Thrill of a Romance (1945)

A swim teacher and a wealthy businessman are married after a brief courtship. A charming war hero falls in love with this newly-married woman, after her husband abandons her on their honeymoon for the sake of a business meeting.

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Richard Connell (original screenplay), Gladys Lehman (original screenplay)

Stars:

Van Johnson, Esther Williams, Frances Gifford

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Van Johnson	...	Maj. Thomas Milvaine
Esther Williams	...	Cynthia Glenn
Frances Gifford	...	Maude Bancroft
Henry Travers	...	Hobart Glenn
Spring Byington	...	Nona Glenn
Lauritz Melchior	...	Mr. Nils Knudsen
Carleton G. Young	...	Robert G. Delbar
Ethel Griffies	...	Mrs. Fenway
Donald Curtis	...	K.O. Karny
Jerry Scott	...	Lyonel
Fernando Alvarado	...	Julio
Helene Stanley	...	Susan
Vince Barnett	...	Oscar
Billy House	...	Dr. Tovve
Joan Fay Macaboy	...	Betty

Storyline

Cynthia is swept off her feet and marries a rich and very successful business executive, but business affairs make him abandon her during their honeymoon. Cynthia is sad and while he's away, meets the charming war hero, Maj. Milvaine, who is on leave. Sparks fly. Will she choose wealth over love?

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Plot Keywords:

businessman | yosemite national park | annulment | whirlwind romance | world war two | 

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Taglines:

Musical bliss with every kiss!

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Genres:

Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 November 1945 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Thrill of a New Romance

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,410,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was first telecast in New York City Saturday 9 November 1957 on WCBS (Channel 2), followed by Philadelphia Friday 20 December 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), by San Francisco 8 February 1958 on KGO (Channel 7) and by Los Angeles 9 February 1958 on KTTV (Channel 11). At this time, color broadcasting was in its infancy, limited to only a small number of high rated programs, primarily on NBC and NBC affiliated stations, so these film showings were all still in B&W. Viewers were not offered the opportunity to see these films in their original Technicolor until several years later.

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Goofs

When Cynthia and Thomas are lost in the woods she lies down to sleep and she has his jacket over one shoulder. He reaches down and pulls the jacket all the way over her. They cut to him and then back to her and the jacket is still only over one shoulder.

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Connections

Edited from The Ice Follies of 1939 (1939)

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Soundtracks

The Guy with the Slide Trombone (Hungarian Rhapsody)
(uncredited)
Music by Franz Liszt
Lyrics by Earl K. Brent
Performed by Helene Stanley with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra

User Reviews

Thrill of Melchoir

The glorious voice of Wagnerian Tenor Lauritz Melchoir adorns this formulistic film, crafted by MGM staff writers.

After dominating the Met and international operatic stages along with colleague Soprano Helen Traubel, Melchoir along with Traubel and Ezio Pinza signed MGM contracts. The three appeared in light musicals for this studio, singing arias, light ballads and specialty numbers, which were incorporated into the plotlines.

Here Melchoir's role is quite gratuitous, yet all is forgotten when he opens his mouth and sings several varied selections.

His voice rings out like a bell, and he possesses a welcome warmth and humor in his screen presence. Joined by studio regulars Esther Williams, Van Johnson, and Bandleader Tommy Dorsey, Melchoir manages to punctuate the slightly sub-par plot with charm.

It's as though the project was cast first, then writers were called upon to write for each personality. While the proceedings may be a bit routine, the music, color and trappings are quite enjoyable, and a pleasant reminder of a gentle era of movie making.