Starring Sonja Henie, Tyrone Power, Raymond Walburn, and Arthur Treacher
Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Music and Lyrics by various
With cold weather gripping much of the world, we're going to spend most of this month covering musicals that revolve around ice skating or skiing. The queen of winter sports musicals is undoubtedly Sonja Henie. This was her second vehicle after the major hit One In a Million. 20th Century Fox was so impressed, they greatly increased the budget and gave her none other than Tyrone Power, their most popular up-and-coming heartthrob, as her leading man. How does this ice-bound romantic comedy about a prince who falls for a skating instructor look nowadays? Let's begin in Switzerland, at a ski resort about to begin the winter season, and find out...
The Story: Lili Heiser (Henie) is a skating instructor at the resort, but she's about to lose her job due to the lack of snow. The fussy manager Krantz (Melville Cooper) keeps insisting he can't use her if there's no snow. All that turns around quickly when Nottingham (Treacher), the secretary of Prince Rudolph (Power), orders expensive rooms for a political conference. The Prince, however, will not be staying in them. He takes rooms at a local inn, hoping to avoid the conference and have a quiet place for skiing.
He encounters Lili while on the slopes, and they hit it off. Lili, however, has no idea that the man she met on the Alps is actually royalty. When her would-be sweetheart Alex (George Givot) drives her home in the prince's car, thanks to his chauffeur cousin, everyone in town thinks she's the Prince's newest conquest. Her conniving uncle (Walburn) takes advantage of this to get Lili a big contract and show at the resort, but Lili has no idea her "Rudy" is really royalty. She's not happy when she does figure it out, but Rudy convinces her to play along, at least until he can reveal his true identity for once and for all.
The Song and Dance: Henie's skating routines and a funny supporting cast are the big draws here. Henie never did become a great actress, but she does have plenty of charm and a sweet presence that somewhat makes up for it. Walburn and Cooper have the best moments as the conniving uncle and the snooty manager who take every possible advantage of Lili's notoriety. Even Power seems to be having a slightly good time, especially with his disguise at the end!
Favorite Number: Joan Davis, as the leader of the all-female orchestra at the resort, gets two funny slapstick numbers that lead into the skating routines. "I'm Olga from the Volga" is her idea of Russian royalty, while "My Swiss Hilly Billy" has her attempting a pantomimed mountain climb and mostly ending up on the floor. The singer with her band performs "My Secret Love Affair" for an empty ballroom when there's no snow.
Of course, the big ones are Henie's two skating numbers, and they don't disappoint. "The Russian Ice Ballet" uses themes from Borodin's "Polovetsian Dances," complete with Sonia wearing a glittery black dress that makes her look like a Russian princess and men in balloon pants gliding around her. "The Blue Danube Waltz" is daintier and more extensive. It begins with skaters in tuxes and long floaty gowns. Sonja's lovely spins are particularly in evidence here, swirling in her long floral gown before changing to something shorter.
What I Don't Like: The plot's skimpy, even by the standards of Henie's films. I can't believe Lili didn't pick up on who Rudy was or her uncle's scheming long before the last ten minutes of the movie. The songs and Davis' comedy routines are really shoehorned into what's otherwise a snow-bound romantic comedy. Despite Henie and Power dating briefly during filming, they really don't have much chemistry, either.
The Big Finale: Cute enough if you're a fan of Henie, Power, or figure skating for the two big numbers alone.
Home Media: DVD only from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives.
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