2h 11min | Comedy, Musical | 9 March 1960 | Color, WS
Director: Walter Lang
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Juliet Prowse, Marcel Dalio.
Hermes Pan ... dances staged by
Film adaptation of B'way show ('53-'55) that starred Gwen Verdon, who won a Tony. Apparently several characters were not in the original show, and a few songs were borrowed from elsewhere in Cole Porter's oeuvre. Of the songs omitted from the show, I recognize the title Allez-Vous En (we had this an album with this when I was a kid).
15 songs in the Soundtracks, all by Cole Porter, *from the show (37 chapters with menu):
- ch2. I Love Paris*, Sung by chorus over the beginning and end credits
- ch3. Montmart'*, Sung by Frank Sinatra, Maurice Chevalier and chorus
- ch4. Maidens Typical of France*, Sung and danced by Juliet Prowse and chorus girls
- ch5. Can-Can*, Danced by Juliet Prowse and can-can girls
- ch7. C'est Magnifique*, Performed by Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine
- ch9. Apache Dance*, Danced by Shirley MacLaine and male dancers
- ch12. Can-Can*, Danced by Juliet Prowse and can-can girls briefly
- ch14. Live and Let Live*, Sung by Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jourdan
- ch17. You Do Something to Me, Sung by Louis Jourdan
- ch18. Let's Do It, Sung and Danced by Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine
- ch21. It's All Right With Me*, Sung by Frank Sinatra
- ch23. Live and Let Live*, Sung by Louis Jourdan and Maurice Chevalier
- ch25. Come Along With Me*, Sung and Danced by Shirley MacLaine
- ch27. Just One of Those Things, Sung by Maurice Chevalier
- ch29. Garden of Eden ballet*, Danced by SM, Juliet Prowse, Marc Wilder, and dancers
- ch31. It's All Right With Me*, Sung by Louis Jourdan
- ch34. Can-Can*, Danced by Shirley MacLaine, Prowse, can-can girls and male dancers
The best thing about this is the songs: tuneful, witty, relevant to the tale. The 3 added from outside the show are gems too.
The colors of SM's club are deep vivid red and green, intentionally garrish. Judge LJ's office is similarly green, with reddish wood.
FS does not attempt to act Parisian, and inserts his phrase "ring-a-ding-ding" into a song. LJ imitates him when reconciling with SM near the end, almost omitting his own French accent. That imitation makes FS's lack of Gael almost worthwhile.
3rd of 11 films for JP. She was 5'11". Per her IMDb trivia, she had a romance with FS, who was 5'7".
3rd of 11 films for JP. She was 5'11". Per her IMDb trivia, she had a romance with FS, who was 5'7".
Apparently Suffolk was a FS production company, although he does not get screen credit. Supposedly (per IMDb trivia) he influenced the hiring of rat-packer SM.
Fox, Suffolk-Cummings Prod., dir. Lang; 7+
