Ethel Merman wasn't just a great entertainer; she was a phenomenon and one of the Seven Wonders of the Showbiz World and the part of Sally Adams, American ambassador to Lichtenburg, is one of her greatest roles. It was also one of the few stage parts she had to be preserved on film which makes this screen version of the Broadway musical doubly welcome.
The plot is classic musical-comedy; in other words as corny as all-get-out and about as realistic as "The Wizard of Oz", and it's got a great Irving Berlin score, (the 'You're just in love' duet between Merman and Donald O'Connor is a highpoint in the musical genre). Walter Lang's direction isn't particularly innovative, (the film is lavish but stage-bound), and Vera-Ellen was never the most charismatic of musical-comedy stars but these are minor quibbles when there is so much else to enjoy.
The plot is classic musical-comedy; in other words as corny as all-get-out and about as realistic as "The Wizard of Oz", and it's got a great Irving Berlin score, (the 'You're just in love' duet between Merman and Donald O'Connor is a highpoint in the musical genre). Walter Lang's direction isn't particularly innovative, (the film is lavish but stage-bound), and Vera-Ellen was never the most charismatic of musical-comedy stars but these are minor quibbles when there is so much else to enjoy.