Starring Bing Crosby, Joan Fontaine, Roland Culver, and Richard Haydn
Directed by Billy Wilder
Music and Lyrics by various
Our first two movies this week have a lot in common. They're historical romances from 1948 featuring major stars and directors that went through troubled productions and received mixed reviews on release. This one started with Wilder's desire to do a light-hearted musical set in his native Austria after having seen concentration camps in Europe. Crosby was Paramount's go-to musical star at the time, but not only did he have problems with Wilder, but with the fluffy script as well. How did all this effect the tale of a traveling salesman in turn-of-the-20th-century Austria who falls for a countess? Let's begin at a grand ball, where gramophone salesman Virgil Smith (Crosby) dances with the chilly Countess Joanna Franziska (Fontaine) and find out...
The Story: Smith and his white fox terrier Buttons are determined to sell their gramophone to none other than the Emperor Franz Joseph (Haydn), hoping to promote it in Austria. Meanwhile, the Countess Joanna and her father Baron Holenia (Ronald Culver) have come to mate Joanna's pure-blood poodle Schenherezade with the Emperor's poodle. Countess and poodle get into several arguments with Smith and his terrier, the last of which leaves Schenherezade sick. The doctor (Sig Ruman) recommends that she face the dog that frightened her. Joanna insists on Virgil staying in Austria so this can happen.
Not only do the dogs fall in love, but so do their owners. Joanna is ready to run away with Virgil, until the Emperor reminds Virgil that he's a commoner and she's a noblewoman who is not accustomed to simple living. He buys his gramophone if he'll leave Joanna. Virgil lies and says he never loved her...but it becomes obvious a few months later that their dogs did. When Schenherezade has her puppies, Virgil and Buttons come around one last time to rescue them and prove to the entire Austrian court that, if you're truly in love, nothing else matters.
The Song and Dance: Gorgeous mountain scenery (filmed in Canada), the period-accurate costumes depicting Austria during the Edwardian period, and some absolutely scrumptious Technicolor add life to this bittersweet confection. The film isn't as sugary as the fluffy story looks at first, especially in the second half, when the class distinctions come to the fore. Haydn makes an especially good Emperor, stubborn, but not uncaring. In fact, I'm actually glad the movie didn't end up painting him as the villain. All he wanted was for his dog to give him some pups. Crosby proves himself more than worthy of the drama in the second half, particularly when he lets the court have it for almost hurting innocent puppies in the name of class purity near the end.
The Numbers: Our first number is the Johann Strauss title song, given English lyrics by Johnny Burke and danced by the royal court at the ball. It's also the song he tries to play on his gramophone before the horrified soldiers at the court mistake it for a bomb. After the dogs attack each other, he returns to the "Friendly Mountains" to yodel along and watch the local peasants dance. His attempt to encourage Joseph to "Get Yourself a Phonograph" in the woods only ends with him in trouble and Joseph missing a stag he very much wanted to hunt. His first attempt to woo Joanna is his older hit "I Kiss Your Hand, Madame." The second, the German song "The Kiss In Your Eyes," works much better, for humans and canines. It even works for the Countess' chauffeur and two female servants in the inn, who happily dance together.
What I Don't Like: Did I mention that fluffy story? The whole thing with the dogs is silly to the point of being annoying, until it takes a left turn into melodrama near the end with what they try to do to Scheherezade's puppies. No matter how much he wanted to get away from darker stories, musicals aren't really Billy Wilder's turf. He wasn't satisfied with the results, and yeah, I can understand why. The social commentary mixes awkwardly with the overly sweet story. Not only is Fontaine stiff as a board and obviously not happy to be here, she's more realistic clashing with the aloof Crosby in the first half than falling for him in the second.
The Big Finale: This alternately pretty and bitter class war romance is likely best for huge fans of Crosby, Fontaine, or Wilder.
Home Media: Not on legitimate streaming at press time, but easily found on DVD and Blu-Ray, the latter from Kino Lorber
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