''Spring Parade'' is a 1940 American musical comedy film directed by

Henry Koster Henry Koster (born Hermann Kosterlitz, May 1, 1905 – September 21, 1988) was a German-born film director. He was the husband of actress Peggy Moran. Early life Koster was born to Jewish parents in Berlin, Germany. He was introduced to cin ...

and starring

Deanna Durbin Edna May Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born American soprano and actress, who moved to the U.S. from Canada with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1 ...

. It is a remake of the 1934 film.

Plot

Based on a story by Ernst Marischka, the film is about a Hungarian woman who attends a Viennese fair and buys a card from a gypsy fortune teller which says she will meet someone important and is destined for a happy marriage. Soon after the woman gets a job as a baker's assistant and meets a handsome army drummer who dreams of becoming a famous composer and conductor, but is held back by the military which discourages original music. Wanting to help the army drummer, the woman sends one of his waltzes to the Austrian Emperor with his weekly order of pastries, which leads to the tuneful and joyous fulfillment of the gypsy's prediction.

Cast

as Ilonka Tolnay *

Robert Cummings Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in d ...

as Corporal Harry Marten * Mischa Auer as Gustav *

Henry Stephenson Harry Stephenson Garraway (16 April 1871 – 24 April 1956) was a British actor. He generally portrayed amiable and wise Gentleman, gentlemen in many films of the 1930s and 1940s. Among his roles were Joseph Banks, Sir Joseph Banks in ''Mutiny ...

as Emperor Franz Joseph * S. Z. Sakall as Laci Teschek - the Baker * Billy Lenhart as Max * Kenneth Brown as Moritz * Walter Catlett as Headwaiter * Anne Gwynne as Jenny * Allyn Joslyn as Count Zorndorf * Peggy Moran as Archduchess Irene * Reginald Denny as The Major * John Banner as Cymbalist (uncredited) *

Stanley Blystone William Stanley Blystone (August 1, 1894 – July 16, 1956) was an American film actor who made more than 500 films appearances from 1924 to 1956. He was sometimes billed as William Blystone or William Stanley. Early years Blystone was born in ...

as Detective (uncredited) * Paul Hurst as Headwaiter (uncredited)

Production

In January 1940 Universal announced Durbin's next film would be ''Spring Parade''. Joe Pasternak called it "a musical of Old Vienna" that was similar to '' Blossom Time''. It was a remake of a film Pasternak had made in 1934. Cummings was cast in March 1940. Filming took place from 27 May to August 1940. Koster called it "a lovely picture" although he said Durbin "was getting a little more demanding" during filming. On one occasion they were filming after midnight and Durbin went home because she did not want to work that late. Koster threatened to quit the movie but the two made up.

Awards

The film was nominated for four

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

. * Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) (Joseph Valentine) * Best Original Song ( Robert Stolz and Gus Kahn, for "Waltzing in the Clouds") * Best Musical Score (Charles Previn) * Best Sound Recording ( Bernard B. Brown) ''Spring Parade'' received four Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Original Song, Best Musical Score, and Best Sound Recording.

References

External links

*
Spring Parade
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

{{Henry Koster 1940 films 1940 musical comedy films 1940 romantic comedy films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Henry Koster Films set in Austria Films set in the 1890s Universal Pictures films Films produced by Joe Pasternak American remakes of foreign films Remakes of Austrian films 1940s romantic musical films American black-and-white films 1940s American films English-language romantic comedy films English-language romantic musical films English-language musical comedy films Films based on works by Ernst Marischka