The Student Prince

MGM, 1954
Starring Edmund Purdom, Ann Blyth, Edmund Gwenn, and John Ericson
Directed by Richard Thorpe
Music by various

Not every love affair in a musical ends on a happy note. This week, we're going to explore two operettas that feature romances where the lovers part or die before the end. The Student Prince, the bittersweet tale of a bar maid who falls for royalty, likely remains the most famous and popular of the melodramatic operettas Romberg wrote in the late 10's and 20's. How does this version look today? Let's head to the tiny German kingdom of Karlsberg in the early 20th century as Prince Karl (Purdom) is greeting his grandfather King Ferdinand (Louis Cahern) and find out...

The Story: King Ferdinand is proud of his grandson and how he's been able to drill military bearing into him. The prince's intended bride Princess Joanna (Betta St. John) finds him too stiff and cold to be around. Hoping to loosen him up and teach him to have fun, his tutor Professor Juttner (Gwenn) suggests sending him to university at Heidleburg to teach him social graces and to get along with his peers.

He has a hard time settling down at first. He's used to being in command. Gradually, he joins a group of poor but cheerful students and falls in love with the bar maid at their favorite beer garden, Kathie (Blyth). They're ready to run off together when Ferdiand dies and he has to go home and prepare to marry the princess. He's never forgotten Kathie, though, and returns to Heidleburg to give her a final farewell.

The Song and Dance: Glowing romance enlivens this sweet story. Blyth is radiant as Kathie, who resents the obnoxious prince until she starts to realize she's fallen for him as he becomes more carefree. She and Mario Lanza (who dubbed Purdom) sound glorious on their duets. Gwenn and John Ericson are a delight as the fun-loving professor who thinks the prince will learn more among his peers than he ever could in a military formation and the prince's stuffy major-domo. Special kudos to the amazing costumes that ably show off a fairy-tale Germany at the turn of the 20th century, with colorful peasant dirndls, haughty military uniforms smothered in gold braid, and suits for the students that's far more sober than their rowdy behavior.

Favorite Number: "The Student's Drinking Song" introduces the prince to his fellow learners at the beer garden. He's not impressed with Kathie's arrival, as she says "Come Boys" and joins in their high spirited antics. "Serenade," the prince's solo to woo Kathie, sounds absolutely amazing here, with Lanza really pouring his heart into Karl's attempts to woo the lovely barmaid. Likewise, "Golden Days" at the end is genuinely heartfelt as Karl lingers on the memories of his time with Kathie. "Deep In My Heart" brings the two together for the first time. "I'll Walk With God" is a touching hymm for Karl after his grandfather dies.

Trivia: Mario Lanza was originally supposed to play the prince himself, not just dub him, but he refused to work with the first choice director Curtis Bernhardt after he criticized his singing and either walked out or was fired. MGM eventually suspended his contract for 15 months and agreed to use his singing with someone else.

Most of Dorothy Donnelly's original lyrics were re-written by Nicholas Brodzky.

S.Z Sakall's last film.

What I Don't Like: Note that "most of Dorothy Donnelly's original lyrics were re-written" thing above. What was wrong with the original lyrics? Why did the give all the songs to the chorus, the Prince, or Kathie? In the original operetta, everyone sang, including the Professor and Princess Joanna and her own illicit sweetheart, the latter of whom was cut from the film. Purdom isn't bad when fencing with students or being called on to look stiff and Teutonic, but he lacks the passion that the Prince is supposed to have later in the story (and that Lanza likely would have injected into the role).

The Big Finale: Mostly recommended for major fans of Lanza, romances, or operetta.

Home Media: The Warner Archives DVD is currently out of print. Your best bet is likely used venues or seeing if you can catch it on TCM.

DVD