The Lottery Bride (1930)

Sundered lovers meet again amid tragic irony at a mining camp in northern Norway.

Director:

Paul L. Stein

Writers:

Herbert Stothart (original story), Howard Emmett Rogers (continuty and dialogue)

Stars:

Jeanette MacDonald, John Garrick, Joe E. Brown

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jeanette MacDonald	...	Jenny (as Jeanette Mac Donald)
John Garrick	...	Chris
Joe E. Brown	...	Hoke
Zasu Pitts	...	Hilda
Robert Chisholm	...	Olaf
Joseph Macaulay	...	Alberto
Harry Gribbon	...	Boris
Carroll Nye	...	Nels

Storyline

In Oslo, Norway, Jenny (who loves stalwart Chris) enters a dance marathon to help her embezzler brother out of a jam; her actions cause misunderstanding and Chris flees to a far northern mining camp. In despair, Jenny signs up as a "picture bride" who by tragic irony is promised to Chris's brother Olaf...at that same mining camp. Then Chris's rival Alberto arrives on a polar dirigible expedition. Which brother will join his voyage, perhaps to doom? Very stylized.

---

Plot Keywords:

norway | dance marathon | dirigible | singer | polar region | 

---

Taglines:

All things that spell ENTERTAINMENT for you are crammed into this spectacular dramatic romance!

---

Genres:

Musical | Romance

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Only the edited 1937 re-release, running 67 minutes, with the original 2-strip Technicolor finale in black and white, was available for many years. But a complete print, running 79 minutes and including the Technicolor finale, survives at the George Eastman House. In 2011, it was run on Turner Classic Movies.

---

Quotes

Chris: Women have a way of spoiling happiness.

---

Alternate Versions

The original 1930 theatrical release ran 80 minutes, and included tinted scenes, with the final reel in Technicolor. The film was cut to 67 minutes for a 1937 re-release, and shown in black-and-white only. A copy of the original release (with tinted and color sequences) does reside at George Eastman House, and was broadcast on Turner Classic Movies in 2011.

---

Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Hist-o-Rama: Jeanette MacDonald (1962)

---

Soundtracks

HIGH AND LOW
(1930) (uncredited)
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Lyrics by Howard Dietz
Sung by chorus

User Reviews

Campy but Entertaining

Lottery Bride, The (1930)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Based on the Rudolf Friml musical, this film was for years only available in a cut down 67-minute version but in 2011 the complete 80-minute version with the original Technicolor ending was shown on TCM. The film has Jeanette MacDonald playing Jenny, a woman who offers herself up as a lottery bride, which causes her to lose her true love (John Garrick) when the man's brother (Robert Chisholm) wins her. THE LOTTERY BRIDE is a pretty forgettable movie in terms of story but there's no denying that it has a very strong cast and the final reel being in color is also a major plus. This was the only film produced by Arthur Hammerstein and the musical numbers are certainly less than memorable. I'd say the story too is less than memorable as the screenplay follows just about every twist and turn you'd expect from it and this is especially true as the love story starts to play out. The ending has the "true love" going off in a dirigible, which of course crashes in the arctic and this here leads to a wild recovery. I must say that I was shocked to see how good the crash footage was. It's quite quick and to the point but the wreck is very effective. The final reel in 2-strip Technicolor also works well and especially since they added some special effects (look at the skyline) to show off the color. I must admit that I found the three lead performances to be good. Yes, they're quite over-the-top and you could say they'd been better on a stage but I thought they were still fun to watch. The supporting cast includes comic support from Joe E. Brown and Zasu Pitts and both of them are fine as well. Again, THE LOTTERY BRIDE isn't going to be for everyone but I think it has a certain campy charm to it. Not a masterpiece and not even a good movie but one that is worth watching for the good parts.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 November 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bride 66

Company Credits

Production Co:

Joseph M. Schenck Productions, Art Cinema Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min 67 min (re-release) (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono (MovieTone)

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor) (finale)

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1