The Ice Follies of 1939 (1939)

Mary and Larry are are a modestly successful skating team. Shortly after their marriage, Mary gets a picture contract, while Larry is sitting at home, out of work. To prove that he can ... See full summary »

Director:

Reinhold Schünzel

Writers:

Leonard Praskins (screenplay), Florence Ryerson (screenplay),

Stars:

Joan Crawford, James Stewart, Lew Ayres

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joan Crawford	...	Mary McKay
James Stewart	...	Larry Hall
Lew Ayres	...	Eddie Burgess
Lewis Stone	...	Douglas Tolliver Jr.
The International Ice Follies	...	Themselves
Bess Ehrhardt	...	Kitty Sherman
Roy Shipstad	...	Himself - Ice Follies Skater
Eddie Shipstad	...	Himself - Ice Follies Skater
Oscar Johnson	...	Himself - Ice Follies Skater
Lionel Stander	...	Mort Hodges
Charles D. Brown	...	Barney

Storyline

Mary and Larry are are a modestly successful skating team. Shortly after their marriage, Mary gets a picture contract, while Larry is sitting at home, out of work. To prove that he can accomplish things on his own, he leaves Hollywood and convinces a former partner to put on an ice revue in Canada. The show is a huge success, but it makes it impossible for him to be with his wife, but the studio boss has a wonderful idea.

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Plot Keywords:

contract | marriage | drunkenness | statue of liberty new york city | cross dresser | 

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Taglines:

Sparkling With Stars, Gaiety, Music!

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Genres:

Musical | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 March 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Apigorevmenos Paradeisos

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A large number of actors listed in studio records did not appear in the movie: Charles Williams (Max Morton), Eddie Conrad (Hal Gibbs), Mary Forbes (Lady Hilda), Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer (Small Boy), Darla Hood (Sister) and Armand Kaliz (Count). The movie was heavily edited; 'Joan Crawford' recorded three songs, all of which were cut.

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Goofs

Bess Ehrhardt is billed and introduced as 'Kitty Sherman', but an advertising placard in the movie uses her real name along with character names of some other actors.

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Quotes

Larry Hall: Stars are a million miles apart; they never touch. They live away from each other, cold and lonely - like we'll have to do.

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Connections

Referenced in Electrical Power (1938)

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Soundtracks

"Blackbirds"
(1938) (uncredited)
Written by Roger Edens and Franz Waxman
Played during the skating finale, when the blackbirds emerge from the pie

User Reviews

Wimpy story just excuse for good characters and great skating

After some exciting ice-skating scenes, the best part of this movie is the charming interplay between and among the characters. Lew Ayres has what seems to be for him a very different type of role, and his and Jimmy Stewart's characters have some dialogue that is often funny. Even Lionel Stander gets to play, for a change, a nice character also with some good lines. Joan Crawford, of the gorgeous legs, was a noted dancer, and it's surprising, at least to me, that she didn't skate -- and, with her legs, it's disappointing, too. I mean, what a wonderful excuse to showcase her in a short costume. Oh well, she got a chance to play a much softer character, and that was refreshing to watch. The story, such as it was, was fairly wimpy, and really just an excuse to present the skating scenes. Good enough. The only real complaint I have is that the color scenes didn't start earlier. The arena skating was actually more exciting than the filmed skating, but the cinema scenes were beautiful. I'd recommend this as a thoroughly enjoyable light entertainment -- heck, almost any movie with Jimmy Stewart is worth watching.