The Flame of New Orleans (1941)

In old New Orleans, a beautiful adventuress juggles the attentions of a rich banker and a dashing sea captain.

Director:

René Clair (as Rene Clair)

Writer:

Norman Krasna

Stars:

Marlene Dietrich, Bruce Cabot, Roland Young

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marlene Dietrich	...	Claire Ledeux
Bruce Cabot	...	Robert LaTour
Roland Young	...	Charles Giraud
Mischa Auer	...	Zolotov
Andy Devine	...	1st Sailor
Frank Jenks	...	2nd Sailor
Eddie Quillan	...	3rd Sailor
Laura Hope Crews	...	Auntie
Franklin Pangborn	...	Bellows
Theresa Harris	...	Clementine
Clarence Muse	...	Samuel
Melville Cooper	...	Brother-in-Law
Anne Revere	...	Sister
Bob Evans	...	William
Emily Fitzroy	...	Cousin

Storyline

French farce comes to the New World in 1840 as Claire Ledoux convinces the middle-aged banker who is her fiance that she is two different women -- a deception made necessary by the arrival of a man acquainted with the swath she cut across Europe. Giraud has been about to foreclose on a $150 loan made to a sea captain who needed the funds to court Claire. Get Claire's "cousin" out of New Orleans before the wedding, Giraud tells the sea captain and the debt will be paid.

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Plot Keywords:

brandy | confidence artist | ship | theater | tightrope walker | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 April 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

La belle ensorceleuse

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Universal was testing Maria Montez just in case Marlene Dietrich left the film.

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Connections

Referenced in Hail, Caesar! (2016)

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Soundtracks

Salt o' the Sea
Music by Charles Previn
Lyrics by Samuel Lerner (as Sam Lerner)
Sung by Andy Devine (uncredited), Frank Jenks (uncredited), Eddie Quillan (uncredited) and Joe Devlin (uncredited)

User Reviews

Die Marlene-- Always great!

This is a delightful old film with a cast of characters, from Bruce Cabot, who plays the captain and romantic interest, to Andy Devine, Frank Jenks, Mischa Auer and a whole bunch of studio character actors. Roland Young, who delighted us in the original Topper with Cary Grant, plays the befuddled count who plans to marry Die Marlene on the pretext she's an innocent young darling. The scene where the New Orleans ladies take Marlene aside to give her a little lecture on the "burden of womanhood she'll have to endure" after her marriage is priceless, with the tiny smirk that plays across Marlene's face (given her well-known history, it makes it doubly funny). While this little film isn't (and wasn't)a great shake at the box office at the time, it is delightful to see Die Marlene, always beautiful in that classic, classy European sense, at her best.