Thin Ice (1937)

Swiss hotel ski instructor (Henie) falls in love with a man (Power) who goes skiing every morning.

Director:

Sidney Lanfield

Writers:

Boris Ingster (screenplay), Milton Sperling (screenplay),

Stars:

Sonja Henie, Tyrone Power, Arthur Treacher

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sonja Henie	...	Lili Heiser
Tyrone Power	...	Prince Rudolph
Arthur Treacher	...	Nottingham
Raymond Walburn	...	Uncle Dornik
Joan Davis	...	Orchestra Leader
Sig Ruman	...	Prime Minister (as Sig Rumann)
Alan Hale	...	Baron
Leah Ray	...	Singer
Melville Cooper	...	Krantz
Maurice Cass	...	Count
George Givot	...	Alex
Greta Meyer	...	Martha
Egon Brecher	...	Janitor
Torben Meyer	...	Chauffeur
George Davis	...	Waiter

Storyline

Lili is a skating instructor at a grand hotel in the Alps. An international conference is booked at the hotel. The conference is led by Prince Rudolph, whose plan is really to keep a pair of feuding countries at odds with each other. Feining illness, the Prince moves into a small inn so he can enjoy some skiing in private -- and delay the conference. One morning he meets Lili on the slopes and they hit it off; but she has no idea her "Rudy" is the Prince. That evening Lili is seen leaving the Prince's car, having been given a ride home by her beau, a cousin of the Prince's chauffeur. Tongues wag and Lili is thought to be romantically involved with the Prince. This gets her lots of attention and a starring role in her own ice skating revue. But when she finds out people think she is involved with the Prince she is horrified, while Rudy is amused and plays along.

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Plot Keywords:

prince | conference | skiing | chauffeur | ice skating | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le Prince X

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original play opened in Budapest in 1922. An English translation of the play by Fanny Hatton and Frederic Hatton opened in New York on 23 October 1930 with the title "His Majesty's Car." It starred Miriam Hopkins and ran for 12 performances.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Steps Out (1941)

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Soundtracks

"Jingle Bells"
(uncredited)
Written by James Pierpont
Played as background music several times

User Reviews

Nothing special, but enjoyable

This is a rather ordinary romantic comedy with Henie and Power as the two lovers and the usual misunderstandings. It's not a great film(and a rather short one too), but the result is very pleasing indeed. Power is good as the young prince and Henie is especially notable for her skating skills. In the supporting cast, Joan Davis stands out as the orchestra leader and sings a couple of rather funny and touching songs. Made to entertain, which it mostly does. 6/10