Heavily inspired by the success that opera singer Gracie Moore had found with picture ONE NIGHT OF LOVE, the considerably less successful ENTER MADAME follows the turbulent relationship between an Opera prima donna (Elissa Landi) and a wealthy fan (Cary Grant) as her career frequently interferes with the quality of their off-again/on-again marriage. The Italian-born Landi (whose singing voice is agreeably dubbed by Nina Koshetz) captures the appropriate poise and aura of a true diva, and Grant lends her able support, but the two have no real chemistry in their scenes together, which causes much of the film to fizzle. Although the simple story is effectively plotted, nicely placed, and features winning supporting performances by Lynne Overman, Frank Albertson, and Adrian Rosley, the picture is simply never able to fully recover from the lack of interest in the relationship between to film's two central characters. It becomes difficult to care much about the characters played by Lundi and Grant after their admittedly entertaining first meeting, and this prevents the otherwise well-made film from rising above mediocrity.
8 Reviews
Cary Grant and the diva
Jimmy_the_Gent43 May 2018
Gerald Fitzgerald, an opera fan falls in love with temperamental diva Lisa Della Robbia, they marry but he finds that he must take a back seat to her career.
This is an entertaining comedy with nice performances, it kept my interest throughout the whole 83 minutes. Lisa has a funny entourage of doctor, maid and cook which invades Gerald's home when they come to America. Also on hand is Sharon Lynne, playing Gerald's new love interest after breaking up with Lisa. Lynne would later play the devious saloon girl in the Laurel and Hardy comedy "Way Out West". Grant is restrained most of the time but lets loose with his comedic talent in the last part where the film gets closer to farce. Worth seeing for Grant fans who want to view all of his films.
This is an entertaining comedy with nice performances, it kept my interest throughout the whole 83 minutes. Lisa has a funny entourage of doctor, maid and cook which invades Gerald's home when they come to America. Also on hand is Sharon Lynne, playing Gerald's new love interest after breaking up with Lisa. Lynne would later play the devious saloon girl in the Laurel and Hardy comedy "Way Out West". Grant is restrained most of the time but lets loose with his comedic talent in the last part where the film gets closer to farce. Worth seeing for Grant fans who want to view all of his films.
Nice Music
boblipton14 February 2021
Cary Grant shows up at the opera whenever Elissa Landi is singing (voice provided by Nina Koshetz), so they get married. Yet Miss Landi is always performing, and Grant tires of only seeing his wife on stage, so he sues for divorce so he can wed Sharon Lynn.
It's certainly well performed under the direction of Elliot Nugent, but between the diva persona of Miss Landi's diva, and Grant being basically her support, my net reaction is underwhelming. There are no other stars; the hope, I suppose, was that these two could carry the picture. Paul Porcasi is amusing as her chef, Lynn Overman her manager, but it's mostly about people wanting egg in their beer. See if you can spot Ann Sheridan in a tiny role while she was still Clara Lou Sheridan.
It's certainly well performed under the direction of Elliot Nugent, but between the diva persona of Miss Landi's diva, and Grant being basically her support, my net reaction is underwhelming. There are no other stars; the hope, I suppose, was that these two could carry the picture. Paul Porcasi is amusing as her chef, Lynn Overman her manager, but it's mostly about people wanting egg in their beer. See if you can spot Ann Sheridan in a tiny role while she was still Clara Lou Sheridan.
Opera singer marries a fan
bkoganbing12 May 2018
A not widely known Cary Grant film is Enter Madame which I've just seen. Other than for Cary Grant completists it's not one of his better efforts even from his early nurturing days at Paramount.
Billed first is Elissa Landi who plays an opera singer of whom Grant is a devoted admirer and rich enough to buy out a box above the stage at every performance. Once during a production of Tosca Landi's dress catches on fire and Grant gallantly leaps to the stage and puts out the fire saving her life. That gets the romance going and soon they're married.
But despite warnings from her manager Lynne Overman, Grant likes married life at first, but soon just becomes another part of her entourage. They separate and soon Grant wants a divorce to marry social climbing Sharon Lynne.
Landi and Grant really never develop a chemistry between them. The film is OK nothing more. Landi's singing is superb, it's also dubbed. In two years Grant played the husband to another opera singer Grace Moore who did not have to be dubbed. Still that one also was not one of his best.
And there's no way I believe Frank Albertson was Elissa Landi's brother, even as a half-brother.
This one is for devoted fans of Cary Grant and the opera.
Billed first is Elissa Landi who plays an opera singer of whom Grant is a devoted admirer and rich enough to buy out a box above the stage at every performance. Once during a production of Tosca Landi's dress catches on fire and Grant gallantly leaps to the stage and puts out the fire saving her life. That gets the romance going and soon they're married.
But despite warnings from her manager Lynne Overman, Grant likes married life at first, but soon just becomes another part of her entourage. They separate and soon Grant wants a divorce to marry social climbing Sharon Lynne.
Landi and Grant really never develop a chemistry between them. The film is OK nothing more. Landi's singing is superb, it's also dubbed. In two years Grant played the husband to another opera singer Grace Moore who did not have to be dubbed. Still that one also was not one of his best.
And there's no way I believe Frank Albertson was Elissa Landi's brother, even as a half-brother.
This one is for devoted fans of Cary Grant and the opera.
Good Cast but Not Enough Laughs
Michael_Elliott17 March 2017
Enter Madame! (1935)
** (out of 4)
Gerald Fitzgerald (Cary Grant) is a rabid opera fan who loves watching the talented and beautiful Lisa Della Robbia (Elissa Landi). By accident the two end up meeting and falling in love. They're quickly married and Gerald thinks he's got the greatest job in the world as a husband to an opera star. Pretty soon he starts to realize being second place to her career isn't much fun.
ENTER MADAME! is another early Cary Grant picture where the actor was pretty much been given lesser quality scripts and the end results pretty much show that. With that said, there's no question that this here was slightly better than KISS AND MAKE-UP as well as LADIES SHOULD LISTEN. Still, after three duds in a row, I guess we're lucky that Grant managed to keep getting pictures. Even though he's good in them, there's no question that none of them were all that impressive.
This one here is a decent romantic comedy where a love triangle is the subject. After Grant and Landi are married, he soon starts to realize that he might have been happier with his friend Flora (Sharon Lynn), which leads to a divorce and a new marriage. Soon more complications come into play and all three are battling it out. The scenario is interesting enough, if not that original, but very little is actually done with it and in the end there just aren't enough laughs to make it worth sitting through.
The saving grace to the picture are obviously the performances. Grant is in fine form as he plays the dashing and charming man. This is the type of character he could play with ease and he turns in a good performance. Landi pretty much plays a snob throughout the movie but she does a very good job with it and Lynn is also good as the opposite type of character. Ann Sheridan has a very small supporting role.
** (out of 4)
Gerald Fitzgerald (Cary Grant) is a rabid opera fan who loves watching the talented and beautiful Lisa Della Robbia (Elissa Landi). By accident the two end up meeting and falling in love. They're quickly married and Gerald thinks he's got the greatest job in the world as a husband to an opera star. Pretty soon he starts to realize being second place to her career isn't much fun.
ENTER MADAME! is another early Cary Grant picture where the actor was pretty much been given lesser quality scripts and the end results pretty much show that. With that said, there's no question that this here was slightly better than KISS AND MAKE-UP as well as LADIES SHOULD LISTEN. Still, after three duds in a row, I guess we're lucky that Grant managed to keep getting pictures. Even though he's good in them, there's no question that none of them were all that impressive.
This one here is a decent romantic comedy where a love triangle is the subject. After Grant and Landi are married, he soon starts to realize that he might have been happier with his friend Flora (Sharon Lynn), which leads to a divorce and a new marriage. Soon more complications come into play and all three are battling it out. The scenario is interesting enough, if not that original, but very little is actually done with it and in the end there just aren't enough laughs to make it worth sitting through.
The saving grace to the picture are obviously the performances. Grant is in fine form as he plays the dashing and charming man. This is the type of character he could play with ease and he turns in a good performance. Landi pretty much plays a snob throughout the movie but she does a very good job with it and Lynn is also good as the opposite type of character. Ann Sheridan has a very small supporting role.
Marry in haste, repent in leisure...
planktonrules28 October 2020
"Enter Madame!" begins with Gerald (Cary Grant) going to see an opera. He's smitten with the Prima Donna, Lisa Della Robbia (Elissa Landi)....and gets a set right up next to the stage. Out of the blue, an accident occurs and the lady's dress catches fire...and Gerald jumps on stage to save her. However, a stage hand released the curtain...and it knocks out Gerald after he's put out the fire. When he awakens, Lisa takes the injure man home to care for him. Very soon after, they are married. Unfortunately, Lisa's career and life choices make having a married life nearly impossible. And, once she loses him, she concocts a plan to try to trick Gerald into coming back to her.
Casting Cary Grant made sense, as although this is one of his early films, he already was well on his way to becoming a matinee idol. Landi, on the other hand, is an odd choice. While she is Italian, like many great opera singers, I could find nothing in what I read about her online which would indicate she ever sang opera or was known for her singing. I can only assume her singing was actually performed by someone else. This makes me wonder why they didn't just find an opera singer for the role, as Hollywood had a short infatuation in the 1930-40s with opera stars and tried to make several of them stars (such as Lawrence TIbbett and Grace Moore*). A few made it...though most of these sang operatic music but chose to act as opposed to doing opera full-time (such as Deanna Durbin, Nelson Eddy and Kathryn Grayson). So, it wasn't like the studio had to use an actress like Landi who wasn't actually a singer. If I am wrong about her singing, please let me know....but as I said, I could find NOTHING about her singing opera music.
So is it any good? Yes and no. Grant is very professional and exactly what you'd expect. Landi, on the other hand, is occasionally rather shrill...but I think the script and director probably instructed her to overact and scream a lot...like a stereotypical temperamental opera star. I don't know for sure...but it was not exactly subtle and should have been toned down a bit. The same can be said about a few of the supporting characters as well. Enjoyable but far from a must-see unless you are a die-hard Cary Grant fan.
*By the way, Grant DID star in a film with Ms. Moore ("When You're in Love"), a genuine opera star. Sadly, the Grace Moore films I have seen weren't particularly distinguished and her career in movies was rather brief.
Casting Cary Grant made sense, as although this is one of his early films, he already was well on his way to becoming a matinee idol. Landi, on the other hand, is an odd choice. While she is Italian, like many great opera singers, I could find nothing in what I read about her online which would indicate she ever sang opera or was known for her singing. I can only assume her singing was actually performed by someone else. This makes me wonder why they didn't just find an opera singer for the role, as Hollywood had a short infatuation in the 1930-40s with opera stars and tried to make several of them stars (such as Lawrence TIbbett and Grace Moore*). A few made it...though most of these sang operatic music but chose to act as opposed to doing opera full-time (such as Deanna Durbin, Nelson Eddy and Kathryn Grayson). So, it wasn't like the studio had to use an actress like Landi who wasn't actually a singer. If I am wrong about her singing, please let me know....but as I said, I could find NOTHING about her singing opera music.
So is it any good? Yes and no. Grant is very professional and exactly what you'd expect. Landi, on the other hand, is occasionally rather shrill...but I think the script and director probably instructed her to overact and scream a lot...like a stereotypical temperamental opera star. I don't know for sure...but it was not exactly subtle and should have been toned down a bit. The same can be said about a few of the supporting characters as well. Enjoyable but far from a must-see unless you are a die-hard Cary Grant fan.
*By the way, Grant DID star in a film with Ms. Moore ("When You're in Love"), a genuine opera star. Sadly, the Grace Moore films I have seen weren't particularly distinguished and her career in movies was rather brief.
This is not a movie
marthawilcox183127 June 2014
Having watched Cary Grant in 'North by Northwest', I wanted to learn more about his track record leading up to 'North by Northwest' by watching this film. Don't waste your time on this poorly made film. No wonder it hasn't stood the test of time and has been hard to find for decades. It fails to provide any entertainment value nor are there any interesting characters that we can hook our viewing on. It was produced by Paramount Pictures, but it is not a movie. It's not even a stage play. I don't know what it is or why it got made, and I can understand why this is one of Cary Grant's lesser known films because it is not a movie. However, I understand that to build a career you are going to have some projects that are non-events.
Wonderful love story with comedy and superb cast
SimonJack12 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Enter Madame!" is a wonderful love story and comedy, played superbly by Elissa Landi and Cary Grant. She plays Lisa Dela Robbia, a famous opera star (singing dubbed by Nina Koshetz), living in and touring Europe. He plays a wealthy young American, Gerald Fitzgerald, who reserves the same front stage-right theatre box for every one of her performances. They fall in love and marry. The story is about that love and whether or not it can survive with the life and schedule of a famous opera star. Her manager, Mr. Farnum (played by Lynne Overman) puts the matter to Gerald directly.
Farnum, "Think you can take it?" Gerald, "What do you mean?" Farnum, "I mean, have you any idea what it's like being married to an opera singer? " Gerald, "Sure. I think I'm the luckiest man in the world." Farnum, "You'll have to be." Lisa, "Farnum, what a horrible thing to say." Farnum, "I'm not talking against you, madame. It's your job."
The film opens with Lisa in the final scene of La Tosca, and Gerald in his box watching with a woman friend, Flora Preston (played by Sharon Lynn). When a candle tips and Lisa's flowing gown catches fire, Gerald spots it first and calls out, "Madame!" as he jumps out of his box onto the stage (only about three feet above it and away). The actors are alarmed and the audience begins to panic as Gerald stamps the garment and kicks it aside. A stagehand immediately loosens a boom curtain and it falls and hits Gerald on the head. He is knocked unconscious as Lisa fawns over him for rescuing her.
She calls for a doctor and as she cradles Gerald's head, Flora makes her way onto the stage. The conversation between them is the opening salvo of comedy. Lisa, "You are his wife?" Flora, "No." Lisa, "His, uh, friend?" Flora, "Yes." Lisa, "Oh." Flora, "No! Not what you mean. Not at all." Lisa, "Good! I must take him to my villa."
The production qualities of this film are very good. Adolph Zukor produced the film and Elliott Nugent directed it. The photography and camera work are excellent. The film has wonderful imagery and symbolism. When Gerald is recuperating at the villa, a garden scene has him sitting on the veranda and Lisa putting a cold towel on his forehead. As they sit holding hands and two of her servants stand approvingly in the garden nearby, doves flutter into the scene and land.
In most of his more than two dozen comedy-romance films, Cary Grant's characters seem always to have a little humor on the fringe of the romance. That's what makes them comedy-romances, I suspect, rather than love stories. While "Enter Madame!" is billed as a comedy and romance, I think it is more a comedy and a love story. In this film, one doesn't get the sense of some hijinks, joke or other humor lurking around the couple. Instead, one has a sense of real love between the characters.
Grant made two other films that had an aura of true love – "Penny Serenade" of 1941 and "An Affair to Remember" of 1957. But, this was his first film in which the comedy takes second place. It fades into the background when amour enters the scene. Another reviewer said there was no chemistry between Grant and Elissa Landi in this film. I wonder if we had watched the same movie. After reading that review I watched the film again. This time, the love between the two characters became even more apparent.
Look at how Grant fixes his attention on Landi when they are together. He dotes on her. He lavishes smiles and looks of love on her. And she, in turn, looks with adoring eyes at him. What these two wonderful performers portray in this film is true love, deep affection, and longing fondness that says "I don't want to be apart from you." If that isn't chemistry, I don't know what is.
Both of these stars had many films behind them. This is the only movie they would make together. Grant would go on to have many hit movies – comedies, mysteries and dramas. But, Landi would make only half a dozen more films before she would return to the stage and writing. She was a novelist whose first love was writing, although none of her books stayed in publication much beyond the mid-20th century.
Landi was a very talented actress, having started in film in Europe. There were high hopes for her when she came to America for films in the 1920s and 1930s. She did have a few big hits, but more of her films were no better than average. Reviews of the time generally praised her work as the only thing that saved some of the poor stories. Judging from what those films were, it seems that the studios too often didn't give her very good material. She is superb in her roles of "The Yellow Ticket" of 1931 in England, Cecil B. DeMille's "The Sign of the Cross" of 1932, "The Count of Monte Cristo" of 1934, and "After the Thin Man" of 1936. After 1937 she retired from films to devote her time to writing with some stage work. She made one more film that was panned in 1943, and died of cancer in 1948 at age 43.
While the plot of this film is built around opera, it just has doses here and there. Opera fans may be disappointed, but those who don't care for opera should find it quite tolerable. Everyone should enjoy the humor and the warmth of this beautiful love story. An excellent supporting cast all do their part as well, to make it enjoyable.
Farnum, "Think you can take it?" Gerald, "What do you mean?" Farnum, "I mean, have you any idea what it's like being married to an opera singer? " Gerald, "Sure. I think I'm the luckiest man in the world." Farnum, "You'll have to be." Lisa, "Farnum, what a horrible thing to say." Farnum, "I'm not talking against you, madame. It's your job."
The film opens with Lisa in the final scene of La Tosca, and Gerald in his box watching with a woman friend, Flora Preston (played by Sharon Lynn). When a candle tips and Lisa's flowing gown catches fire, Gerald spots it first and calls out, "Madame!" as he jumps out of his box onto the stage (only about three feet above it and away). The actors are alarmed and the audience begins to panic as Gerald stamps the garment and kicks it aside. A stagehand immediately loosens a boom curtain and it falls and hits Gerald on the head. He is knocked unconscious as Lisa fawns over him for rescuing her.
She calls for a doctor and as she cradles Gerald's head, Flora makes her way onto the stage. The conversation between them is the opening salvo of comedy. Lisa, "You are his wife?" Flora, "No." Lisa, "His, uh, friend?" Flora, "Yes." Lisa, "Oh." Flora, "No! Not what you mean. Not at all." Lisa, "Good! I must take him to my villa."
The production qualities of this film are very good. Adolph Zukor produced the film and Elliott Nugent directed it. The photography and camera work are excellent. The film has wonderful imagery and symbolism. When Gerald is recuperating at the villa, a garden scene has him sitting on the veranda and Lisa putting a cold towel on his forehead. As they sit holding hands and two of her servants stand approvingly in the garden nearby, doves flutter into the scene and land.
In most of his more than two dozen comedy-romance films, Cary Grant's characters seem always to have a little humor on the fringe of the romance. That's what makes them comedy-romances, I suspect, rather than love stories. While "Enter Madame!" is billed as a comedy and romance, I think it is more a comedy and a love story. In this film, one doesn't get the sense of some hijinks, joke or other humor lurking around the couple. Instead, one has a sense of real love between the characters.
Grant made two other films that had an aura of true love – "Penny Serenade" of 1941 and "An Affair to Remember" of 1957. But, this was his first film in which the comedy takes second place. It fades into the background when amour enters the scene. Another reviewer said there was no chemistry between Grant and Elissa Landi in this film. I wonder if we had watched the same movie. After reading that review I watched the film again. This time, the love between the two characters became even more apparent.
Look at how Grant fixes his attention on Landi when they are together. He dotes on her. He lavishes smiles and looks of love on her. And she, in turn, looks with adoring eyes at him. What these two wonderful performers portray in this film is true love, deep affection, and longing fondness that says "I don't want to be apart from you." If that isn't chemistry, I don't know what is.
Both of these stars had many films behind them. This is the only movie they would make together. Grant would go on to have many hit movies – comedies, mysteries and dramas. But, Landi would make only half a dozen more films before she would return to the stage and writing. She was a novelist whose first love was writing, although none of her books stayed in publication much beyond the mid-20th century.
Landi was a very talented actress, having started in film in Europe. There were high hopes for her when she came to America for films in the 1920s and 1930s. She did have a few big hits, but more of her films were no better than average. Reviews of the time generally praised her work as the only thing that saved some of the poor stories. Judging from what those films were, it seems that the studios too often didn't give her very good material. She is superb in her roles of "The Yellow Ticket" of 1931 in England, Cecil B. DeMille's "The Sign of the Cross" of 1932, "The Count of Monte Cristo" of 1934, and "After the Thin Man" of 1936. After 1937 she retired from films to devote her time to writing with some stage work. She made one more film that was panned in 1943, and died of cancer in 1948 at age 43.
While the plot of this film is built around opera, it just has doses here and there. Opera fans may be disappointed, but those who don't care for opera should find it quite tolerable. Everyone should enjoy the humor and the warmth of this beautiful love story. An excellent supporting cast all do their part as well, to make it enjoyable.
See also
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