The Emperor Waltz (1948)

A brash American gramophone salesman tries to get Emperor Franz Joseph's endorsement in turn-of-the-century Austria.

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder

Stars:

Bing Crosby, Joan Fontaine, Roland Culver

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bing Crosby	...	Virgil Smith
Joan Fontaine	...	Johanna Augusta Franziska
Roland Culver	...	Baron Holenia
Lucile Watson	...	Princess Bitotska
Richard Haydn	...	Emperor Franz-Josef
Harold Vermilyea	...	Chamberlain
Sig Ruman	...	Dr. Zwieback
Julia Dean	...	Archduchess Stephanie
Bert Prival	...	Chauffeur
Alma Macrorie	...	Inn Proprietress
Roberta Jonay	...	Chambermaid
John Goldsworthy	...	Obersthofmeister

Storyline

Traveling Salesman Virgil Smith wants to sell his Grammophones in pre-WWI Austria. To enhance this, he especially wants to sell one to Emperor Franz Joseph, but at first the Austrian palace guards think he is carrying a bomb. He meets the Countess Johanna von Stolzenberg-Stolzenberg and after the usual misunderstandings, falls in love with her, this is especially assisted by his dog Buttons. But the relation between a Countess and an ordinary U.S. citizen cannot work in Austria, that is the Emperor's opinion. Is he wrong ?

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Plot Keywords:

traveling salesman | gramophone | endorsement | tyrolia | earmuffs | 

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Taglines:

Paramount's Crowning Entertainment Achievement! Bing's Best Songs!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

2 July 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Valsa do Imperador

Filming Locations:

Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$4,070,248 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song "The Kiss In Your Eyes" was given new words and a new name and became a popular hit for several artists in the late 1940s under the title of "Suddenly".

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Quotes

Baron Holenia: I am not narrow-minded! I could even forgive him being an American if he belonged to one of those Vander, Astor, uh, Rocker, uh, families. But a Mr. Smith?

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Connections

Referenced in Edith Head: The Paramount Years (2002)

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Soundtracks

"I Kiss Your Hand, Madame"
(uncredited)
Music by Ralph Erwin
English Lyrics by Sam Lewis and Joe Young

User Reviews

A delight-surprise

What a nice delightful film this turned out to be. I'm in my musical phase of movies, and while this really cannot be classified as a true "musical", it does have a couple on nice songs and a short dance sequence. I guess you could classify this as a "quasi-musical". Anyway, the story is fun with the typical Billy Wilder political overtones that do not detract from the plot line. The scenery is great, as is Bing Crosby and Richard Haydin. Joan Fontaine is fine in what is asked of her. The real stars are the two dogs. Their scenes are delightful, as is the film. While there is a tad of dramatics at the end, it all turns out fine as expected. Would have like to have the fade-out of the two dogs cuddling up. See this one for a royal treat.