For French movie star Annabella, Darryl F. Zanuck was like God - he gaveth and he taketh away.
While he was in a giving mood, he starred her in 1937's "Dinner at the Ritz," also starring David Niven, Paul Lucas, and Francis L. Sullivan.
The scene is Paris. A banker, Racine, is giving a party at his estate, when he is shot dead. Racine had been troubled by problems at his bank - a conspiracy, in fact, that could be its downfall.
He had sent a letter naming six men who are most likely the guilty ones. However, the letter doesn't arrive. The police rule the death a suicide. His daughter (Annabella) is sure it was murder. She sets out to learn the truth and perhaps recoup money for her father's customers.
This quest takes her to Monte Carlo and London, and she at different times disguises herself as Spanish royalty and Indian royalty.
This is a sophisticated film, replete with beautiful gowns, real European locations, and some light comedy. A problem, however, was that at that point, Annabella's accent was not easy to understand. In spite of this, she is very good.
Then one day Annabella walked onto the set of Suez and met her costar, Tyrone Power. They fell in love. Contrary to popular belief, studio heads did not want their romantic leading men married.
When Zanuck saw the wedding bells on the wall, he offered Annabella three films that were to be made in Europe. Hmm.... Movies.... Tyrone Power...Guess what she chose. And Zanuck stopped her star build-up.
Annabella and Tyrone did radio and stage work together, and after their divorce, she returned to France. After an unhappy second marriage, Power visited her and asked to reconcile. However, it was too late.
That all happened later - see Annabella and David Niven, who in fact were to be involved in a tragedy in 1946 when Niven's wife died in the Power home, in happier times.