ball in a small but funny role as the teenage daughter of one of the tourists whom Johnny leads around Paris.
Despite them constantly referring to Goddess as a seal, she's actually a sea lion.
What I Don't Like: There's a major leading man problem. Fonda never was comfortable in musicals. Though young and adorably awkward, he also has nothing about him to suggest a driven musician, nor any chemistry with Pons. His hissy fit when Annette starts making more money than him comes off more as a spoiled child than an adult worried about his marriage. (Even Annette calls him on it.)
Pons has her own troubles. She's a decent actress, but her high, thin voice doesn't record terribly well, and coupled with her singing, can come off as screechy or shrill to some non-opera fans. (There's a reason some waggish folks called this "I Scream Too Much.") The story starts off as goofy romantic comedy fluff that takes a left turn into overwrought melodrama after Annette becomes a star. It's really very dated, particularly how Annette finally pacifies her husband and his desire to provide for them.
The Big Finale: Only for really major fans of vintage opera, Fonda, or 30's musicals.
Home Media: Not available in on disc or streaming on this side of the pond. Look for it occasionally on TCM.
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