Warner Bros, 1930
Starring Claudia Dell, Walter Pidgeon, Ernest Torrence, and June Collyer
Directed by Alfred E. Green
Music by Walter O'Keefe; Lyrics by Robert Emmett Dolan
Operetta - historical musicals with more opera-like songs and romantic plots - were wildly popular during the lavish 20's as theatergoers reveled in lavish melodramas far removed from their lives. They were just starting to fall out of favor onstage during the early sound era as their creaky fairy tales were replaced by more modern stories and jazzier music. This extended to films as well. By the time this movie came out in August 1930, the public had seen way too many poorly made movies - operettas especially - and had begun to stay away. Were they right to avoid this one, or should this confection of a movie get a second chance to join the ball? Let's begin in a coach on the way to Bath, England in 1793 and find out...
The Story: Kitty Bellairs (Dell) is notorious in London for her forty affairs, and this situation doesn't seem much different when she goes to Bath. Even during the coach trip, shy nobleman Lord Varney (Walter Pidgeon) and a dashing highwayman who stops the coach and steals their valuables fall for her. Varney tries to defend Kitty when the highwayman offers to exchange their things for a kiss, but she gives it to the man anyway when he easily beats him. Kitty is totally in love with this bandit, especially after he slips a ring on her finger.
Varney still wishes to win Kitty's love. He claims he'll write her a poem, but his friend Colonel Villiers (Lionel Belmore) thinks there's more to winning the lady than pretty words. Kitty, for her part, is having a hard time choosing suitors. She met the dashing Captain O'Hara (Perry Ashkam) at a party and finds him just as attractive as Varney and the highwayman. She does better helping her best friend Lady Julia Standish (Collyer) make her neglectful husband Lord Jasper (Torrence) jealous. Kitty does too well. Standish thinks the lock of red hair and note left behind and suspects Varney of being his wife's lover. Kitty finally decides to step in and resolve matters, before she loses the one man who really does love her.
The Song and Dance: It's too bad more people don't know about this one. It's absolutely charming, with lovely period-appropriate songs and gorgeous costumes. Dell is the stand-out as the coquettish Kitty, who may flirt outrageously, but deep down is willing to help when she realizes all the trouble her teasing caused. And who knew Walter Pidgeon could make such an adorable bashful suitor? We even get some excellent outdoor shooting for the early sound era. Green keeps things moving at a fair pace, and it doesn't suffer from the stiffness and staginess that affected so many movies in the early 30's.
Favorite Number: We open in that coach, with Kitty, her friend, Lord Varney, and Colonel Villiers "On the Road to Bath" as they reveal why they're there and how Varney has already fallen for Kitty. "The Highwayman's Song" brings in the mysterious bandit whose machismo captures Kitty's heart. "Song of the Town of Bath" is the number for the gossipy citizens as the carriage rolls in. The short "Drunk Song" is, as you can guess, the number for the men of the cast after spending time at the local tavern. "Peggy's Leg" is a similar number for the male leads. Varney claims "My Love, I'll Be Waiting For You" to Kitty early on; they duet on it near the end, when she begins to change her mind about him. "Pump Room Song" is Kitty's number with the chorus. "You, I Love But You" is Kitty's big ballad. She sings it three times in the film, the third with Pidgeon.
Trivia: This was originally filmed in color, but survives in black and white.
What I Don't Like: What audience did Warners intend this for again? This would be a hard sell for a lot of people nowadays, let alone in the hardscrabble early 30's. Pidgeon's name is the only familiar one. The remaining cast is made up of stage actors and barely-remembered Warners character actors. They're not going for realism here. It's supposed to be set in England, but not a single British accent is to be heard. To say the plot is complicated would be like saying the Atlantic is wet. There's so much going on for such a short movie, you may need a notebook to keep track of it all. And obviously, if you don't go in for historical fiction, operetta, opera-style music, or swashbuckling action, this is absolutely not going to be for you.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of operetta or historical swashbucklers like me, you'll want to join Kitty on the road to Bath and give this dashing treat a second chance at romance.
Home Media: DVD only as one of the earliest Warner Archive titles.
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