Starring Bernice Claire, Walter Pidgeon, Edward Everett Horton, and Claude Gillingwater
Directed by William A Seiter
Music by Victor Herbert; Lyrics by Henry Martyn Blossom
Operettas and light opera were common during film's first years of sound as the movies saw a musical explosion. A few of them, including The Love Parade and Devil-May-Care, were hits with audiences and critics, but most were considered overly campy or melodramatic even then. Seeing how musicals in general and operettas in particular were flopping at the box office during the fall of 1930, they held off releasing this for a year. It didn't work; the movie tanked, despite a good cast and the original print being in two-strip Technicolor. Does this frothy romance still deserve that fate, or should it get a second chance for stage success? Let's begin with shop girls showing off the latest in 1930 fashions and find out...
The Story: French shop girl Fifi (Claire) loves handsome and wealthy Legionnaire officer Paul de St. Cyr (Pidgeon). What she really wants to be is an opera star, but he objects to her desire for a career. His father Count de St. Cyr (Gillingwater) objects to his son marrying a poor woman and claims he won't let him have her until she can make her own money. She uses the money from the Count to finance her singing career. Even after she's the toast of the town, she can't forget Paul...but Paul's being forced into marriage with the woman who loves his best friend Rene (Horton). It'll take some quick thinking from Rene and his lady Marie (June Collyer) to make sure everything comes out right in the end.
The Song and Dance: Charming romantic comedy based after the Herbert stage show Mademoiselle Modiste. Claire simply glows as the working woman who determined to prove she's worthy of the opera stage and a rich man's heart. She and Pidgeon are delightful together, especially early in the film when they're courting while the shop girls watch romantically. Gillingswater has a great time as Paul's irascible old coot of a father, and Frank McHugh is surprisingly hilarious as the ex-husband of the owner of the clothing store who is still under her thumb. Some of those early 30's costumes are gorgeous, too; check out the fashion parade in the opening as the shop girls show off their work.
Favorite Number: And we open with that clothes parade as the ladies swish across the elaborate Art Deco shop and model the latest in 1930 fashions. The shopgirls get to watch "Kiss Me Again" as Paul and Fifi declare they'll always love each other. The song is heard several times, including in the finale when Fifi performs it at his homecoming reception to remind him of their love. Lamenting his inability to attract the ladies, Francois (McHugh) becomes "A Make Believe Ladies' Man" when the shopgirls dress him up in satin and feathers and chase him around the racks. Fifi is "The Mascot of the Troop" as she celebrates the departure of the Legionnaires in full Legion regalia, complete with a chorus of officers. The Count rants to Francois that "I Want What I Want When I Want It" when he's stuck with a bland healthy meal. Exotic dancers the Sisters G show off their surreal moves in "Pan Americana" and the sensual "Air de Ballet" with the chorus.
Trivia: It previewed in 1930 and was released outside the US as Toast of the Legion. Warners cut several numbers when the previews were a disaster, including the majority of Pidgeon's songs.
Filmed in two-strip Technicolor, but currently exists only in black and white.
What I Don't Like: Occasionally, the early talkie stiffness creeps in, especially during crowd shots when everyone is just standing around. This is adorable piffle, probably too sweet and bubbly for the rough-and-tumble early 30's. With his numbers exorcised, Pidgeon doesn't have that much to do besides look handsome and back down to his father, and Horton has even less (and looks pretty ridiculous in his mustache that matches Pidgeon's). Also, operetta seems to be hit-or-miss with many people who are used to a less pretentious style in their musicals. If you don't love light opera or older styles of music, you may find this to be a bit too campy or creaky.
The Big Finale: Charming and sweet, this romantic comedy is worth toasting the Legion for if you're a fan of operetta, the musicals of the early talkie era, or are looking for something light and frothy to watch on TCM.
Home Media: And TCM is apparently the only place you can catch it at the moment.
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