This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Merry medievalist (talk | contribs) at 04:09, 13 September 2020 (Added Maltin review, info on Popo the Puppet. Info on color tv segments Moved song and dance info to production. Info on censorship problems). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 04:09, 13 September 2020 by Merry medievalist (talk | contribs) (Added Maltin review, info on Popo the Puppet. Info on color tv segments Moved song and dance info to production. Info on censorship problems)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) This article is about the film starring Danny Kaye. For the 1935 version of the same story, starring Maurice Chevalier, see Folies Bergère (film). For the 1941 remake starring Don Ameche, see That Night in Rio.1951 American film| On the Riviera | |
|---|---|
 1951 movie poster | |
| Directed by | Walter Lang |
| Written by | screenplay by Valentine Davies Henry Ephron Phoebe Ephron based on a play by Hans Adler Rudolph Lothar |
| Produced by | Sol C. Siegel |
| Starring | Danny Kaye Gene Tierney Corinne Calvet Marcel Dalio Sig Ruman |
| Cinematography | Leon Shamroy |
| Edited by | J. Watson Webb Jr. |
| Music by | Alfred Newman Sylvia Fine |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.5 million (US rentals) |
On the Riviera is a 1951 Technicolor musical comedy film made by 20th Century Fox. Directed by Walter Lang and produced by Sol C. Siegel from a screenplay by Valentine Davies and Phoebe and Henry Ephron, it is the third film to be based on the 1934 play The Red Cat by Rudolph Lothar and Hans Adler. This version stars Danny Kaye, Gene Tierney and Corinne Calvet, with Marcel Dalio, Henri Letondal and Sig Ruman.
On the Riviera was nominated for two Academy Awards: Scoring of a Musical Picture (by Alfred Newman) and Best Art Direction in Color (Art Directors Lyle R. Wheeler, Leland Fuller, Joseph C. Wright, and Set Decorators Thomas Little and Walter M. Scott).
The first film adaptation of The Red Cat, Folies Bergère (1935), stars Maurice Chevalier, Merle Oberon and Ann Sothern. The 1941 remake, That Night in Rio, stars Don Ameche, Alice Faye and Carmen Miranda.
The studio had signed Kaye for a one-picture deal, and revived the story as a vehicle for the multi-talented actor, who had a history of playing dual or multiple roles.
Plot
Jack Martin (Danny Kaye) is an American entertainer. He has a skit in his show, making fun of, Captain Henri Duran (also Kaye). On one particular evening, the Captain and his wife, Lili (Gene Tierney) come to see Jack's impersonation. To the surprise of the couple, the act is amazingly realistic. Backstage, the Captain meets Jack's girlfriend, Colette (Corinne Calvet), and invites her to a party he is going to hold. Colette declines.
Later in the evening, Jack meets Lili and is attracted to her beauty. He does an impersonation of the Captain for her. But the real Captain receives a telegram that his airline is in danger because a contract is not being renewed and he has already purchased 51% of the stock. He has to leave France.
Jack is hired to play the Captain to confuse his rival, Periton (Jean Murat), but at the stock market, he buys the remainder of the airline stock. That evening, at the party, Jack is hired again to play the Captain. He does not want Lili to know, but Lili is informed without his knowing. He sweeps her off her feet and they stay close to each other for the remainder of the evening.
Meanwhile, Colette is furious to discover that Jack is at the party and decides to go there as well, where she discovers that he is impersonating the Captain. To make matters worse, the real Captain returns to his house, confusing all involved. Periton corners Jack instead and talks to him in French, which Jack can't understand.
Cast
- Danny Kaye - Jack Martin / Henri Duran
- Gene Tierney - Lili Duran
- Corinne Calvet - Colette
- Marcel Dalio - Philippe Lebrix
- Jean Murat - Felix Periton
- Henri Letondal - Louis Foral
- Clinton Sundberg - Antoine
- Sig Ruman - Gapeaux
- Joyce Mackenzie - Mimi (as Joyce MacKenzie)
- Monique Chantal - Minette
- Marina Koshetz - Mme. Louise Cornet
- Ann Codee - Mme. Periton
- Mari Blanchard - Eugenie
Production
There was trouble with the censors, who wrote: "the last part of the story...seems to be based in large measure on the suspicion of illicit relationships between the various characters." The final script was approved.
Kaye's wife, songwriter and lyricist Sylvia Fine, wrote four pieces for the picture. One of those, Popo the Puppet, became a signature song for Kaye. In the film, it is presented as an elaborate production number, in which the marionettes fly on wires, seen over color television. On Sunday, May 20, 1951, The New York Times featured a four-column-wide photo of the French puppet sequence at the top of Page 225.
Gwen Verdon, credited as Gwyneth Verdon, appears in dance sequences choreographed and staged by Jack Cole. This was her first appearance on film.
The color television sequences in this film would have intrigued the audience in 1951, when color TV was a rarity. The first color television broadcasts in the United States occurred in 1951 and 1953. (In France, where the film is set, the first color broadcast was in 1967.) Coaxial cable and closed circuit transmission preceded the broadcast format.
Reception
New York Times critic Bosley Crowther recalled the two previous versions of the story for his readers: “Now, brushed up slightly by Valentine Davies and Phoebe and Henry Ephron; equipped with four musical numbers by Mr. Kaye's wife, Sylvia Fine, and turned out in gorgeous Technicolor that does justice to a splash production and a well-fed cast, it does service for Mr. Kaye's talents... (S)omething better could certainly have been found for this brilliant comedian's performance than this hackneyed and unexciting tale... the plot is too mixed up to follow and isn't very funny anyhow... Gene Tierney looks better in new garments than the old story looks upon her. And Corinne Calvet is pretty but neglected.. Marcel Dalio and Henri Letondal do a Tweedledum and Tweedledee routine... There are also lots of pretty girls.“
Leonard Maltin gives the film 3 out of 4 stars: “Bouncy musicomedy with Danny in dual role as entertainer and French military hero. "Ballin' the Jack,'' other songs in lively film. Gwen Verdon is one of chorus girls.”
References
- 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1951', Variety, January 2, 1952
- Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 223
- ^ "NY Times: On the Riviera". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (1951-05-24). "THE SCREEN: FOUR FILMS HAVE PREMIERES HERE; Danny Kaye 'On the Riviera,' With Gene Tierney, Arrives at the Roxy Theatre". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- "On the Riviera". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "On the Riviera (1951) - Notes - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- "FRENCH PUPPET SEQUENCE IN THE IN THE MUSICAL "ON THE RIVIERA"". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- "On the Riviera (1951) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
External links
Categories:- 1951 films
- 1951 musical comedy films
- American films
- American musical comedy films
- American romantic comedy films
- American film remakes
- English-language films
- Films scored by Alfred Newman
- American films based on plays
- Films directed by Walter Lang
- Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe winning performance
- Films set on the French Riviera
- 20th Century Fox films
- Films produced by Sol C. Siegel
- 1951 comedy films