''On the Riviera'' is a 1951
Technicolor
Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades.
Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
musical comedy film made by
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
. Directed by
Walter Lang
Walter Lang (August 10, 1896 – February 7, 1972) was an American film director.
Early life
Walter Lang was born in Tennessee. As a young man he went to New York City where he found clerical work at a movie studio, film production company. The ...
and produced by
Sol C. Siegel from a
screenplay
''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993.
Background
After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...
by
Valentine Davies
Valentine Loewi Davies (August 25, 1905 – July 23, 1961) was an American film and television writer, producer, and director. His film credits included ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947), ''Chicken Every Sunday'' (1949), '' It Happens Every Sprin ...
and Phoebe and
Henry Ephron
Henry Ephron (May 26, 1911 – September 6, 1992) was an American playwright, screenwriter and film producer who often worked with his wife, Phoebe (née Wolkind). He was active as a writer from the early 1940s through the early 1960s.
Ea ...
, it is the studio's fourth
film based on the 1934 play ''The Red Cat'' by
Rudolph Lothar and
Hans Adler Hans Adler may refer to:
* Hans Adler (poet) (1880–1957), German poet
* Hans Adler (business), food industry business
* Hans G. Adler (1904–1979), musician, musicologist and collector in South Africa
* H. G. Adler (1910–1988), German writer
* ...
. This version stars
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...
,
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed for her great beauty, she became established as a leading lady. Tierney was best known for her portrayal of the title character in the ...
and
Corinne Calvet
Corinne Calvet (April 30, 1925 – June 23, 2001), born Corinne Dibos, was a French actress who appeared mostly in American films. According to one obituary, she was promoted "as a combination of Dietrich and Rita Hayworth", but her person ...
, with
Marcel Dalio,
Henri Letondal
Henri Letondal (29 June 1901 – 15 February 1955) was a French-Canadian actor, critic, playwright and musician.
He was born in Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by populatio ...
and
Sig Ruman
Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann (October 11, 1884 – February 14, 1967), billed as Sig Ruman and Sig Rumann, was a German-American character actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypically Teutonic officials or villains i ...
.
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.
''On the Riviera'' was nominated for two
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
:
Scoring of a Musical Picture (
by Alfred Newman) and
Best Art Direction in Color (
Art Directors Lyle R. Wheeler,
Leland Fuller
Leland Fuller (February 16, 1899 – October 9, 1962) was an American art director. He was nominated for six Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction. He worked on more than 50 films between 1943 and 1962.
Selected filmography
Ful ...
,
Joseph C. Wright, and
Set Decorators
Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics
*Set (mathematics), a collection of elements
*Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively
Electro ...
Thomas Little
Thomas Little (August 27, 1886 in Ogden, Utah – March 5, 1985 in Santa Monica, California) was a United States set decorator who worked on more than 450 Hollywood movies between 1932 and 1953. He won a total of 6 Oscars for art direction and r ...
and
Walter M. Scott).
Plot
At the
Côte d'Azur
The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...
nightclub in
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
, American entertainer Jack Martin (
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...
) is a hit with his singing, dancing and impressions. One night, everyone in the club flocks to a television to watch famed aviator Captain Henri Duran (also Kaye) land in Nice, concluding a record-breaking round-the-world flight. Jack's partner—and girlfriend—Colette (
Corinne Calvet
Corinne Calvet (April 30, 1925 – June 23, 2001), born Corinne Dibos, was a French actress who appeared mostly in American films. According to one obituary, she was promoted "as a combination of Dietrich and Rita Hayworth", but her person ...
) reminds him to put on his glasses, and they agree that Duran looks like Jack. Bored, Gapeaux (
Sig Ruman
Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann (October 11, 1884 – February 14, 1967), billed as Sig Ruman and Sig Rumann, was a German-American character actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypically Teutonic officials or villains i ...
) insists that Jack make his act “sensational”, or else.
Jack paints a mustache on his lip, looks in the mirror and smiles.
The club's gala honoring Duran and his wife, Lili (
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed for her great beauty, she became established as a leading lady. Tierney was best known for her portrayal of the title character in the ...
) opens with a lavish production playing off Duran's deserved reputation as an international Don Juan. Backstage, Collette briefly mistakes Duran for Jack. Duran invites her to a reception on Saturday. Panic-stricken. Duran's associate Philippe brings bad news. Air Europa Director Periton (
Jean Murat
Jean Murat (13 July 1888, in Périgueux – 5 January 1968, in Aix-en-Provence) was a French actor. He was married to the French actress Annabella.
Selected filmography
* ''Sex'' (1920)
* ''La Galerie des monstres'' (1924), as Sveti
* '' Carme ...
) is delaying his purchase of their planes, clearly hoping to ruin their company and take it over. Not knowing this, Lili invites Periton to the reception.
Duran leaves a note for Louis and Phillipe: He has flown to London for help. They persuade Jack to play Duran, for half a million francs. He insists that Lili not know. He would be too nervous. (They do tell her.) Jack is a quick study, and they teach him Duran's noncommittal gesture and comment: “Hmmmmm…”
Jack spends much of the party fending off Duran's ladies.
At the nightclub, Gapeaux tells Colette that he has booked a live television broadcast. She storms off to the party and is greeted by Jack/Duran, who makes a pass at her. She sees the eyeglasses in his pocket, plays along—and slaps him. Their jealous fight ends when he tells her how much they are being paid. She remembers the broadcast. He sends her to reassure Gapeaux.
Duran returns, unnoticed, sees Jack at the party and understands. But when Jack kisses Lili's hand, his eyes widen. He watches Jack drive away. Two guests watch Jack's live broadcast, featuring Jack as “Popo the Puppet”.
Duran was turned down by Sir Hubert. The guys reassure him that Lilli is in on the masquerade. When he kisses her, she tells him he has been acting “like a schoolboy with his first crush” all night. He is jealous. At the nightclub, Jack and Colette fight over her jealousy of Lili.
Duran discovers that Periton suspects the Air Ministry is making Duran a better offer. Jack returns to the house. Confusion ensues. Periton makes Jack/Duran an offer of 20 billion francs, then 25 billion… Cut to the hall where Duran and the guys are waiting...
Louis pays Jack off, telling him to get his clothes tomorrow and leaving everyone ignorant of Periton's offers. Duran tells them not to let anyone know he is back, including Lili. He will be Martin for the rest of the evening…
The next morning, the boys rush to Duran's yacht. He is despondent. Lili has betrayed him. With himself. He went to her room, embraced her, and they made love. He never realized how wonderful she was. He cannot face her. He is leaving. When the guys suggest that she saw through his deception, he remembers she was angry at first, then changed. Cut to Lili having breakfast in bed, smiling happily. Duran calls her from the airport, pretending to have just landed. She is horrified. The airport staff and their servants lie for him.
Periton arrives at the yacht and is surprised to see them so gloomy: He has a cheque for 30 billion francs.
At the house, Lili finds Jack collecting his clothes. They talk at cross-purposes, in double entendres, until he tells her he left after the Captain arrived. Cut to the front hall and Duran's return. Jack tells Duran that he should concentrate on his lovely wife from now on, and asks Duran about his way with women. What is his secret? Duran whispers in his ear.
At the nightclub, Lili and Duran are holding hands in the audience while Jack, the chorus and Colette do an exuberant number: “Happy Ending”.
Cast
*
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...
- Jack Martin / Henri Duran
*
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed for her great beauty, she became established as a leading lady. Tierney was best known for her portrayal of the title character in the ...
- Lili Duran
*
Corinne Calvet
Corinne Calvet (April 30, 1925 – June 23, 2001), born Corinne Dibos, was a French actress who appeared mostly in American films. According to one obituary, she was promoted "as a combination of Dietrich and Rita Hayworth", but her person ...
- Colette
*
Marcel Dalio - Philippe Lebrix
*
Jean Murat
Jean Murat (13 July 1888, in Périgueux – 5 January 1968, in Aix-en-Provence) was a French actor. He was married to the French actress Annabella.
Selected filmography
* ''Sex'' (1920)
* ''La Galerie des monstres'' (1924), as Sveti
* '' Carme ...
- Felix Periton
*
Henri Letondal
Henri Letondal (29 June 1901 – 15 February 1955) was a French-Canadian actor, critic, playwright and musician.
He was born in Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by populatio ...
- Louis Foral
*
Clinton Sundberg
Clinton Charles Sundberg (December 7, 1903 (some sources say 1906) – December 14, 1987) was an American character actor in film and stage.
Early years
Sundberg was born in Appleton, Minnesota. He graduated from Hamline University in St. Pau ...
- Antoine
*
Sig Ruman
Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann (October 11, 1884 – February 14, 1967), billed as Sig Ruman and Sig Rumann, was a German-American character actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypically Teutonic officials or villains i ...
- Gapeaux
*
Joyce MacKenzie
Joyce Elaine MacKenzie Hassing (October 13, 1925 – June 10, 2021) was an American actress who appeared in films and television from 1946 to 1961. She might be best remembered for being the eleventh actress to portray Jane. She played the role ...
- Mimi
* Monique Chantal - Minette
*
Marina Koshetz - Mme. Louise Cornet
*
Ann Codee
Ann Codee (born Anna Marie Vannuefflin, 5 March 1890 – 18 May 1961) was a Belgian actress with numerous hit films on her résumé, such as '' Can-Can'', ''Kiss Me Kate'', and ''Interrupted Melody''. Born in Antwerp, Belgium, her name was s ...
- Mme. Periton
*
Mari Blanchard
Mari Blanchard (born Mary E. Blanchard, April 13, 1923 – May 10, 1970) was an American film and television actress, known foremost for her roles as a B movie femme fatale in American productions of the 1950s and early 1960s.
Early life and c ...
- Eugenie
Production
''The Red Cat'', which was produced for the stage by 20th Century Fox's
Darryl Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902December 22, 1979) was an American film producer and studio executive; he earlier contributed stories for films starting in the silent era. He played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of ...
, ran for only 13 performances, but the studio benefited from the film adaptations.
The first two were directed by
Roy Del Ruth
Roy Del Ruth (October 18, 1893, Delaware – April 27, 1961) was an American filmmaker.
Early career
Beginning his Hollywood career as a writer for Mack Sennett in 1915, Del Ruth later directed his first short film ''Hungry Lions'' (1919) ...
: ''
Folies Bergère
The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...
'' (1935) stars
Maurice Chevalier,
Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...
and
Ann Sothern
Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920 ...
, and a 1935 French-language version,
L'homme des Folies Bergère'' stars Chevalier and Natalie Paley.
Irving Cummings
Irving Caminsky (October 9, 1888 – April 18, 1959) was an American movie actor and director.
Career
Born in New York City, Cummings started his acting career at age 16 in ''Diplomacy''. His Broadway, performances included ''In the Long R ...
directed the 1941 adaptation, ''
That Night in Rio
''That Night in Rio'' is a 1941 Technicolor American musical comedy film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Alice Faye, Don Ameche (in a dual role as an American entertainer and an aristocratic businessman he is asked to impersonate tempora ...
,'' which stars
Don Ameche
Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which ...
,
Alice Faye
Alice Faye (born Alice Jeanne Leppert; May 5, 1915 – May 9, 1998) was an American actress and singer. A musical star of 20th Century-Fox in the 1930s and 1940s, Faye starred in such films as ''On the Avenue'' (1937) and ''Alexander's Ragtime B ...
and
Carmen Miranda
Carmen Miranda, (; born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, 9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, dancer, Broadway actress and film star who was active from the late 1920s onwards. Nicknamed "The B ...
.
''On the Riviera'' had 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." However, the final script was approved, with Lili's temporary confusion over the identity of the man with whom she spent the night intact.
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 with flying marionettes, seen over
color television
Color television or Colour television is a television transmission technology that includes color information for the picture, so the video image can be displayed in color on the television set. It improves on the monochrome or black-and-white t ...
. On Sunday, May 20, 1951,
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
featured a four-column-wide photo of the French puppet sequence at the top of Page 225.
The
color television
Color television or Colour television is a television transmission technology that includes color information for the picture, so the video image can be displayed in color on the television set. It improves on the monochrome or black-and-white t ...
sequences in this film would have fascinated 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
Coaxial cable, or coax (pronounced ) is a type of electrical cable consisting of an inner conductor surrounded by a concentric conducting shield, with the two separated by a dielectric ( insulating material); many coaxial cables also have a p ...
and
closed circuit
Closed circuit can refer to:
*Closed-circuit television
*Closed-circuit radio
*Rebreather – breathing sets
* ''Closed Circuit'' (1978 film), a 1978 Italian film
* ''Closed Circuit'' (2013 film), a 2013 British thriller film
*An electric circuit
...
transmission preceded the broadcast format.
Gwen Verdon
Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for t ...
, credited as Gwyneth Verdon, appears in dance sequences choreographed and staged by
Jack Cole. This was her first appearance on film.
The set decoration (nominated for an Academy Award) includes a portrait of Lili Duran. It is the portrait of Gene Tierney as Laura Hunt created for the 1944 film,
Laura.
Reception
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
critic
Bosley Crowther
Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...
recalled the two previous versions of the story for his readers and continued: "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."
At the time of the film's release,
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
staff praised "the glib script, loaded with fast and furious dialog quips... Full range of the Kaye talent is used, both in the music-comedy divisions and in straight performance. It’s a wow delivery he gives. Four tunes, three of which are used to back the potent production numbers, were cleffed by Sylvia Fine to show off the Kaye talent for fun-making."
Writing for
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...
in the 21st century, Jay S. Steinburg observes: "The studio dusted off a mistaken-identity screenplay that it had already utilized twice before; still, it proved an ideal fit for its star's strengths, and combined with beautiful female leads, colorful locales, and engaging set pieces, it delivered an entertainment that still holds up well."
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fil ...
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
External links
*
*
*
On the Riviera' at the
AFI catalog
The ''AFI Catalog of Feature Films'', also known as the ''AFI Catalog'', is an ongoing project by the American Film Institute (AFI) to catalog all commercially-made and theatrically exhibited American motion pictures from the birth of cinema in ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:On The Riviera
1951 films
1951 musical comedy films
American musical comedy films
American romantic comedy films
Remakes of American 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
1950s English-language films
1950s American films