The Love Parade (1929)

The Love Parade - 1929

The next film we feature is 1929's "The Love Parade", starring Maurice Chevalier.  A playboy Count from Sylvania is recalled to his country from Paris after scandalous behavior.  When he meets with the Queen for punishment, the two fall in love.

The film's supporting cast includes Jeanette MacDonald, Lupino Lane, Lillian Roth, Eugene Pallette, Lionel Belmore, Russ Powell, Margaret Fealey, Virginia Bruce, and Jean Harlow.

In Paris, Count Alfred Renard, a military attache from Sylvania, is caught in a compromising situation with a married lady.  She's got a gun and is intent on killing him.  What's worse, her husband is banging on the door wanting to get in.

Luckily for Alfred, he gets the gun away from the woman.  Apparently, quite a few women have tried the same thing.  He's got quite the collection of women's guns.  The Sylvanian ambassador tells him he has to return to Sylvania to report his behavior to the Queen and await her punishment.

Our first glimpse of Sylvania comes in the form of The Royal Palace.  A tour group has stopped in front.  The guide gives some information about the palace, but the group seems terribly uninterested.

They go on chatting with each other, reading the newspaper, applying makeup, etc.

When the guide tells them that the palace's art collection is worth $110 million ($1.7 billion in 2020), the group jumps to their feet and marvels at the wonders of the palace.

Inside, Queen Louise is conferring with her ministers.  She asks whom they have selected for a husband.  They tell her they haven't found anyone for her.  It has to be a specific person who will be content to have no role other than the Queen's husband.

Queen Louise gets fed up with all their talk.  "It never seems to occur to your gentlemen that there might possibly be some men who would enjoy being my husband even if I were not a queen.  My face isn’t actually painful to look at.  My complexion’s quite good.  And in case you’re too serious-minded to notice such things, let me inform you my legs are perfect!  There's only one other leg like that in the whole of Sylvania."

"And that's it," she says, pivoting her other leg forward.  She dismisses them so she can go over other matters.

Count Alfred is next for an audience.  And he approaches the Queen with trepidation.  She still has yet to read the report sent to her by the ambassador.

As she reads, she smiles and seems to take great pleasure in perusing the report.

"Count Alfred, I understand you’ve been seriously involved in a disgraceful affair with a woman," says Queen Louise.  "No, Your Majesty," smiles Count Alfred, "with several."

As a punishment, she orders him to be near her all the time.  She also has invited him to dine with her that evening.

All her ministers, ladies-in-waiting, and both of their servants are eager to see how the dinner progresses.  They all watch from places of seclusion.

Things go very well.  (It's hilarious to watch the various groups give a play-by-play of what is happening between the Queen and Count Alfred.)

The two take great pleasure in each other's company.  They can't stop looking and smiling at each other.

At the end of the evening, they admit their love for one another and embrace.

A little while later, they are married inside The Royal Palace in a grand ceremony.

Queen Louise bestows the title of "Prince Consort" on Alfred.  And he listens to the minister as he's told he must be second to the Queen and obey her in all things.  (A side note about the gown worn by Jeanette MacDonald.  The train was 20-feet long and weighed forty pounds.  The gown, which was covered in rhinestones and pearls, was eventually separated from the veil.  In 2019, they were brought together after ninety years and put on display at Paramount.  You can read about the gown's restoration here.)

The morning after their wedding, Alfred looks around for Louise, but can't find her.

She's busy reviewing the troops.  Alfred is exasperated, because he can't do anything without her.  Because she hasn't yet eaten breakfast, he can't.  And he has no official role within the country, so he has nothing to do but sit in his room and wait for her.

He wastes no time in telling her how unhappy he is with the situation.  She tells him that it's just the way it is.

Later, Louise's ministers tell her they need a loan from foreign countries to keep Sylvania afloat.  Everything hinges on an opera appearance by her and Alfred that evening.  If they are seen together in a happy atmosphere, the other countries will be assured that everything is all right, and the loan will go ahead.

Alfred comes in and hands over a report that he's made.  He's found a way where the country doesn't need a loan and can use it's natural resources to finance itself.  Louise doesn't appreciate his meddling in political affairs, and the prime minister refuses to even look at the report.  Alfred says he refuses to attend the opera performance that evening.

When he doesn't appear to get dressed, Louise has him forcibly brought to her.

He tells her that he's not going to the opera.  She can just go herself.

She eventually gives up trying and heads to the opera by herself, hoping that the foreign representatives will still go ahead with the loan.

When she arrives at the opera, all eyes turn to see if she and Prince Alfred will arrive together.  Seeing that it is just her, they bow and quickly go back to sitting and chatting with each other.

Surprisingly, Alfred enters the Royal Box and the audience is wild with delight, applauding him enthusiastically.

Queen Louise can't stand it, even when Alfred smiles at her.  He tells her that after the loan goes through, he's going to file papers for divorce.  Louise doesn't want that at all.  Every time she tries to touch his hand, he rebuffs her.

The next morning, Louise begs and pleads with him not to leave her.  She cries as she stands outside his door.

When he comes out to talk, she tells him what she's going to do.  She gives him a role in the affairs of state, the department of the navy, and also gives him control of what happens in their home.  The two embrace and sing a parting chorus.

Cast rundown:

   Maurice Chevalier..................................Count Alfred Renard

   Jeanette MacDonald...............................Queen Louise

   Lupino Lane..........................................Jacques

   Lillian Roth............................................Lulu

   Eugene Pallette......................................War Minister

   Lionel Belmore.......................................Prime Minister

   Russ Powell...........................................Afghan Ambassador

   Margaret Fealey.....................................Lady-In-Waiting

   Virginia Bruce........................................2nd Lady-In-Waiting

   Jean Harlow...........................................Woman In Opera Box

And that's it for The Love Parade.  This was the film debut of Jeanette MacDonald.  Jean Harlow also has an uncredited role as a woman applauding in an opera box.  This film was a huge hit at the box office and helped Paramount financially in the wake of the Great Depression.

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