I MARRIED AN ANGEL (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1942) directed by W.S. Van Dyke, marks the eighth and final screen collaboration of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, one of Hollywood's beloved love teams. While memorably paired in such operatic classics as NAUGHTY MARIETTA (1935), ROSE MARIE (1936) and what many regard their best film together, MAYTIME (1937), MacDonald and Eddy continued romancing and singing to the delight of their fans with THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST (1938), SWEETHEARTS (1938), NEW MOON (1940) and BITTERSWEET (1940). Though they are best remembered for their singing against European period backdrops, somehow MacDonald and Eddy found their way into something quite different - a modern-day musical-comedy fantasy based on a successful Broadway play starring Dennis King, Vera Zorina, Vivienne Segal and Walter Slezak. Though these actors might have starred in the film version of the play, as it turned out, casting stronger marque names as MacDonald and Eddy cast against type were selected. What might have proved something different and favorable actually had fans and critics of the day labeling I MARRIED AN ANGEL to be their biggest mistake.
Set in "Budapest in the gay days of not so long ago," the down-to-earth story introduces Anna Zador (Jeanette MacDonald) coming to work riding her bicycle. A stenographer at the Palaffi Bank for six years, Anna silently loves its owner, a wealthy playboy, Count Willie Palaffi (Nelson Eddy). Palaffi hardly notices Anna, who spends his carefree days partying with other women and flirting with bank secretaries. In his absence, he has Herman Rothbart (Reginald Owen), affectionately called "Whiskers," the family business associate, to assume bank responsibilities instead of him. Invited to his upcoming birthday party with guests coming in costumes, Marika (Mona Maris), at the advise of "Whiskers," has Anna invited to attend dressed as an Angel with wings and halo. With Whiskers feeling the 35-year-old Willie should be married by now, he finds Anna would be a good influence on him. After dancing with Anna at his costume party, Willie, who feels Anna not to his liking, excuses himself to his upstairs room where he falls asleep, dreaming of himself marrying Brigitta, an angel in the image of Anna, and finding out what it's like having her as his wife.
Seen in the supporting cast are Edward Everett Horton (Peter); Binnie Barnes (Peggy from Paris); Douglass Dumbrille (Baron Szigetti); with Gino Corrado, Leonid Kinskey, Maude Eburne and Gertrude Hoffman in smaller roles. The songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart include: "There Comes a Time," "Tira Lira La," "An Angel Appears," "I Married an Angel," "I'll Tell the Man in the Street," "Hey, Butcher!" "Spring is Here," "Vallaneile," "To Count Palaffi," "I Married an Angel," "May I Present the Girl," "Tira Lira La," "I Married an Angel," "But What of Truth?" Surreal operatic montage of "Margarita," with Hawaiian dance of "Aloha Oe"; "I Married an Angel," and "Spring is Here." Of its bright scoring, the title tune comes off best.
Had I MARRIED AN ANGEL been produced ten years earlier by Paramount under its direction by Ernst Lubitsch, and featuring Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Edward Everett Horton, with Kay Francis and Genevieve Tobin in the Maris and Barnes roles, chances are this might have been as delightful as the other Chevalier and MacDonald's actual musicals of ONE HOUR WITH YOU or Rouben Mamoulian's LOVE ME TONIGHT (both 1932). Coming a decade later proved ill-timed for the team, especially with changing tastes is audience acceptance of film noir mysteries or World War II dramas high in box-office receipts at the time. The MGM 1942 treatment of I MARRIED AN ANGEL starts off amusingly well, even resembling that of an Ernst Lubitsch musical of a decade ago, down to Lubitsch stock players as Robert Greig and Tyler Brooke in minor support, along with cast members participating in recitations and songs. In fact, the song interludes prove better than the story material provided. Regardless of how the cast tries hard to make the situations work, at least Horton and Barnes manage to brighten up the proceedings with their humorous individual support. And what other movie can one find the sophisticated MacDonald becoming hip by 1940s standards doing a jitterbug-dance to swing music opposite Binnie Barnes.
I MARRIED AN ANGEL shows MacDonald and Eddy can do comedy, but somehow the weakness falls mostly during its dream sequence. Though highlighted by MacDonald's Angel insulting guests unintentionally by telling the truth (since Angels never tell lies), it lessens the mood as the truthful Angel becomes a woman of the world lying her way back into the confidence of those she earlier insulted. The movie in general should have worked, but really doesn't fit MacDonald and Eddy screen personas. As it turned out, I MARRIED AN ANGEL ended their on-screen relationship. Though MacDonald starred in three more MGM productions until her retirement in 1948, Eddy's long association with the studio came to an end with this film. A pity because I MARRIED AN ANGEL had fine potential. Interestingly, a similar titled-comedy, I MARRIED A WITCH (United Artists, 1942), starring Fredric March and Veronica Lake, proved so much better.
Being the least discussed or televised of the MacDonald-Eddy musicals over the years, I MARRIED AN ANGEL available on video cassette (in 1989) and later DVD, often appears on cable television's Turner Classic Movies along with other MacDonald and Eddy angel cake delights. (** harps)
Set in "Budapest in the gay days of not so long ago," the down-to-earth story introduces Anna Zador (Jeanette MacDonald) coming to work riding her bicycle. A stenographer at the Palaffi Bank for six years, Anna silently loves its owner, a wealthy playboy, Count Willie Palaffi (Nelson Eddy). Palaffi hardly notices Anna, who spends his carefree days partying with other women and flirting with bank secretaries. In his absence, he has Herman Rothbart (Reginald Owen), affectionately called "Whiskers," the family business associate, to assume bank responsibilities instead of him. Invited to his upcoming birthday party with guests coming in costumes, Marika (Mona Maris), at the advise of "Whiskers," has Anna invited to attend dressed as an Angel with wings and halo. With Whiskers feeling the 35-year-old Willie should be married by now, he finds Anna would be a good influence on him. After dancing with Anna at his costume party, Willie, who feels Anna not to his liking, excuses himself to his upstairs room where he falls asleep, dreaming of himself marrying Brigitta, an angel in the image of Anna, and finding out what it's like having her as his wife.
Seen in the supporting cast are Edward Everett Horton (Peter); Binnie Barnes (Peggy from Paris); Douglass Dumbrille (Baron Szigetti); with Gino Corrado, Leonid Kinskey, Maude Eburne and Gertrude Hoffman in smaller roles. The songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart include: "There Comes a Time," "Tira Lira La," "An Angel Appears," "I Married an Angel," "I'll Tell the Man in the Street," "Hey, Butcher!" "Spring is Here," "Vallaneile," "To Count Palaffi," "I Married an Angel," "May I Present the Girl," "Tira Lira La," "I Married an Angel," "But What of Truth?" Surreal operatic montage of "Margarita," with Hawaiian dance of "Aloha Oe"; "I Married an Angel," and "Spring is Here." Of its bright scoring, the title tune comes off best.
Had I MARRIED AN ANGEL been produced ten years earlier by Paramount under its direction by Ernst Lubitsch, and featuring Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Edward Everett Horton, with Kay Francis and Genevieve Tobin in the Maris and Barnes roles, chances are this might have been as delightful as the other Chevalier and MacDonald's actual musicals of ONE HOUR WITH YOU or Rouben Mamoulian's LOVE ME TONIGHT (both 1932). Coming a decade later proved ill-timed for the team, especially with changing tastes is audience acceptance of film noir mysteries or World War II dramas high in box-office receipts at the time. The MGM 1942 treatment of I MARRIED AN ANGEL starts off amusingly well, even resembling that of an Ernst Lubitsch musical of a decade ago, down to Lubitsch stock players as Robert Greig and Tyler Brooke in minor support, along with cast members participating in recitations and songs. In fact, the song interludes prove better than the story material provided. Regardless of how the cast tries hard to make the situations work, at least Horton and Barnes manage to brighten up the proceedings with their humorous individual support. And what other movie can one find the sophisticated MacDonald becoming hip by 1940s standards doing a jitterbug-dance to swing music opposite Binnie Barnes.
I MARRIED AN ANGEL shows MacDonald and Eddy can do comedy, but somehow the weakness falls mostly during its dream sequence. Though highlighted by MacDonald's Angel insulting guests unintentionally by telling the truth (since Angels never tell lies), it lessens the mood as the truthful Angel becomes a woman of the world lying her way back into the confidence of those she earlier insulted. The movie in general should have worked, but really doesn't fit MacDonald and Eddy screen personas. As it turned out, I MARRIED AN ANGEL ended their on-screen relationship. Though MacDonald starred in three more MGM productions until her retirement in 1948, Eddy's long association with the studio came to an end with this film. A pity because I MARRIED AN ANGEL had fine potential. Interestingly, a similar titled-comedy, I MARRIED A WITCH (United Artists, 1942), starring Fredric March and Veronica Lake, proved so much better.
Being the least discussed or televised of the MacDonald-Eddy musicals over the years, I MARRIED AN ANGEL available on video cassette (in 1989) and later DVD, often appears on cable television's Turner Classic Movies along with other MacDonald and Eddy angel cake delights. (** harps)