IMDb > Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945)

Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   164 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 27% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Richard Thorpe
Writers:
Richard Connell (writer)
Gladys Lehman (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Her Highness and the Bellboy on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
October 1945 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Romance more
Plot Keywords:
more
User Comments:
No wonder Hedy Lamarr hated this film! more (12 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Hedy Lamarr ... Princess Veronica
Robert Walker ... Jimmy Dobson

June Allyson ... Leslie Odell
Carl Esmond ... Baron Zoltan Faludi

Agnes Moorehead ... Countess Zoe
Rags Ragland ... Albert Weever
Ludwig Stössel ... Mr. Puft
George Cleveland ... Dr. Elfson
Warner Anderson ... Paul MacMillan
Konstantin Shayne ... Yanos Van Lankovitz
Tom Trout ... Hack
Ben Lessy ... Himself - Ben Lessy
Patty Moore ... Fae
Edward Gargan ... 1st Cop
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
112 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Mickey Rooney was supposed to star in this movie but Rooney ended up being drafted into the war, so Robert Walker was cast instead. more
Quotes:
Leslie Odell: Thank you Albert.
Albert Weever: The pleasure was mutual!
more
Soundtrack:
The Fountain in the Park (While Strolling Through the Park One Day) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful.
No wonder Hedy Lamarr hated this film!, 27 April 2008
5/10
Author: Peter Andres from Petersburg, Vasaria

HER HIGHNESS AND THE BELLBOY was Hedy Lamarr's last film at the MGM studios, and certainly one of her most mediocre films. Thankfully, Hedy went on to independently produce and star in THE STRANGE WOMAN a year later, delivering one of her best performances and most complex characters as the malicious Jenny Hager. With a bland, predictable script and the wooden director Richard "One-Take Dick" Thorpe behind the camera for HER HIGHNESS AND THE BELLBOY, Hedy hated making this film and couldn't wait to finish it and leave the studio that made big bucks off her magnificent beauty and not her acting ability. She even declined to mention the film in later interviews.

Robert Walker stars as a clumsy bellboy of a five-star Manhattan hotel who encounters the lovely Princess Veronica (Hedy Lamarr), who hails from an anonymous Central European country, and develops an infatuation on Her Highness despite the gentle protests of his invalid girlfriend (a cloying June Allyson). However, the princess has her sights set on a past love, the columnist Paul MacMillan (a dull Warner Anderson).

What makes the film worth watching is its cast. Robert Walker is delightful as the loyal bellboy who first mistakes Her Highness as a European "babe" and falls for her. Agnes Moorehead is excellent as Her Highness' lady-in-waiting, the Countess Zoe, and Rags Ragland is amusing as Robert's dimwitted friend. Special mention should go to Ludwig Stössel as Her Highness' aide and the memorable Jack Norton as a comical drunk in a greasy spoon café. And Hedy Lamarr, speaking in her genuine Viennese accent here, is absolutely ravishing as Princess Veronica. Hedy plays one of the most benevolent and generous movie princess I have ever seen, not to mention one of the most beautiful. Also, Hedy has never looked more regal than in this film, wearing a white ball gown with a diamond tiara resting on her dark hair during a royal ball scene. It's a shame that she didn't play more characters like this throughout her film career.

Despite the fine cast, the stale plot could have been much more interesting if it took the direction of the Oscar-winning PRINCESS O'ROURKE (1943) or its loose remake, ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953). Heck, the film could've even more interesting if a better MGM director (Vincente Minnelli, perhaps?) was selected. Instead the film just drags on to an unnecessarily long 112 minutes due to Richard Thorpe's limp direction. Also, MGM composer George E. Stoll contributes a schmaltzy and syrupy music score that should have been rejected and replaced with a score by my favorite 1940s MGM composer, Herbert Stothart. The black-and-white cinematography by Harry Stradling, who won an Oscar for his outstanding work in THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1945) that year, is simply standard.

I usually love films about fictional European countries, but this one lacks the enchantment of other European fantasies like THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937) and Walt Disney's SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959). Perhaps the blame should go to the unimaginative script and the lackluster direction of Richard Thorpe, who previously directed Hedy in a ridiculous performance in the unintentionally hilarious WHITE CARGO (1942). If you're a fan of Hedy Lamarr and/or Robert Walker, you might like this one if you catch it sometime on Turner Classic Movies…but you don't need to worry if you miss it. And if you want to see Hedy in a far superior MGM romantic comedy, I wholeheartedly recommend COME LIVE WITH ME (1941).

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (12 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945)

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Two Girls and a Sailor Dragonwyck Rio Rita Road to Morocco Princess O'Rourke
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Comedy section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.