1h 19min || 25 April 1941
Director: René Clair (as Rene Clair)
Writer: Norman Krasna
Stars: Marlene Dietrich, Bruce Cabot, Roland Young, Andy Devine, Mischa Auer, Franklyn Pangborn
Genres: Adventure | Comedy | Music | Romance
The drawing of MD reclining in a slinky black gown is completely inappropriate. This is a period film, just past the hoop-skirt era. Nor was her hair down.
I could list several additional familiar names from the cast list, but I'll stop there. I don't find Bruce Cabot appealing at all. Had the role been played by Gary Cooper or John Wayne, it would have been a far better film.
MD plays a woman who manipulates events to gain a proposal of marriage for money, but then meets a manly man and changes her mind at the alter. The End.
In no way should this have been classified Music. I set my standards against Mae West films where she sings 3 or more songs, and IMDb does not allow Music. Here MD sings 1, and the sailors sing another. There is no dancing to speak of.
MD gets to act 1.5 roles: the "countess" who then pretends to be her own cousin to help cover her bad behavior in St. Petersburg some time earlier.
Theresa Harris plays MD's maid, and visually comments on her mistress' behavior (eye rolls, raised eyebrow, hidden smile). She was also delightful in Buck Benny Rides Again and Love Thy Neighbor last year as Rochester's sweetheart/dice shark, occupation: maid. (The word Maid appears 36 time among her 90 film credits; I'm willing to bet that many of her name-only roles hold that occupation as well.) We see her with a handsome young man of color two or three times, but I didn't catch the character name and couldn't determine his identity from the credits.
This is a toss-up between 5 and 6; for MD & TH I'll tilt to the right.
Universal, dir. Clair, 6-
