As 1934 blended into 1935 changes to the insouciant charm of the
pre-code musical were clearly in place. Stolid and beige Nelson Eddy
had usurped Maurice Chevalier's place beside Jeanette MacDonald who
instead of saucy and provocative was now coy and kittenish. Chevalier
had one last hurrah at boulevardier domination in a dual role in 20th
Century's "Folies Bergere de Paris" with it's eye catching Busby Berkeley
style dancers and formations. Then he was gone, presumably because of
an inflated ego and salary demands but the public's taste in more generic
style films may also have played a part.
Starts with a blast of boulevadier Maurice with a singing to the audience song "Valentine" and followed immediately by "Rhythm of the Rain" featuring glorious Ann Sothern which really had me wondering why she didn't go straight to the top!! In this she is sassy, peppy and so cute to look at. The song is pretty spectacularly done - very reminiscent of an earlier Chevalier song "Sweeping the Clouds Away". It had Busby Berkeley overhead camera movements including a bevy of chorus girls and umberellas with a finale featuring girls descending the clouds on glistening stairways. Oddly enough the song singled out for praise and awards was the kitschy "Singing a Happy Song" - there were girls emerging from giant hats, doing the cake walk atop straw boaters. The only thing missing and what was needed was a specialised dancer - Chevalier was terrific but his style leant itself toward intimacy not big scale production.
He plays Charlier, idol of the music halls who specialises in a satiric lampoon of the well known Baron Cassini, known for his wandering eye. When the Baron goes missing, trying to rustle up funds to pay back investors, his advisors find a replacement in Charlier. The fun comes about with mistaken identity - Mimi (Sothern) has been romanced by the Baron and decides to accept his invitation on the night of a ball where Charlier is there in his impersonation and where it is to be hoped that his charm will alleviate the disgruntled creditors. He also finds time to flirt with the icy Baroness Genevieve. Merle Oberon is initially glacial but very soon thaws and shows what a delightful personality she has. Everything soon sorts itself out - Eric Blore, Halliwell Hobbes and Robert Greig doing a bit of scene stealing and Walter Byron as the "other man", a part he had made his own through the proceeding years.
20th Century Pictures had been formed by Darryl F. Zanuck who was the producer behind "42nd Street" but afterwards parted company with Warners. So while the musical numbers may be viewed now as a homage to Berkeley, back then they were seen as a deliberate steal. This was Merle Oberon's first American feature and even though she wore some spectacular Omar Kiam creations, she didn't make much of an impression with the critics wondering why she thought the part would be worth while!!
Starts with a blast of boulevadier Maurice with a singing to the audience song "Valentine" and followed immediately by "Rhythm of the Rain" featuring glorious Ann Sothern which really had me wondering why she didn't go straight to the top!! In this she is sassy, peppy and so cute to look at. The song is pretty spectacularly done - very reminiscent of an earlier Chevalier song "Sweeping the Clouds Away". It had Busby Berkeley overhead camera movements including a bevy of chorus girls and umberellas with a finale featuring girls descending the clouds on glistening stairways. Oddly enough the song singled out for praise and awards was the kitschy "Singing a Happy Song" - there were girls emerging from giant hats, doing the cake walk atop straw boaters. The only thing missing and what was needed was a specialised dancer - Chevalier was terrific but his style leant itself toward intimacy not big scale production.
He plays Charlier, idol of the music halls who specialises in a satiric lampoon of the well known Baron Cassini, known for his wandering eye. When the Baron goes missing, trying to rustle up funds to pay back investors, his advisors find a replacement in Charlier. The fun comes about with mistaken identity - Mimi (Sothern) has been romanced by the Baron and decides to accept his invitation on the night of a ball where Charlier is there in his impersonation and where it is to be hoped that his charm will alleviate the disgruntled creditors. He also finds time to flirt with the icy Baroness Genevieve. Merle Oberon is initially glacial but very soon thaws and shows what a delightful personality she has. Everything soon sorts itself out - Eric Blore, Halliwell Hobbes and Robert Greig doing a bit of scene stealing and Walter Byron as the "other man", a part he had made his own through the proceeding years.
20th Century Pictures had been formed by Darryl F. Zanuck who was the producer behind "42nd Street" but afterwards parted company with Warners. So while the musical numbers may be viewed now as a homage to Berkeley, back then they were seen as a deliberate steal. This was Merle Oberon's first American feature and even though she wore some spectacular Omar Kiam creations, she didn't make much of an impression with the critics wondering why she thought the part would be worth while!!