1h 42min | Comedy, Family, Musical | November 1941
Director: Roy Del Ruth
Stars: Nelson Eddy, Risë Stevens, Nigel Bruce.
Ernst Matray ... dance creator / dance stager
Instead of mistaken identity, this is deliberate deception. Amazing that they spent 1.75 hours on this one plot thread. I'll admit that the make-up used to disguise NE is very effective, but he didn't/couldn't disguise his singing voice. And I question his motivation. I'm not convinced he's simply jealous or worried her love for him has ebbed. I think his ego is a big factor; that he's somehow not sufficiently attractive. It's the concern of a narcissist, not a lover.
The most fascinating moment was when NE thought RS had finally rejected his alter ego, only to have her toss keys to him. This being 1941, and the thick of production code enforcement, we cut away, and are never given a clue what happened next. Did he use the keys? Instead it's the next day, and the real NE returns from his out-of-town trip.
The ending is not purely happy, which is good.
We get a lot of singing, some onstage, some personal, and we get dancing onstage, but nothing great. One song, with lyric "come, come, I love you only, come, come, be mine" is very familiar, sung multiple times, and titled My Hero (1909); it's used again in Two Weeks With Love ('50).
To be honest, RS has a terrific singing voice, and a nice trim figure, but her face is better suited for the stage. Singular, dull plot with two psychologically unattractive characters.
MGM, dir. Del Ruth; 6
Update 17Sep2019
Bought the disc (N.Eddy completist), watched it again. It really is silly. Amazing how well the makeup/hair disguises N.Eddy.
Bought the disc (N.Eddy completist), watched it again. It really is silly. Amazing how well the makeup/hair disguises N.Eddy.
