Call Me Madam (1953)

Director:

Walter Lang

Writers:

Russel Crouse (musical "Call Me Madam")
Howard Lindsay (musical "Call Me Madam")
(more)

Release Date:

April 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Plot:

Washington hostess Sally Adams becomes a Truman-era US ambassador to a European grand duchy.

Plot Keywords:

Ambassador | U.S. Ambassador | Hostess | Princess | Marriage

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Ethel Merman	...	Sally Adams
Donald O'Connor	...	Kenneth Gibson
Vera-Ellen	...	Princess Maria
George Sanders	...	General Cosmo Constantine
Billy De Wolfe	...	Pemberton Maxwell
Helmut Dantine	...	Prince Hugo
Walter Slezak	...	August Tantinnin
Steven Geray	...	Prime Minister Sebastian
Ludwig Stössel	...	Grand Duke Otto (as Ludwig Stossel)
Lilia Skala	...	Grand Duchess Sophie
Charles Dingle	...	Sen. Brockway
Emory Parnell	...	Sen. Charlie Gallagher
Percy Helton	...	Sen. Wilkins
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hannelore Axman	...	Telephone Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
Leon Belasco	...	Leader (uncredited)
Oscar Beregi Sr.	...	Chamberlain (uncredited)
Julio Bonini	...	Cabinet Minister (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Barrie Chase	...	Dancer in The Ocarina (uncredited)
Jack Chefe	...	Soldier (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Guest at Sally's Party (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin	...	Townsman at Fair (uncredited)
Charles J. Conrad	...	Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)
Sayre Dearing	...	Ball Extra (uncredited)
Helen Dickson	...	Guest at Sally's Party (uncredited)
Don Dillaway	...	Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)
Johnny Downs	...	Cameraman (uncredited)
Fritz Feld	...	Hat Clerk (uncredited)
Eddie Firestone	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Carnival Guest in Box (uncredited)
Richard Garrick	...	Supreme Court Justice (uncredited)
Frank Gerstle	...	Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)
Everett Glass	...	Announcer at Sally's Party (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	Townsman at Fair (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Townsman at Fair (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Ball Extra (uncredited)
Walter Woolf King	...	Secretary of State (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Ball Extra (uncredited)
Sidney Marion	...	Beer Garden Proprietor (uncredited)
Renny McEvoy	...	First G.I. (uncredited)
Lal Chand Mehra	...	Minister from Magrador (uncredited)
Torben Meyer	...	Rudolph (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Ball Extra (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Ball Extra (uncredited)
Roger Neury	...	Doorman at Ball (uncredited)
William J. O'Brien	...	Doorman at Ball (uncredited)
Nestor Paiva	...	Miccoli (uncredited)
Manuel París	...	Headwaiter at Sally's Party (uncredited)
Gene Roth	...	Captain of Equerries (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Ball Extra (uncredited)
Olan Soule	...	Clerk (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Ball Extra (uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	Extra in Newsreel (uncredited)
Charles Tannen	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Extra in Newsreel (uncredited)
Ernö Verebes	...	Music Clerk (uncredited)
John Wengraf	...	Ronchin (uncredited)
Mack Williams	...	Burton - Sally's Butler (uncredited)
Allen Wood	...	Cameraman (uncredited)
William Yetter Sr.	...	Equerry (uncredited)

Directed by
Walter Lang

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Russel Crouse		musical "Call Me Madam"
Howard Lindsay		musical "Call Me Madam"
Arthur Sheekman		screenplay

Produced by
Sol C. Siegel	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Leon Shamroy		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robert L. Simpson		(as Robert Simpson)

Art Direction by
John DeCuir		(as John De Cuir)
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Irene Sharaff

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hal Klein	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Bernard Freericks	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Special Effects by
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects

Visual Effects by
Matthew Yuricich	....	visual effects artist (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Lyman Hallowell	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Robert Alton	....	dances and musical numbers staged by
Ken Darby	....	vocal director
Earle Hagen	....	orchestrator
Alfred Newman	....	musical director
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (as Herbert Spencer)
Alfred Newman	....	music supervisor (uncredited)
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Carol Richards	....	singing voice: Vera-Ellen (uncredited)

Other crew
Leonard Doss	....	technicolor color consultant
Leland Hayward	....	stage producer
Jerry Bryan	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1953) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1954) (Austria) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Irving Berlin's Call Me Madam" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #16117) | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | West Germany:12 (nf)

Filming Locations:

Stage 5, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The movie contains two vintage Irving Berlin songs written before his 1950 Broadway score. "The International Rag" (as Ethel Merman sings it, although the official title is "That International Rag") had been introduced by Mr. Berlin himself at the London Hippodrome in 1913. Sophie Tucker made the ditty famous via her vaudeville act. In the picture, just prior to delivering this number at the presentation ball, Ethel jokes with the orchestra leader (played by Leon Belasco) about this "hot" new tune from 40 years earlier. Donald O'Connor's song-and-dance-solo, which had him tearing up a tavern -- "What Chance Have I With Love?" -- was first performed by Victor Moore in Irving Berlin's 1940 Broadway musical, "Louisiana Purchase." Although Mr. Moore would appear in Paramount's 1941 screen adaptation, his lament to love would not carry over to this film score.

Quotes:

Congressman:When will you arrive at your post?
Sally Adams:I'm not sure. Hey, boss, where the heck is Lichtenburg?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Series 1 Compilation 1 (#1.11)" (1988)

Soundtrack:

Lichtenburg

Merman, Like Olives . . .

is an acquired taste. Apparently enough folks developed it enough to keep Ethel's shows running for a couple of decades.

One of the "Queens of Broadway" (with Mary Martin) Ethel Merman's brassy voice belted through many a record-breaking run, thrilling thousands.

What a rare treat to see her in a role she made her own! "Call Me Madam" is a dandy musical, rich with a great Irving Berlin score and lively performances.

Equally rare is the excellent singing performance of George Sanders. His beautiful baritone is heard in "It's an Old-fashioned Idea" and other lovely ballads. As he played Gen. Constantine, I couldn't help but wonder how his reported troubled private life might have gone had he done more light, musical fare.

Sanders' whole demeanor is different: he's warm, relaxed, sincere and fun-filled--what a departure from the cynical cads he was almost always engaged to portray! [N. B. History shows he was signed to star in a stage production of "South Pacific," and his recording of solo ballads, "The Sanders Touch: Songs to the Lovely Lady"--released five years after this film--has become one of the hottest collectors' items around.] All I can say is, his singing is gorgeous in "Call Me Madam."

If this Fox musical has the somewhat look and feel of an MGM production, there's Donald O'Conner and Vera-Ellen lending their aura from the latter studio. Director Walter Lang, an old-hand at Fox musicals and light comedies, keeps things on track, while Bob Alton's dances really hit-the-mark.

"Call Me Madam" is a most delightful diversion, and a lasting testament to the gifted Merman--the "hostest with the mostest."