Coming up next we have 1945's "A Royal Scandal", a fictional portrayal of Russia's Catherine the Great and her infatuation with a lowly lieutenant in her army. The liaison causes disruptions at the highest level, and Catherine's throne is in jeopardy because of her relationship with the man whom she rapidly promotes.
The film's cast includes Tallulah Bankhead, Charles Coburn, Anne Baxter, William Eythe, Vincent Price, Mischa Auer, Sig Ruman, Grady Sutton, and Friedrich von Ledebur.
Catherine the Great has just thrown over her latest fling, and the palace is all atwitter. Catherine's lady-in-waiting, Countess Anna Jaschikoff, eagerly spills the beans to the Chancellor, Nicolai Iiyitch.
People placed in Catherine's court are hoping to secure positions of favor by finding a replacement for her spurned lover. General Ronsky nominates his own nephew, but the poor man wants nothing but to return to his home in the Ural Mountains.
The Chancellor is hoping for a strong relationship with France, and he restricts access to the Empress, allowing no one to see her until friendship with the French nation can be secured.
A lieutenant in the army breaches the palace walls and demands and audience with the empress.
He is successful in gaining access to the chancellor, who doesn't have such a good reputation with the young man. "You're the Chancellor? The man who everybody says is ruining Russia?" asks Lt. Alexei Chernoff. "You're from the east?" asks the chancellor. "No, from the west," informs Alexei. The chancellor looks on in amazement and says, "How things do get around."
It turns out that Alexei is the fiancé of Catherine's lady-in-waiting Anna, who tries to dissuade him from seeing Catherine, but he insists.
The Chancellor goes to the Empress and tries to compliment her on how beautiful she looks. "Shut up! I look awful.
I feel rotten, and I slept abominably. If you don’t know it, you
bribed the wrong people," she says without looking up from her papers.
Alexei succeeds in breaking in on Catherine while she's talking to the Chancellor. Instead of being offended, she is intrigued by the handsome man standing before her.
Catherine takes quite an interest in him. Summoning him on the pretense of his giving her a report, Catherine plies him with champagne instead. "I have it here," he says of the report. "Leave it there," she says with a wave of her hand.
Even though she knows he's got a sweetheart somewhere, Catherine sets out to seduce him. "I’m surrounded by
thousands of people in glittering uniforms. I’m never alone.And yet, I’m lonelier than the loneliest
creature in the loneliest corner of
all of my lands," she says and then kisses him.
Catherine quickly promotes Alexei to Commander of the Palace Guards, and even affords him the rank of general. Anna is very disappointed in him.
Alexei tells Catherine that he doesn't want to just sit around in a palace. He was meant for more. Catherine summons the Chancellor to find out just who has been putting ideas into Alexei's head. "I want you to check up on everybody!" she orders, before continuing, "And I'll have everybody check up on you."
Eventually, Catherine finds out that Anna and Alexei are involved, and she is far from thrilled.
She informs Anna that she will be sending her on an extended vacation, which will enable her to visit her family. Anna is extremely resistant to the idea, much to Catherine's annoyance.
Catherine even threatens to throw her in the darkest cells of the Peter and Paul Fortress, but Anna is unmoving in her determination to stay. She even calls Catherine out over her fling with Alexei.
Alexei is called in to arrest Anna. He begs her to ask for forgiveness. Anna replies, "Regret? I said it before and I’ll say it again. That Her Majesty’s actions smell to
Heaven.And I’m not so sure I’m right
about the direction." She is then dismissed.
Elsewhere, the Chancellor tries to hand in his resignation, citing his advancing age. Catherine refuses to accept it. "You're not getting old. You are old," she says with a smile.
Alexei is entertained by some of Catherine's senior military officers, who are unhappy about his status as her favorite. They plant some seeds of revolution in his mind as their way of getting back at Catherine.
He and Catherine have a falling out when he visits her later that evening.
That sparks a full on revolutionary plot. Alexei tries to drag Catherine from her bed, but she dismisses him as an immature child. "Don’t you ever forget
that you’re my subject and I’m your monarch.And whatever I say and wherever I say it, I
speak from the throne!" He later informs her about the plot to overthrow her which involves her military officers.
Have no fear, the Chancellor is here. He comes in at the eleventh hour and delivers a decisive victory for Catherine, which sees Alexei arrested and the plot overthrown.
Anna goes to plead for Alexei's life and finds herself banished to the Crimean Peninsula. "But we don't own the Crimea yet," protests the Chancellor. "What can you expect
from a woman who takes away someone else’s fiancé is not going to
respect anybody’s peninsula!" sobs Anna. The Chancellor makes it so that she can Alexei (who is repentant over his behavior to her) can be together.
At last, the Chancellor can go ahead with the French friendship now that Catherine's affairs are clear. He introduces her to the French ambassador who flatters Catherine with the most flowery language, making the Chancellor's eyes roll.
Catherine gives the ambassador her whole "I'm lonely" speech as the Chancellor looks on smilingly.
Friedrich von Ledebur...........................Russian General
And that's it for A Royal Scandal. Ernst Lubitsch was originally supposed to direct the film, but he fell ill and was replaced by Otto Preminger. Lubitsch, however, directed all of the rehearsals for the film, and it is considered to be a "Lubitsch film". It is absolutely wonderful: snappy/witty dialogue, stunning costumes and scenery. It's got the "Lubitsch touch".
Since this film is in the public domain, you can watch it in its entirety here.
Coming up next we have 1938's "Vivacious Lady", a story about a serious college professor who falls in love and marries a New York nightclub singer after a whirlwind romance. When he brings her home to meet his family, telling them about his new wife might not be as easy as it seems.
The film's cast includes Ginger Rogers, James Stewart, James Ellison, Beulah Bondi, Charles Coburn, Frances Mercer, Jack Carson, Hattie McDaniel, Franklin Pangborn, and Grady Sutton.
While on a trip to New York to fetch his profligate cousin Keith, botany professor Peter Morgan meets nightclub singer Francey. She captivates him with a performance of "You'll Be Reminded Of Me".
They spend the rest of the night talking and getting to know one another. Peter apologizes for talking so much, telling Francey that he wants to make an impression. She says she'd like to make an impression, too. Peter replies, "You speak for yourself, and very eloquently, too!"
After a whirlwind romance, the two get married. Francey gives up life in New York and they head to Old Sharon, where Peter teaches botany at the university. Francey asks him what a professor's wife does, and Peter replies, "Oh, mostly just keep the professor happy. That's all."
Their happiness is interrupted at the train station when Peter's father and his "fiancée" arrive to greet him. Peter's cousin Keith quickly whisks Francey away so that Peter can tell his father about his marriage. Before she goes, Francey gets a good look at Peter's intended bride, Helen. Peter isn't serious about her. Helen is somebody his father picked out for him.
At a college dance, Peter tells Francey that he is going to tell his parents about their marriage that night and everything will be okay.
While waiting for Peter in the powder room, Francey inadvertently meets his mother. The two bond over a forbidden cigarette. (Peter's mother feigns heart trouble and isn't allowed to smoke.) The two women seem to like each other a great deal.
When Mrs. Morgan is called back to the party, maid Hattie has to remind her to "snuff out that snipe." After she goes, Hattie tells Francey, "If my husband wouldn't let me smoke, I'd find a way to get me a husband that would."
Francey's response shocks Hattie to the core. She stares wide-eyed in disbelief as Francey makes her way back to the dance.
Before she can meet Peter's parents, Francey has a showdown with Helen. "Now are you going to mind your own business, or must I really give you a piece of my mind?" asks Helen. "Oh, I couldn't take the last piece," Francey quips back.
With that, the battle royale is on. Hair pulling, slapping, kicking, and a pin in the patoot all happens right when Peter's father arrives on the scene. "Don't you think it's a little rough?" he asks his son.
Eventually, Peter confesses that Francey is his wife, which makes his father furious.
However, Mrs. Morgan has the complete opposite reaction. She goes to see Francey and is genuinely glad that she is now a part of the family.
When Keith arrives for a visit, he gets Francey to show Mrs. Morgan the dance steps to the "Big Apple". They get busy shuffling, doing the Susie Q, dropping the apple, and praising Allah. Mr. Morgan arrives and can't believe what his wife is up to. When the party disbands, he tells Francey that the best thing would be for her to give Peter up and leave town. Eventually, she decides that quick divorce might be better for all involved. However, Mrs. Morgan opposes her husband vehemently.
Upon hearing that Francey is leaving him, Peter decides to blacken his name in order for his father to think that Francey is too good for him. He gets drunk and prepares to teach a class in front of his father and a potential university donor. The result is hilarious. The donor can't keep a straight face, though Mr. Morgan is mortified at his son's behavior.
After class is dismissed, Peter gives his father a lesson in being a good husband, which makes his dad think twice about the way he's treated his own wife.
With his father's blessing, Peter and Francey are free to be together and begin their married life out of the shadows.
Cast rundown:
Ginger Rogers............................Francey Morgan
James Stewart...........................Prof. Peter Morgan
James Ellison.............................Keith Morgan
Beulah Bondi.............................Mrs. Morgan
Charles Coburn..........................Peter Morgan Sr.
Frances Mercer...........................Helen
Jack Carson...............................Charlie
Hattie McDaniel..........................Hattie
Franklin Pangborn.......................Apartment Manager
And that's all for Vivacious Lady. At the time, Ginger Rogers' legs were insured for $500,000. To save them from injury during the fight scene at the dance, her legs were strapped with boards and padded for protection. Rogers was cast first, and she recommended James Stewart, whom she was dating at the time, for the role opposite her.
