Idiot's Delight (1939)
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- Approved
- 1h 47min
- Comedy, Drama
- 27 Jan 1939 (USA)
- Movie
A group of disparate travelers are caught and thrown together in a posh Alpine hotel when the borders are closed at the beginning of World War II.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Norma Shearer | ... |
Irene
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| Clark Gable | ... |
Harry
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| Edward Arnold | ... |
Achille Weber
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| Charles Coburn | ... |
Dr. Waldersee
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| Joseph Schildkraut | ... |
Captain Kirvline
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| Burgess Meredith | ... |
Quillery
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| Laura Hope Crews | ... |
Madame Zuleika
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| Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher | ... |
Donald Navadel
(as Skeets Gallagher)
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| Peter Willes | ... |
Mr. Cherry
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| Pat Paterson | ... |
Mrs. Cherry
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William Edmunds | ... |
Dumptsy
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| Fritz Feld | ... |
Pittatek
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| Virginia Grey | ... |
Les Blondes - Shirley
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| Virginia Dale | ... |
Les Blondes - Francine
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| Paula Stone | ... |
Les Blondes - Beulah
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| Bernadene Hayes | ... |
Les Blondes - Edna
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| Joan Marsh | ... |
Les Blondes - Elaine
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| Lorraine Krueger | ... |
Les Blondes - Bebe
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Barbara Bedford | ... |
Nurse #1 (uncredited)
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Gertrude Bennett | ... |
Woman with Powders (uncredited)
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Margaret Bert | ... |
Nurse #2 (uncredited)
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| Clem Bevans | ... |
Jimmy Barzek (uncredited)
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| Hobart Cavanaugh | ... |
Frueheim (uncredited)
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| Jimmy Conlin | ... |
Stagehand (uncredited)
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Anna Demetrio | ... |
Fat Italian Woman on Train (uncredited)
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| Helen Dickson | ... |
Mrs. McCreevy (uncredited)
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| Frank Faylen | ... |
Ed (uncredited)
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| Bud Geary | ... |
Ambulance Passenger (uncredited)
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Jack Grey | ... |
Townsman (uncredited)
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| Eddie Gribbon | ... |
Cop (uncredited)
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| William Irving | ... |
Sandro (uncredited)
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| Charles Judels | ... |
Daka (uncredited)
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| Suzanne Kaaren | ... |
Nurse #3 (uncredited)
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| Evalyn Knapp | ... |
Nurse #4 (uncredited)
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| Edward LeSaint | ... |
The Honorable Thomas McCreevy (uncredited)
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| Mitchell Lewis | ... |
Chief Wahoo (uncredited)
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| Francis McDonald | ... |
Flight Captain (uncredited)
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| Claire McDowell | ... |
Crying Mother (uncredited)
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| Buddy Messinger | ... |
Usher (uncredited)
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| Robert Middlemass | ... |
Hospital Commandant (uncredited)
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Adolph Milar | ... |
Fellara (uncredited)
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Rudolf Myzet | ... |
Czech Announcer (uncredited) (voice)
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| Frank Orth | ... |
Benny Zinsser (uncredited)
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| Garry Owen | ... |
Newsstand Vendor (uncredited)
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| Paul Panzer | ... |
Greek Chef (uncredited)
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| Emory Parnell | ... |
Fifth Avenue Mounted Cop (uncredited)
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Lee Phelps | ... |
Train Announcer (uncredited)
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| Edward Raquello | ... |
Chiari (uncredited)
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George Sorel | ... |
Major (uncredited)
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| Harry Strang | ... |
Sergeant at Ambulance (uncredited)
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Bernard Suss | ... |
Auguste (uncredited)
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| Frank M. Thomas | ... |
Bert (uncredited)
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| E. Alyn Warren | ... |
Clerk at Royal Grand Hotel (uncredited)
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Bonita Weber | ... |
Woman with Catsup (uncredited)
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| Joe Yule | ... |
Vaudeville Comic (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Clarence Brown | ||
Written by
| Vicki Baum | ... | () (uncredited) |
| Robert E. Sherwood | ... | (play) |
| Robert E. Sherwood | ... | (screenplay) |
Produced by
| Clarence Brown | ... | producer |
| Hunt Stromberg | ... | producer |
Music by
| Herbert Stothart | ||
Cinematography by
| William H. Daniels | ... | (photographed by) (as William Daniels) |
Editing by
| Robert Kern | ... | (as Robert J. Kern) |
Editorial Department
| John Hoffman | ... | montage |
| Slavko Vorkapich | ... | montage |
Art Direction by
| Cedric Gibbons | ||
Set Decoration by
| Edwin B. Willis | ||
Costume Design by
| Adrian | ... | (gowns) |
Makeup Department
| Sydney Guilaroff | ... | hair stylist: Miss Shearer |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Robert A. Golden | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Wade B. Rubottom | ... | associate art director |
Sound Department
| Douglas Shearer | ... | recording director |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Eugene Joseff | ... | costume jeweller (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Murray Cutter | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Paul Marquardt | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Leonid Raab | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| George King | ... | choreographer |
| Sal Haines | ... | rehearsal dance double for Clark Gable (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
Distributors
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1939) (United States) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1939) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1939) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1939) (Norway) (theatrical)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1985) (United States) (VHS) (Clamshell)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (United States) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (2009) (United States) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (VHS package design)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
When song-and-dance man Harry Van returns from World War I, he finds work hard to come by. His greatest success comes as straight man in a phony vaudeville mind-reading act with the tipsy Madame Zulieka. While on tour in Omaha he meets acrobat Irene Fellara, and they have a brief romance. Twenty years later while Harry is on tour in Europe with a troupe of leggy blonde dancers, his train is stopped at the Swiss border and he finds himself stranded in the Alps in anticipation of World War II hostilities. Harry and his chorines take refuge in an Alpine hotel with a group of disparate travelers who are also marooned there. Among them are an American pacifist, British newlyweds, a cancer researcher, a German munitions manufacturer, and a beautiful blonde expatriate Russian aristocrat who looks suspiciously like the Irene of two decades earlier. Written by duke1029@aol.com |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | The Biggest Thrill They Ever Gave You! Norma and Clark together in the romance of a "ham" song-and-dance man and a "red-headed liar from Omaha." See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $1,519,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | This was the only film in which Clark Gable performed a dance number. He spent 6 weeks rehearsing the steps with the dance director, George King, and practicing at home with his wife, Carole Lombard. Because of his fear of messing it up during a take, the set was closed during the filming of this sequence. See more » |
| Goofs | In the middle of the "Puttin' on the Ritz" performance, the Les Blondes dancer second from the viewer's left is barely in step and not doing any arm movements because she is holding her costume's right-shoulder strap which has broken. The strap is no longer broken when it cuts back to the performers after a reaction shot of Irene (Norma Shearer). See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Big Parade of Hits for 1940 (1940). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Over There See more » |
| Crazy Credits | The six actresses who play Les Blondes are not credited with individual character names. Instead, they are credited using the group character name "Harry Van's Les Blondes" followed by a list of the six actresses names. This appears on a separate title card after the cast list of the other credited roles. See more » |
| Quotes |
Irene:
But I have talked too much about myself. What about you, my friend? Harry: Oh, I'm not very interesting. I'm just what I seem to be. See more » |