Jeanette MacDonald in The Firefly trailer

''The Firefly'' is a 1937 musical film starring

Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American singer and Actor, actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', ''Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow (1934 ...

and Allan Jones. The film is an adaptation of the operetta of the same name by composer

Rudolf Friml Charles Rudolf Friml"Mrs. Rudolf Friml to Receive Divorce"
...

and librettist

Otto A. Harbach Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach (August 18, 1873 – January 24, 1963) was an American lyricist and librettist of nearly 50 musical comedies and operettas. Harbach collaborated as lyricist or librettist with many of the leading Broa ...

that premiered on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 1912. The film used nearly all of the music from the operetta but jettisoned the plot in favor of a new storyline set in Spain during the time of the Emperor Napoleon I. It added a new song, "The Donkey Serenade" (a reworking by Herbert Stothart of Friml's 1918 orchestral piece 'Chanson'), which became extremely popular, as was one of the Friml songs, "Giannina Mia". The original release prints of the film were elaborately tinted with Sepia-Blue, Sepia-Orange and Sepia-Blue-Pink.

Plot

Secret agent Nina Maria Azara (

) is working undercover for the King of Spain ( Tom Rutherford) as a singer known as the "Mosca del Fuego" or "Firefly." Despite her love for Captain Andre ( Allan Jones), she tricks him so that his general will change the French defensive positions, thus allowing the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

to win the

Battle of Vitoria At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813) a British, Portuguese and Spanish army under the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under King Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, eventually leading to ...

. In the end Nina and Andre leave together for a new life in peace.

Cast

as Nina Maria Azara * Allan Jones as Don Diego / Captain Andre *

Warren William Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Perry ...

as Colonel de Rouchemont *

Billy Gilbert William Gilbert Barron (September 12, 1894 – September 23, 1971), known professionally as Billy Gilbert, was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects ...

as Inn Keeper *

Douglass Dumbrille Douglass Rupert Dumbrille (October 13, 1889 – April 2, 1974) was a Canadian actor who appeared regularly in films from the early 1930s. Life and career Douglass Dumbrille ( ) was born in Hamilton, Ontario. As a young man, he was employed ...

as Marquis de Melito *

Henry Daniell Charles Henry Pywell Daniell (5 March 1894 – 31 October 1963) was an English actor who had a long career in the United States on stage and in cinema. He came to prominence for his portrayal of villainous roles in films such as '' Camille'' (1 ...

as General Savary *

Leonard Penn Leonard Penn (13 November 1907 – 20 May 1975) was an American film, television and theatre actor. Early life and education Penn was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to parents Marcus Penn and Eva Monson. He majored in drama at Columbia U ...

as Etienne DuBois * Tom Rutherford as King Ferdinard (as Tom Rutherfurd) *

Belle Mitchell Belle Mitchell (September 24, 1889 – February 12, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1978. She was born in Croswell, Michigan and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Partia ...

as Lola *

George Zucco George Zucco (11 January 1886 – 27 May 1960) was a British character actor who appeared in plays and 96 films, mostly American-made, during a career spanning over two decades, from the 1920s to 1951. In his films, he often played a suave ...

as St. Clair, Secret Service Chief * Corbet Morris as Duvall (as Corbett Morris) *

Matthew Boulton Matthew Boulton (; 3 September 172817 August 1809) was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century, the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engine ...

* Riley Hill (credited as Roy Harris) - Lieutenant *

Frank Campeau Frank Campeau (December 14, 1864 – November 5, 1943) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1911 and 1940 and made many appearances in films starring Douglas Fairbanks. On Broadway, Campeau appeared in ''Rio Gr ...

as Beggar (uncredited) * Alan Curtis as Soldier (uncredited) *

Brandon Hurst Brandon Hurst (30 November 1866 – 15 July 1947) was an English stage and film actor. Early life Born in London, England, Hurst studied philology in his youth and began performing in theater in the 1880s. Before he began acting professionall ...

as General (uncredited)

Musical Numbers

* ''LOVE IS LIKE A FIREFLY'' ** Music by

Rudolf Friml Charles Rudolf Friml"Mrs. Rudolf Friml to Receive Divorce"
...

** Lyrics by

, Bob Wright and Chet Forrest ** Sung by

* ''DANSE JEANETTE'' ** Written by

Herbert Stothart Herbert Pope Stothart (September 11, 1885February 1, 1949) was an American songwriter, arranger, conductor, and composer. He was also nominated for twelve Academy Awards, winning Best Original Score for '' The Wizard of Oz''. Stothart was widel ...

** Danced by Jeanette MacDonald ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald * ''THE DONKEY SERENADE'' ** Music by Bob Wright, Chet Forrest, and Herbert Stothart, adapted from "Chanson" by Rudolf Friml ** Lyrics by Bob Wright and Chet Forrest ** Sung by Allan Jones * ''SYMPATHY'' ** Music by Rudolf Friml ** Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald * ''A WOMAN'S KISS'' ** Music by Rudolf Friml ** Lyrics by Bob Wright and Chet Forrest ** Sung by Allan Jones ** Backgroung vocal by Jeanette MacDonald * ''GIANNINA MIA'' ** Music by Rudolf Friml ** Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach ** Sung by Allan Jones * ''HE WHO LOVES AND RUNS AWAY'' ** Music by Rudolf Friml ** Lyrics by

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including "Pretty Baby", "Ain't We Got Fun?", "Carolina in the Morning", "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' By ...

** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald * ''WHEN A MAID COMES KNOCKING AT YOUR HEART'' ** Music by Rudolf Friml ** Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach, Bob Wright & Chet Forrest ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald * ''I LOVE YOU DON DIEGO'' ** Music by Rudolf Friml ** Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald * ''OJOS ROJOS'' (uncredited) ** Argentine Folk Song ** Arranged by Manuel Alvarez Maciste ** Played by Manuel Alvarez Maciste * ''PARA LA SALUD'' ** Arranged by Herbert Stothart ** Danced by Jeanette MacDonald * ''THE DONKEY SERENADE'' ** Music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart ** Lyrics by Bob Wright and Chet Forrest ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald and Allan Jones * ''FINALE: "GIANNINA MIA"'' ** Music by Rudolf Friml ** Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald and Allan Jones * ''ENGLISH MARCH'' ** Sung by Chorus

References

*Green, Stanley (1999) Hollywood Musicals Year by Year (2nd ed.), pub. Hal Leonard Corporation page 74

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Firefly, The (film) 1937 films 1930s historical musical films American black-and-white films American historical musical films Films based on operettas Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard Films set in Spain Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Napoleonic Wars spy films Operetta films Cultural depictions of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 1930s American films