Paramount On Parade

Paramount, 1930

Starring Jackie Oakie, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Leon Erroll, Maurice Chevalier, and others

Directed by Edmund Goulding, Ernst Lubistch, Dorothy Arzner, Victor, Schertzinger, and others

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we're going to do something entirely different and investigate three different versions of a musical genre that doesn't often turn up in films after 1930. Revues have been a part of musical theater going back centuries. These collections of songs, skits, and lavish showgirl parades were wildly popular on Broadway in the 1910's and 20's. After the success of Ziegfeld's Follies, every producer in town created their own lavish spectacles, filled with gags, girls, and specialty numbers from star comics. When sound came in, the studios sought to continue this tradition with their own versions. Paramount, the most sophisticated studio in 1930, may also have the most fascinating of the revues. How does Paramount's parade stand out from the pack? Let's head to the theater just as the curtain is rising and see...

The Story: This is a revue, so there isn't one. Comics Jack Oakie, Skeets Gallagher, and Leon Erroll introduce a vast array of Paramount stars of the time in numbers and sketches suited to their unique talents.

The Song and Dance: And actually, one of the places this stands out is in the sequences where there's no song involved at all. If you're a fan of vintage mysteries, you'll love "Murder Will Out," which spoofs popular detectives right in the very start. If you ever wanted to see Sherlock Holmes (Clive Brook), Philo Vance (William Powell),  and Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) solve a mystery together, here's your chance...and it's hilarious. George Bancroft tossing shade at his own bad guy reputation in "Impulses," as we see what party guests really want to say to each other, is pretty funny too. Some of the musical numbers that survive are among the most enjoyable of the era - Maurice Chevalier, Clara Bow, Nancy Carroll, and Jack Oakie and Zelma O'Neal are among those who make the biggest impressions musically.

The Numbers: Alas, the movie's Technicolor opening number "Showgirls On Parade" is totally lost except the sound, so our first number defaults to our MC's. "We're the Masters of Ceremony," say Gallagher, Erroll, and Oakie. They're clearly enjoying it, and tend to be far looser MCs than the ones on other early revues that try too hard or not enough. With "Showgirls" missing, our first chorus number we can actually see in current prints is "Anytime Is the Time to Fall In Love." Buddy Rogers and Lillian Roth woo each other on a giant clock while other young people dance under it. It's cutesy, but the song is fun and Roth and Rodgers are adorable.

Following "Murder Will Out," we have Maurice Chevalier and tough-lady character actress Evelyn Brent introducing the "Origin of the Apache" in a satire of the famous passionate French dance, directed by none other than Ernest Lubistch. The next number in the surviving print brings in another tough-love couple. Jack Oakie and Zelma O'Neal spar in more than one way at a gym, insisting "I'm In Training for You." The dancing here almost matches their hilarious performance - the snappy chorus routine is surprisingly good for the early talkie era. Ruth Chatterton, as a French tart among doughboys (including a very young Fredric March) sort-of sings "My Marine." Chevalier gives us a far more pleasant French interlude as a randy gendarme who admits "All I Need Is One Girl." Mitzi Green comes off as a lot less annoying than she generally did in movies of this era doing impressions of him.

Helen Kane is probably the least-likely teacher you can imagine, which is likely how her "What Did Cleopatra Say?" history lesson turns into her teaching the kids to boop-oop-a-doop. Nancy Carroll's "Dancing to Save Your Sole" starts out with her and Abe Lyman's band being pulled from a shoe box, but Carroll's sexy swinging and the catchy song makes this one of the film's best numbers. The fleet's in, and rowdy Clara Bow wants her pick of the cadets, claiming "I'm True to the Navy Now." Chevalier return for the Busby Berkeley-esque finale, with chorus girls doing overhead formations as he plays a French chimney sweep leaping among rooftops, "Sweeping the Clouds Away." 

Trivia: Alas, more than a quarter of the film remains missing from even the longest copies currently on YouTube, including all but one of its original Technicolor numbers. Of the missing footage, only sound has turned up for the opening "Showgirls" chorus parade. "Dream Girl," with Gary Cooper, Richard Arlen, Fay Wray, and Jean Arthur singing "Drink to the Girl of Your Dreams," and Dennis King singing "Nichavo!" have Techincolor footage existing, but no sound. "Come Back to Sorrento" with Nino Martini and "I'm Isodore the Torredor" with Harry Green and Kay Francis have picture and sound, but have yet to turn up online.

The Marx Brothers and Jeanette MacDonald supposedly had short sequences in this, but their parts were either cut or only turned up in international versions. 

Paramount On Parade filmed Dutch, German, Romanian, Spanish, French, and Scandinavian versions. 

The "Sweeping the Clouds Away" finale was originally in color, but survives in black and white.

 

What I Don't Like: First of all, note everything that's mentioned as missing in the Trivia section. In the copy I watched on YouTube, "Dream Girl" is introduced but not seen, and they don't even mention "Nichavo!" or "Come Back to Sorrento." "Isdore" and "Showgirls" have sound but not picture. The black and white footage doesn't look so hot, either. Universal really needs to take a very big swing at restoring this. 

Second, not everything lands. Errol's hospital sketch is annoying, Ruth Chatterton's "My Marine" is too dark for this light-hearted film, and the "Anytime" dance routine can come off as a bit too sweet. Not to mention, if you're not a fan of this era in general or Chevalier in particular, this movie probably won't change your mind. You really need to be a fan of Chevalier and/or understand what was going on in Hollywood and the world in 1930 to get a lot of what's going on.

The Big Finale: There's enough remaining here that's good to put this in the "recommended for fans of Maurice Chevalier, old-time mysteries, or the early talkie era musicals" column.

Home Media: To my knowledge, only on YouTube in copies of varying length and quality - this is the longest length I could find. (It includes two numbers from the mostly-lost Scandinavian version, one only with sound.)

YouTube

The Smiling Lieutenant

Paramount, 1931

Starring Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, Miriam Hopkins, and Charles Ruggles

Directed by Ernest Lubistch

Music by Oscar Strauss; Lyrics by Clifford Grey

By 1931, musicals were out of fashion, and MacDonald had moved to Fox...but Chevalier remained one of Paramount's biggest stars, and Lubitsch their most popular director. Unlike many movies from this time that dropped their numbers, they felt confident enough to include five songs and borrow the plot from a popular European operetta, A Waltz Dream. Is this version also a dream, or should it be ignored by royalty? Let's begin with Lieutenant Niki von Preyn (Chevalier) in Vienna as he leads his troops and find out...

The Story: Niki is in love with Franzi (Colbert), the head of the all-female orchestra the Viennese Swallows. Niki tries to wink at her while standing with his troops during a parade honoring the visiting King of Flausenthurum (George Barbier), but it's intercepted by prim Princess Anna (Hopkins). Anna is offended at first, but Niki so charms her, she insists on marrying him. Niki, however, finds her pretty but too sheltered and continues his affair with Franzi. After Anna figures out what's going on, she insists on confronting her husband's mistress. Franzi can see she's crazy about him too, and ends up teaching her how to get a soldier to sit up and take notice. 

The Song and Dance: For all the trouble they went through during filming - the leading ladies didn't get along, Chevalier just lost his beloved mother, the New York studios where they filmed were notoriously cramped, Lubitsch was in the midst of a messy divorce - the movie came out as one of the sexiest and most elegant souffles of the early talkie era. Lubitsch's touch comes through loud and clear, from the wink that starts the trouble to the final shot of Chevalier coming out of his bedroom after he witnesses Anna's transformation. 

Chevalier radiates with charming touches of his own, including his reaction to Anna smoking and playing the piano after talking to Franzi. The leading ladies are each delightful, Hopkins innocent and charming, Colbert saucy and sensible. Despite the low-budget quarters, the costumes and sets are actually quite lavish and inventive, including a miniature train.

Favorite Number: Chevalier opens with his and his men's feelings on romance while on leave, "Toujours l'Amour In the Army." Niki serenades Franzi with "Live for Today" during their relationship before his unfortunate wink. They sing about their "Breakfast Table Love" as they continue their affair. He begs Anna to give him "One More Hour of Love." More worldly Franzi teaches sweet Anna how to get a man and really "Jazz Up Your Lingerie" in a lively and sassy duet. 

Trivia: A French-language version with the same three leads came out in October 1931. 

Paramount's biggest hit in 1931.

This was a lost film until a working print was discovered in Denmark in the early 90's. 

What I Don't Like: The fluffy story hasn't dated that well. Nowadays, Niki can come off as a bit of a sexist jerk for abandoning Anna, no matter how charming he is. Frankly, he wasn't worth their tears later. There's also this being an early talkie. While more technically advanced than either The Love Parade or Monte Carlo, some parts can still feel a bit slow or stilted. 

The Big Finale: Dated story aside, this charming confection is still highly recommended for fans of the three leads, Lubistch, or early sound cinema.

Home Media: Only on DVD as part of that Criterion Collection set with One Hour With You, Monte Carlo, and The Love Parade. 

DVD - Eclipse Series 8 - Lubitsch Musicals

The Merry Widow (1934)

MGM, 1934

Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, Edward Everett Horton, and Una Merkel

Directed by Ernst Lubistch

Music by Franz Lehar; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart and Gus Kahn

MGM had tried to get a remake of the 1925 silent movie off the ground since sound came in. They first announced it in 1930 for Grace Moore, but then Moore left the studio after musicals fell out of fashion later that year. MacDonald had also been in the running in 1930; she got the part when she, Chevalier, and Lubistch all moved to MGM earlier in the year. This became MGM's most expensive movie since their original silent Ben-Hur, and their most expensive musical to date, literally costing over a million dollars in 1934. How well does all that translate to the story of a captain sent to romance a widow and keep her money in a small country? Let's begin with the arrival of Captain Danillo (Chevalier) and his men in the tiny European land of Marshovia and find out...

The Story: Sonia (MacDonald) is tired of mourning her late husband and decides to take a trip to Paris. King Achmed (George Barbier) is terrified she'll marry and take her money outside of the country. She owns more than half of Marshovia, including all of its banks. Achmed orders Danillo to court and marry Sonia and makes sure she doesn't take those millions out of the country. 

He initially met her when he tried to woo her at her home, but she was still in mourning at the time. She calls herself something else when they meet again at Maxim's in Paris. It seems to go well...until she overhears Danillo talking to the ambassador of Marshovia Popoff (Horton) about the scheme. Now Marshovia may lose the money and Danillo may lose his life, unless this merry widow changes her mind about him.

The Song and Dance: The last of the four MacDonald-Chevalier-Lubitsch musicals is a sparkling delight, with a terrific supporting cast and lavish visuals. Lorenz Hart worked solo for the only time in his career to make sure the English-language lyrics were as witty as the Hungarian originals. Despite disliking each other by this point, MacDonald and Chevalier still manage to have quite a bit of fun as the lady of the title who decides she's tired of mourning and the playboy who has to romance her or else. George Barbier and Una Merkel also have some good bits as the king who worries about losing Sofia's millions and his ditzy wife who wishes he'd pay a little more attention to their time in bed and less to what some widow's doing.

Favorite Number: Our first glimpse of Danilo is the opening song, "Girls, Girls, Girls!", which has him leading the Marshovian Army and admitting they're more interested in their leave than in fighting anyone. Sonia claims "Tonight Will Teach Me to Forget" when she reads her diary and realizes she's done nothing but mourn since her husband died. "Villia" is her big number with the gypsies while standing on her balcony. Danilo gets his friend the Orderly Mishka (Sterling Holloway) to serenade her. 

The big ones here - in every sense of the word - are "At Maxim's" and "The Merry Widow Waltz." The latter is a stylish but crowded treat, with scores of couples in white and black whirling down halls of mirrors, looking like thousands of waltzing lovers. 

Trivia: This one also had a French language version with MacDonald and Chevalier in the leads. 

The Merry Widow debuted in its native Vienna in 1902 and, though it started slow, later became a sensation that played around the world. It continues to appear in opera and light opera houses to this day. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, not one of the American film versions adapted the original plot of the stage show. This one does come closer than the silent or 1952 films, but it eliminates a lot of subplots, including Danilo and Sonia having known each other before. Second, that re-written plot is pure piffle, and can get a little annoying towards the end. Did anyone in Marshovia consider the fact that Sonia went away for a vacation, not permanently, and never said anything about taking her money out of the country? No wonder she got angry when she realized what they were doing. 

The Big Finale: This would be Chevalier and MacDonald's last film together and with Lubistch...and what a wonderful way to go out. Highly recommended for fans of the director, the leads, or operetta. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, the former from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Amazon Prime

One Hour With You

Paramount, 1932

Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, Genevieve Tobin, and Charlie Ruggles

Directed by Ernst Lubistch and George Cukor

Music by Richard A. Whiting and Oscar Strauss; Lyrics by Leo Robin

The second MacDonald/Chevalier/Lubistch musical has a complicated history. Lubistch originally planned to direct it himself, but then his big dramatic film The Man I Killed ran over schedule. Paramount brought in Cukor, who had several films to his credit by that point, to take over. Lubistch, however, re-wrote the project as a remake of his silent comedy The Marriage Circle and more-or-less took over filming two weeks later. Cukor remained as an "assistant," but he wasn't happy and sued. Ultimately, Lubistch won...and his touch wound up all over this romp about infidelity among married couples in Paris. How did it fare with all this going on? Let's begin with the happily married Dr. Andre Bertier (Chevalier) and his wife Colette (MacDonald) at home and find out...

The Story: Andre and Colette are so wild about each other, they remain faithful to each other no matter what. Colette's best friend Mitzi Olivier (Tobin) insists on being treated by Andre. Her unhappy professor husband (Roland Young) is tired of her infidelity and knows what a flirt she is. Andre does finally succomb to her charms...but angry Colette ends up having an affair of her own.

The Song and Dance: This saucy romantic comedy is short on plot but long on charm and sophistication. You'd never know filming became such a hassle. It's smooth as cool bubbly champagne on a warm summer day. MacDonald and Chevalier have a great deal of fun talking and singing directly to the camera, explaining their predicaments. Ruggles fits in far better here as the hapless gent who falls for MacDonald than he did in Anything Goes four years later, and Tobin is a delight as the naughty flirt who causes a lot of the trouble. The shimmering costumes, especially the elaborate gowns for the ladies, and lavish Art Deco sets bring the world of middle-class Paris between the wars to life.

Favorite Number: The movie opens with Andre and Colette reminding each other "What a Little Thing Like a Wedding" can do for one's relationships while getting ready for bed. Singer Donald Novis initially performs the title song while the two couples keep switching off dance partners during the dinner party. Andre and Colette insist "We Will Always Be Sweethearts," even after she suspects him of infidelity with Mitzi. For his part, Andre insists to the audience "Oh, That Mitzi!" is hard to resist. Mitzi herself reminds Andre that he should call on her for treatment "Three Times a Day." The film ends with Andre and Colette asking the audience "Well, What Would You Do?" in a situation like theirs.

Trivia: Lubitsch shot a French-language version simultaneously with the English-language film. Chevalier is a native Frenchman and MacDonald spoke fluent French; Lili Damita replaced Tobin. 

Lubitsch's final film for Paramount. 

One of the first musicals to be based on a movie.

Some restored copies have blue tints added during night scenes. 

What I Don't Like: Too short, and sometimes too fluffy for its own good. This is a fairly simple, yet sophisticated romantic comedy. Those who want a meatier story or something that treats marriage and divorce less lightly need to look elsewhere. The songs serve their purpose adequately enough, but only the title number is anywhere near as memorable as the songs in their other three films. 

The Big Finale: A bubbly delight; highly recommended if you love the stars, "the Lubistch touch," or romantic comedy with a sophisticated European flair. 

Home Media: Only on DVD as part of a Criterion Collection set with The Love Parade, The Smiling Lieutenant, and Monte Carlo. 

Eclipse Series 8: Lubistch Musicals

The Love Parade

Paramount, 1929

Starring Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Lupino Lane, and Lillian Roth

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch

Music by Victor Schertzinger; Lyrics by Clifford Grey

Novarro wasn't the only non-American star appearing in a big original operetta that year. Major French headliner Maurice Chevalier made his American sound debut in Innocents of Paris. Though it did fairly well at the box office, critics eviscerated it as dull and cheap. Paramount wanted a classier follow-up and turned to Ernst Lubitsch, already well-known for his sexy silent comedies and epic dramas. Jeanette MacDonald, then a rising stage ingenue, also made her film debut here. How does the first operetta made expressively for the big screen look today? Let's begin in Paris, with Count Alfred (Chevalier) and his latest conquest, and find out...

The Story: After Alfred's conquest nearly shoots herself and her husband tries shooting him, he's called back to the tiny principality of Sylvania by Queen Louise (MacDonald). Louise would enjoy running her country more if everyone from her maid Lulu (Roth) to her cabinet officers wasn't so obsessed with her finding a husband. She want to reprimand Alfred, but is so taken by his charm and candor, she ends up marrying him instead. Alfred finds marriage to a queen disappointing; she has all the royal duties, leaving him with nothing to do. Now she needs a loan from another country or they'll go into bankruptcy, unless he appears as a happily married man at the opera. 

The Song and Dance: Like the next Chevalier-MacDonald musical Love Me Tonight, critics have crowed about this one for years. They're right here, too. Lubitsch expertly weaves musical numbers with the frothy story in a way that's revolutionary for backstage-obsessed 1929. There's a naughty vibe with all the locked doors and closed window shades, giving us a hint of things that still couldn't be shown even then. Everyone puts in sensational performances, including MacDonald in her first film, ace British comic Lupino Lane as Alfred's valet, and sassy Lillian Roth as the Queen's loyal maid. Heck, even Afred's dog gets a part of "Paris Stay the Same" and a comic storyline of his own. There's stunning costumes and sets, too, including some amazing gowns, fur-trimmed day dresses, and barely-there frilly negligees for MacDonald. 

Favorite Number: Alfred laments his being called back from all the luscious ladies of France in "Paris, Stay the Same." His valet Jacques picks it up as he sings about missing the maids of Paris, and even his dog barks to the females of his species. MacDonald first performs the rhapsodizing "Dream Lover" as her maids help her into the bath and prepare her for her daily duties. She does a tearful reprise later before the ball, when Alfred threatens to return to Paris. He claims he'll do "Anything to Please the Queen" after they meet and sparks fly. MacDonald's joined by her army in their uniform for the rousing "March of the Grenadiers," while Chevalier laments about his boredom to the dog and the camera in "Nobody's Using It Now." Lane and Roth enjoy their own type of romance when they perform an acrobatic soft shoe to "Let's Be Common."

What I Don't Like: The second half has a lot of problems, the worst of which is the story hasn't dated well. Nowadays, the Queen would either take Alfred as her full partner and share the duties with him, or he'd accept that she has the right to rule and leave her to it. It slows down here too as the subplot with the loan kicks in. Alfred's not the only one who gets bored at this point. Frankly, the story comes as more than a little chauvinistic and can leave a slightly sour taste, despite Lubitsch's skill in hiding and revealing sexual details. There's also times when this being an early talkie kicks in with an occasional bit of stiff dialogue or camera that stays in one place for too long. 

The Big Finale: Even with the dated story, this is still a delightful operetta with four excellent performances by the leads and a director who knows how to make music on film work. A must for fans of Lubitsch, the stars, or early sound films. 

Home Media: Only on DVD as part of the Criterion Eclipse Lubitsch Musicals collection that also includes The Smiling Lieutenant, Monte Carlo, and One Hour With You. 

DVD - Criterion Eclipse Series 8: Lubitsch Musicals

My Funny Valentine - Love Me Tonight

Paramount, 1932
Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, Myrna Loy, and Charlie Ruggles
Directed by Rouben Mamoulien
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

After I reviewed the tragic romance Carmen Jones for Valentine's Day last year, I figured this year's entry called for something much lighter. Rouben Mamoulien's frothy romantic comedy about a princess who falls for a tailor is considered by many critics to be one of the finest musicals of the 30's, if not of all time. Does it deserve those accolades? Let's begin the morning in Paris with the tailor Maurice (Chevalier) and the rhythmic sounds of the city and find out...

The Story: Maurice (Chevalier), tailor from Paris, travels to a country chateau to collect outstanding debts from the Viacomte de Vareze (Ruggles) for tailoring work. On the way, he passes the lovely Princess Jeanette (MacDonald), the Viacomte's niece. Jeanette is a young widow who only lives with her family because there are no eligible men of her station and rank her age in the area. He falls for her the moment he almost knocks her off the road, but she's not nearly so interested in him.

She's a lot more intrigued when the Viacomte claims he's a baron and a friend of his. Now the whole household is beholden to his charms, including the head of the family Duc d'Artelines (C. Aubrey Smith), man-crazy Valentine (Loy), and three aunts who spent most of the movie working on a tapestry. He rescues a fox from a hunt, winning over even Jeanette with his boyish ways. She's not as happy when she finally learns who he really is...but when she realizes how she feels, no matter who he is, she discovers that a modern princess can make her own happy ending.

The Song and Dance: Every book I've read about movie musicals praised this to the skies, calling it one of the best and most cinematic musicals ever made. For once, they were entirely right. Mamoulien sought to break out of the mold of static early musicals by bringing the songs off the stage and into real life. Everything makes music in the opening "The Song of Paree" sequence, taking us from the sounds of the city to Maurice's shop. "There's career-best performances from just about everyone, including Maurice and Jeanette as the lovers; Loy is a riot as Valentine, who is desperate for any kind of male companionship that isn't her family. Rodgers and Hart's songs are probably their best work in Hollywood. "Lover" and "Love Me Tonight" in particular can be heard in the background of many a Paramount movie to this day.

Favorite Number: Every number in this movie is a delight, but "Isn't It Romantic" is a major stand-out. It starts out with Maurice singing about his idea of love in his shop...and we follow the song as it carries from the city to a train to soldiers to the country and Jeanette, who gives a much more traditionally romantic view. It's one of the most exhilarating use of editing in any film musical. Chevalier has a blast with his patter number "Mimi" at the party...and it's just as cute to see various members of the family sing it afterwards in their own way. MacDonald and Chevalier duet on the lovely title song in the garden during the party, and Maurice is sent away to a montage of servants and aristocrats alike whispering that "The Son of a Gun Is Nothing But a Tailor."

Trivia: Censors cut several bits after the movie was re-released in the mid-30's. Among the losses were a few ribald comments from Valentine, Loy's rendition of "Mimi" (supposedly, her breast could be seen through her sheer nightgown) with the rest of the family, and the doctor's number as he examines Jeanette, "A Woman Needs Something Like That." Alas, a full, uncut version of the film has yet to be found.

What I Don't Like: Obviously, if you're not a fan of frothy romantic comedy or the two stars, this won't be your glass of French champagne. It's also not for dance nuts. Here, the cameras and editing do the dancing.

The Big Finale: If any movie musical deserves to be better-known, it's this one. If you love romantic comedy, the two stars, or Mamoulien's other work, you owe to yourself to check this one out.

Home Media: While the movie is currently available through the made-to-order Universal Vault collection, the original Kino International DVD I have is neither expensive,  nor difficult to find.

DVD - Universal Vault
DVD - Kino International

Oscar Winners - Gigi

MGM, 1958
Starring Leslie Caron, Louis Jordan, Maurice Chevalier, and Hermione Gingold
Directed by Vincent Minnelli
Music by Fredrick Loewe; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner

Along with having many things in common with our previous film An American In Paris, this one also has a lot in common with My Fair Lady, which would have still been running on Broadway when this movie came out. It uses a lot of the same creative team, once again has a story involving the relationship between a vivacious girl and a middle-aged man, and a cool old guy steals the show and has some of the best numbers (including a duet with the equally cool old lady). How does the story of a charming teenager and her relationship with a wealthy playboy look now? Let's return to Paris, this time in the early 1900's, and find out...

The Story: Parisian school girl Gigi (Caron) doesn't understand why her Grandmama (Gingold) keeps sending her to dull lessons in manners and charm with her strict Aunt Alicia (Isobel Jeans). She thinks it's all silly. Her grandmother and aunt would disagree. They're training her to become a courtesan - a high-class call girl - so she'll have some security later in life.

Gigi's not the only one who's bored. Gaston Lachaille (Jordan) is also tired of living the outsized and outrageous life of a playboy and dilettante. He's especially fed up with his latest mistress Liane (Eva Gabor) after she cheats on him with her ice skating teacher. His uncle Honore (Maurice Chevalier) encourages his partying, but he's weary of the whole society scene. He visits Gigi and her grandmother to escape the tedium and spend time with with the vivacious teenager. Gigi gets him to take them to the seaside, and they have a wonderful time...but now Grandmama and Aunt Alicia are convinced that the time is right for Gigi to make her debut as an adult. Gaston's not as sure that he's ready for Gigi to grow up; he fears he'll lose the charming "little sister" who brought  him so much delight.

The Song and Dance: This is considered to be the last major original musical from the famous "Freed Unit" at MGM...and what a way to go! Vincent Minnelli's work in this is outstanding, some of the best he ever did. There's a few outright gorgeous shots here; my favorite is right before the finale, as Gaston is contemplating why Gigi got so upset after he dragged her out of Maxim's. We see him at night, in silhouette against a flowing, glittering fountain, and it's framed beautifully. I adore his use of color here, from the brilliant red room where Gigi and her grandmother live to the glowing pastels of Paris in the spring. Most of the film was made on location in France, including the real Paris, and it's all the better for it.

What I really love about this one is how intimate it is, especially compared to some of the more "epic" musicals of the 50's and 60's. For all the sumptuous trappings, it's really just the story of a man watching a young girl grow up before his eyes...maybe a little too quickly for his taste. It's a relatively quiet story compared to some of the larger ones we'll be seeing here next week, and for all the talk of courtesans and the life they lead, it's actually quite elegant and classy.

Favorite Number: The title song won the Oscar, probably for the scene in which Gaston sings it while wandering around a stunningly-shot Paris, but my two favorites from this score occur before and during the trip to Trouville. Having won her vacation with Gaston in a card game, Gigi celebrates with "The Night They Invented Champagne." The song is energetic and fun, especially Gingold and Jordan's spontaneous little dance. Grandmama has her own fun with Honore at Trouville when they recall their original affair many years before in the rueful and witty "I Remember It Well."

Maurice Chevalier revived his career in the US with his performance of "Well" and two more hits. He opens the movie with "Thank Heavens For Little Girls" and responds to Gaston's romantic difficulties with Gigi towards the end with "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore."

Trivia: It won nine Oscars in every category it was nominated, including Best Picture, cinematography, score, adapted screenplay, song, editing, costumes, and production design. It was a record at the time, one that would be bested a year later by another big MGM movie, Ben-Hur.

Two of the songs heard here were originally written for other projects. Gigi's wistful ballad "Say a Prayer for Me Tonight" was intended for Eliza to sing before the ball in My Fair Lady, but was cut before the show hit Broadway. Lerner had originally penned the lyrics and title of "I Remember It Well" for a Broadway show he did with Kurt Weill called Love Life and re-wrote them slightly to fit Gigi.

There was a Broadway version that debuted in 1973, with long-time stage star Alfred Drake as Honore, Daniel Massey as Gaston, and Karin Wolfe as Gigi. It was a surprise flop, only lasting four months. A revival in 2015 with Vanessa Hudgens as Gigi made a little over two months.

What I Don't Like: First of all, they way they treat Lianne's attempted suicide is appalling. Granted, they do mention she's done this before and survived, but the men in particular celebrate it and their ability to drive women mad. There's also the whole "courtesan" thing to consider. On one hand, I can understand Aunt Alicia and Mamita wanting niece and granddaughter to have some means of support in her later years, and courtesans were among the few women in Belle Epoque Paris with any real means of controlling their freedom, but they're basically training her to be a very fancy prostitute...and as she frequently complains, she has little say in the matter. She does have a point in her solo "The Parisians" that love is a lot more than that - it's the reason Gaston is bored.

Chevalier's "Thank Heavens" can come off as less slyly winking and and more uncomfortably close to pedophile territory for many audiences today, especially given he sings this around little girls in the opening. (There's a reason Mamita and Aunt Alicia perform this song in the 2015 stage revival.) Also, like My Fair Lady, the intimate story allows for very little dancing. Mamita and Gaston's routine in "The Night They Invented Champagne" is pretty much it.

The Big Picture: The elegant production, lovely music, and outstanding cast helps one overlook some of the more questionable or dated aspects of the plot. If you're a fan of Chevalier, Minnelli's other work, or the musicals of MGM's "Golden Age," this is absolutely worth checking out.

Home Media: As an Oscar-winner and one of the most popular musicals of the 1950's, this is quite easy to find in all major formats, including some streaming platforms.

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