Grand Hotel (1932)

Director:

Edmund Goulding

Writers:

Vicki Baum (by)
William A. Drake (play)
(more)

Release Date:

11 September 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Thank The Stars For A Great Entertainment !

Plot:

A group of very different individuals staying at a luxurious hotel in Berlin deal with each of their respective dramas.

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Baron | Dancer | Bookkeeper | Doctor

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Greta Garbo	...	Grusinskaya - the Dancer
John Barrymore	...	The Baron
Joan Crawford	...	Flaemmchen - the Stenographer
Wallace Beery	...	General Director Preysing
Lionel Barrymore	...	Otto Kringelein
Lewis Stone	...	Doctor Otternschlag
Jean Hersholt	...	Senf - the Porter
Robert McWade	...	Meierheim (as Robert Mc Wade)
Purnell Pratt	...	Zinnowitz (as Purnell B. Pratt)
Ferdinand Gottschalk	...	Pimenov
Rafaela Ottiano	...	Suzette
Morgan Wallace	...	Chauffeur
Tully Marshall	...	Gerstenkorn
Frank Conroy	...	Rohna
Murray Kinnell	...	Schweimann
Edwin Maxwell	...	Dr. Waitz
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joan Barclay	...	Young Girl in Lobby (uncredited)
Max Barwyn	...	Hotel Guest / Gambler (uncredited)
Edward Biby	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Mary Carlisle	...	Mrs. Hoffman - Young Honeymooner (uncredited)
John Davidson	...	Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Wally Dean	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Clerk (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Curt Furburg	...	Elevator Operator (uncredited)
Edmund Goulding	...	Cameo Appearance (uncredited)
Sherry Hall	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Milton Holmes	...	Mr. Hoffman - Young Honeymooner (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
Sydney Jarvis	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Allen Jenkins	...	Hotel Meat Packer (uncredited)
Robert Lees	...	Bellboy (uncredited)
Eric Mayne	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Philo McCullough	...	Hotel Guest / Gambler (uncredited)
Sam McDaniel	...	Bartender (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Greta Meyer	...	Housekeeper in Room 174 (uncredited)
King Mojave	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Sarah Padden	...	Chambermaid in Room 174 (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Edward Reinach	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Bodil Rosing	...	Nurse Helping Old Lady Into Elevator (uncredited)
Dick Rush	...	Gendarme (uncredited)
Rolfe Sedan	...	Hotel Guest in Bar (uncredited)
Mike Tellegen	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Leo White	...	Hotel Porter (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Worker (uncredited)
Florence Wix	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Edmund Goulding

Writing credits
Vicki Baum		(by)
William A. Drake		(play "Grand Hotel")
Béla Balázs		uncredited
William A. Drake		adaptation (uncredited)

Produced by
Irving Thalberg	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Charles Maxwell		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
William H. Daniels		(as William Daniels)

Film Editing by
Blanche Sewell

Casting by
Benjamin Thau		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Costume Design by
Adrian

Makeup Department
Cecil Holland	....	makeup department head (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Dorian	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
Anstruther MacDonald	....	sound engineer (uncredited)
Karl Zint	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Fred Archer	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Milton Brown	....	still photographer (uncredited)
A. Lindsley Lane	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
William Riley	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Albert Scheving	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
William Axt	....	composer: title music (uncredited)
Herbert Stothart	....	musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Paul Bern	....	supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation (MGM) (1932) (USA) (theatrical) (as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1932) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1933) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Moldavia-Film (1935) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1962) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1993) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Filmipaja (1965) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Esselte Video (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Reserva Especial (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (2008) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1969) (1975) (1981) (1987) (1993) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

112 min (Turner library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Portugal:17 (original rating) | South Korea:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) | Norway:16 (1933) | Sweden:15 | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | New Zealand:PG | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16 (1933) | Finland:S (1965) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #2276-R: 13 May 1936 for re-release)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

During the filming of the busy lobby scenes, the actors wore socks over their shoes to prevent noise. Reportedly two hundred pairs of woolen socks were worn out daily.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of the scene in which the Baron asks Flaemmchen for a date, he moves from behind her left shoulder to behind her right shoulder twice. Also, the Baron's cigarette seems to disappear without any indication he put it out.

Quotes:

Baron Felix von Geigern:[looking down from the sixth-floor balcony over the front desk] You know, I've often wondered what'd happen to that old porter if somebody jumped on him from here.
Flaemmchen:I'm sure I don't know. Why don't you try it and find out?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mannequin (1987)

Soundtrack:

Lovable

Check Into This Establishment

A world-weary prima ballerina, desperate for love. A noble cat thief, desperate for money. A dying clerk, out on a last fling. His industrialist boss, passionate & brutal. A pretty young stenographer, willing to do almost anything to get ahead. A hotel bell captain, anxious to hear about his pregnant wife. And a cynical, war-scarred doctor. Destiny awaits them all in one of Europe's most renowned establishments - Berlin's GRAND HOTEL.

This is considered to be the first `all star' movie. It was certainly MGM's most opulent film up to that time. The studio loaded it with an A List of star performers:

Greta Garbo, uttering her trademark phrase, `I want to be alone.' Radiant in love, one can only imagine the despair that awaits her after the film ends.

John Barrymore, suave, sophisticated & ultimately tragic.

Lionel Barrymore, in a performance that will stay in your memory, slowly dying.

Wallace Beery in a heavy role, all bullying bluff & bluster.

Joan Crawford, tough as nails & good as gold.

Lewis Stone, Jean Hersholt, Rafaela Ottiano & Ferdinand Gottschalk all lend sterling support.

There was concern that putting so much talent into one film, instead of spreading the stars out over 4 or 5 films, would lose the studio money. Not to worry. It was a great success, financially & critically. Watch how the plot weaves the threads of the characters' lives into a finished tapestry. One of the great movies. Tremendously satisfying.