The Merry Widow (1934)

 

The Merry Widow - 1934

Coming up next we have 1934's "The Merry Widow", a story about a wealthy widow who holds the fate of a European country in the form of her taxes.  The king sends a man to woo her, but it won't be as easy as he hopes.

The film's cast includes Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Edward Everett Horton, Una Merkel, George Barbier, Minna Gombell, Sterling Holloway, Donald Meek, and Ferdinand Munier.

Charming playboy Count Danilo is in distress.  For the first time, he sees a woman in Marshovia, a European kingdom, that he doesn't know.  This woman drives by in her carriage hiding her face behind a mask.

This woman is Madame Sonia, a very wealthy widow.  In fact, she owns 52% of Marshovia, and is one of the most powerful women in the country because of it.  She's beautiful and has a singing voice like an angel.

Danilo sneaks into her estate at night and meets with her.  He tells her that he's longing to make her better acquaintance, but she refuses to remove her veil.  "Tell me, your eyes, are they blue or brown?  Are you pretty or beautiful?," he asks her longingly.  "Gorgeous!" she replies.

Tiring of Danilo's forwardness and presumptuous nature, Sonia sends him on his way and retreats back into her huge home.

As her maids get her ready for bed, we find that Sonia is very dedicated to her mourning.  Everything she wears is black.  Even her dog is black.

Once the maids withdraw, Sonia opens the doors to the balcony and listens to the music from a tavern across the way from her house.  She sings along.  Everyone is captivated as she sings "Vilia".

Soon, Sonia decides that she's through with mourning.  Everything dark is now changed to lighter colors (even the dog!).  She has also made the decision to leave Marshovia and move to Paris.

Furious that Sonia is leaving the country and could possibly get remarried to someone that doesn't have Marshovia's interests at heart and could have her remove her money, the King is desperate for a plan.  He goes to see the Queen and finds her in a compromising situation with the amorous Danilo.  "No, no, Dolores.  That’s not right.  You know well enough I have to go down in history as Achmed the Great.  And how do you cooperate?  Falling in love with the captain of the guard.  That’s hitting below the crown," he tells her.

However, the King gets an idea.  He decides to send Danilo to Paris (a city which he knows very well) in an effort to woo Sonia back to the country.  Danilo is very happy to be going back to his favorite city in the world.

He's going to have to work fast.  There is already quite a line of men who are interested in courting the beautiful Sonia.

Before he gets down to the business at hand, Danilo decides to head for Maxim's "where all the girls are dreams.  Each kiss goes on the wine list, and mine is quite a fine list!"

Sonia follows him there (having heard him pass in the street).  She decides to have a little fun with him.  Since he doesn't know who she is, she pretends that she works in the famous cabaret and goes by the name of Fifi.  Naturally, the flirtatious Danilo wants to spend as much time with this new girl as possible.

During the course of the evening, Sonia finds out that all of Danilo's attentions aren't headed for a long-term commitment.  And she leaves.  Danilo is crushed, having never been refused by a girl before.  He also finds out that he has developed real feelings for "Fifi".

At a party at the Marshovian Embassy, the Ambassador tells Danilo that the King has commanded that he marry Sonia.  Danilo is less than thrilled with the idea of marrying a complete stranger.

However, when they are introduced, Danilo changes his mind.  He now knows that "Fifi" and the masked woman from Marshovia are one and the same.  Sonia isn't happy at all.  But, before the evening is out Danilo has convinced her that he is going to give up his playboy ways for her.

Trouble brews for the couple during the course of the evening in the form of a misunderstanding, and Sonia decides to cast him off forever.

Back home in Marshovia, news that Sonia has refused to marry Danilo has reached the ears of the King and Queen.  "Looks like exile to me," says Queen Dolores, knowing that they will be run out of the country for failing to secure its most wealthy citizen.

The King gets busy packing up the palace.  He gets his crown and wraps it in newspaper so that it can be packed away.

Don't worry.  Everything turns out alright.  Sonia and Danilo do get together, albeit in a very unconventional way engineered by the King.  Danilo tells Sonia that any man who can dance through life with hundreds of women and is willing to walk through life with one should be married.

Cast rundown:

   Maurice Chevalier............................Count Danilo

   Jeanette MacDonald........................Madame Sonia

   Edward Everett Horton.....................Ambassador Popoff

   Una Merkel....................................Queen Dolores

   George Barbier...............................King Achmed II

   Minna Gombell................................Marcelle

   Sterling Holloway............................Orderly Mishka

   Donald Meek...................................Valet

   Ferdinand Munier.............................Jailer

And that's all for The Merry Widow.  This was the final film that Jeanette Macdonald and Maurice Chevalier appeared in together.  Though extremely popular and financially successful and was the top-grossing film of 1934, the two actors were at odds during the filming.  And their relationship was fast deteriorating.  He called her a "prude" and she called him a "bottom pincher".

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The Thin Man (1934)

The Thin Man - 1934

Coming up next is 1934's "The Thin Man", a film which follows super sleuth Nick Charles and his wife, Nora, as they solve a murder on their honeymoon.  This film was insanely popular when it was released and spawned the production of five sequels.

The film's cast includes William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Porter Hall, Henry Wadsworth, William Henry, Harold Huber, Cesar Romero, Natalie Moorhead, Edward Ellis, Edward Brophy, and Asta.

Clyde Wynant (The Thin Man) is a man who is going on a business trip.  He promises to be back for his daughter's forthcoming marriage.  On his way out of town, he visits his secretary/girlfriend Julia to find out what happened to $50,000 in bonds that he wants to make as a wedding present to his daughter.  He is never heard from again.

Clyde's disappearance becomes all the more strange when Julia is found murdered in her apartment.

Enter Nick and Nora Charles (with their lovable dog Asta), who are honeymooning in New York.  Nick is a retired detective, and Nora is a wealthy heiress.  Clyde's daughter meets Nick by chance and asks him to take the case and find out what happened to her father.  Nora also wants a chance to see Nick in action.  "You know, it sounds like an interesting case.  Why don't you take it?" asks Nora.  Nick smiles and says, "I haven't time.  I'm much too busy seeing that you don't lose any of the money I married you for."  Nick ultimately gives in and takes the case.

And the suspect list is an interesting one.  We have Clyde's ex-wife, Mimi, and her new husband.  Mimi is desperate for money, and her husband is ready to walk out on her.

And gangster Joe Morelli is mixed up somehow too.  When Nick suggests that Morelli talk to the police, Morelli scoffs, "That’d be very smart.  That’s be about the smartest thing I ever did.  Me!  The police captain’s been in the hospital three weeks on account of we had an argument.  The boys would like for me to come in and ask questions."

There's an ex-con who knows a little too much about what really happened at the time that Julia was murdered.

And Clyde's attorney and representative claims to be in contact with Clyde.  Yet no one has seen or heard from him themselves.

Clyde's children even come under suspicion for a while, especially his son, who is obsessed with criminal psychology.

Eventually, Nick figures it all out.  In order to confront everyone, he decides to have Nora throw a big, fancy dinner with all the suspects as the honored guests.

The gathered guests listen anxiously as Nick tells them what he thinks happened to Clyde and who murdered Julia.

He must be on the right track, because suddenly a gun is produced and shots are fired, narrowly missing Nick.  The suspect is then arrested.

Nora rushes to Nick's side and tells him that he could've been killed.  She is so thankful that he isn't a detective.  Nick's mouth drops open in amazement as he remembers that it was Nora who insisted that he take the case in the first place.  After it's all over, Nick and Nora get on a train and head home to San Francisco.

Cast rundown:

   William Powell..................................Nick Charles

   Myrna Loy........................................Nora Charles

   Maureen O'Sullivan...........................Dorothy Wynant

   Nat Pendleton...................................Lt. John Guild

   Minna Gombell..................................Mimi Wynant Jorgensen

   Porter Hall........................................Herbert MacCauley

   Henry Wadsworth..............................Tommy

   William Henry...................................Gilbert Wynant

   Harold Huber.....................................Arthur Nunheim

   Cesar Romero...................................Chris Jorgensen

   Natalie Moorhead...............................Julia Wolf

   Edward Ellis......................................Clyde Wynant

   Edward Brophy...................................Joe Morelli

   Asta.................................................Asta

And that's all for The Thin Man.  It's the only one of the Thin Man films that is actually based on the novel of the same name.  I love the interactions between Nick and Nora, and the way that their dialogue is so naturally funny.  When Nora fears that Nick is doing something too dangerous, she tells him that he brought her to New York to make a widow out of her.  Nick says, "You wouldn't be a widow long."  Nora coyly smiles and says, "You bet I wouldn't."  Casually, Nick remarks, "Not with all your money."

Of course one of the best characters in the film is Asta.  In her memoirs, Myrna Loy said that the actors were not allowed to interact with the dog between takes.  Asta (or Skippy as he was then called) was a highly trained canine who was rewarded for his stunts with a squeaky mouse and a biscuit.

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