Du Barry Was a Lady (1943)

Hat check man Louis Blore is in love with nightclub star May Daly. May, however, is love with a poor dancer, but wants to marry for money. When Louis wins the Irish Sweepstakes, he asks May... See full summary »

Director:

Roy Del Ruth

Writers:

Herbert Fields (play), Buddy G. DeSylva (play),

Stars:

Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Red Skelton	...	Louis Blore / King Louis XV
Lucille Ball	...	May Daly / Madame Du Barry
Gene Kelly	...	Alec Howe / Black Arrow
Virginia O'Brien	...	Ginny
Rags Ragland	...	Charlie / Dauphin (as 'Rags' Ragland)
Zero Mostel	...	Rami - the Swami / Taliostra
Donald Meek	...	Mr. Jones / Duc de Choiseul
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Willie / Duc de Rigor
George Givot	...	Cheezy / Count de Roquefort
Louise Beavers	...	Niagara
Tommy Dorsey	...	Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra	...	Themselves

Storyline

Hat check man Louis Blore is in love with nightclub star May Daly. May, however, is love with a poor dancer, but wants to marry for money. When Louis wins the Irish Sweepstakes, he asks May to marry him and she accepts even though she doesn't love him. Soon after, Louis has an accident and gets knocked on the head, where he dreams that he's King Louis XV pursuing the infamous Madame Du Barry.

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Plot Keywords:

dancer | sweepstakes | nightclub | king louis xv | dream | 

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Taglines:

Broadway's might tune-jammed fun-show is M-G-M's biggest musical screen sensation now! (original poster)

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gentleman's Choice

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$1,239,222 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Lucille Ball was dubbed by Martha Mears in the performance of the title song, she did her own singing for "Friendship"--a song she would reprise years later on I Love Lucy.

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Goofs

During the scene in Madame Du Barry's boudoir when King Louis XV is chasing Du Barry around the dressing table, a man sitting in a chair can be seen reflected in the mirror.

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Quotes

Louis Blore: You remind me of one of those girls in Esquire, the ones with clothes on, of course.

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Crazy Credits

The Three Oxford Boys are credited orally by the MC ('Gene Kelly') as The Oxford Boys.

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Connections

Edited into American Masters: Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Song of the Rebellion"
(1943)
Written by Roger Edens
Sung by Gene Kelly and chorus

User Reviews

a platform for novelty acts

this movie, i won't call it a "film," was basically about nothing and functioned mostly for the popular acts of the time. yeah the war was on full swing (pun intended), and this movie gave the troops and our audiences a treat.

but let's have something with a bit more substance.

loved seeing a young Buddy Rich on the drums. the music was good throughout.

but one cameo after another gets old fast.

i didn't even recognize Zero Mostel! so if you're one from the "greatest generation," as they say, you'll definitely enjoy this...

movie.