April in Paris (1952)

A series of misunderstandings leads to a chorus girl traveling to Paris to represent the American theater, where she falls in love with a befuddled bureaucrat.

Director:

David Butler

Writers:

Jack Rose, Melville Shavelson

Stars:

Doris Day, Ray Bolger, Claude Dauphin

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Doris Day	...	Ethel S. 'Dynamite' Jackson
Ray Bolger	...	S. 'Sam' Winthrop Putnam
Claude Dauphin	...	Philippe Fouquet
Eve Miller	...	Marcia Sherman
George Givot	...	François
Paul Harvey	...	Secretary Robert Sherman
Herbert Farjeon	...	Joshua Stevens
Wilson Millar	...	Sinclair Wilson
Raymond Largay	...	Joseph Welmar
John Alvin	...	Tracy
Jack Lomas	...	Cab Driver

Storyline

Miss Ethel 'Dynamite' Jackson is a chorus girl who mistakingly receives an invitation from the State Department to represent the American theatre at an arts exposition in Paris, France. There's only one problem, the invitation was meant for Miss Ethel Barrymore. Meanwhile, S. Winthrop Putnam, the bureaucrat who made the mistake tries unsuccessfully to correct his mix-up. It's too late, for Dynamite Jackson is off to Paris, where the two meet and marry, or so they think!

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Plot Keywords:

festival | paris france | april | american in paris | vacation | 

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Taglines:

She's a Broadway Show-Gal Giving Paris an Eiffel!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

17 April 1953 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

April i Paris

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Doris Day wrote in her autobiography that she only encountered trouble or tension on two of her Warner Bros. movies: 'April in Paris' and Young at Heart (1954). Regarding this film, she claimed that leading man Ray Bolger and director David Butler clashed early on, with Butler accusing Bolger of trying to steal scenes away from Day. Day also mentioned that, being a relative newcomer to movies, she was unaware of Bolger's tricks and managed to stay out of the line of fire.

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Goofs

Near the end, when Doris Day "stomps" on Ray Bolger's foot, she doesn't hit even close to his foot.

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Quotes

Ethel S. 'Dynamite' Jackson: Don't stop me now. I'm ticking!

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Connections

Referenced in Dallas: April in Paris (1990)

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Soundtracks

I Ask You
(uncredited)
Music by Vernon Duke
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Sung by Doris Day and Ray Bolger

User Reviews

One good dance number - Paris should have looked better!

First off, I am a huge Doris fan and I thought this movie was not one of her best (her own autobiography said she wanted someone different for the choreography...but I thought that was the best part). Doris is always good but the movie might have looked better if we saw some of the real Paris and why not show off some of the fashions sung about and actually see real settings.

Ray Bolger was NOT Fred Astaire but he sure is energetic. There was no real spark between Ray and Doris (who is excellent in the "Rock the Boat" number in the Cruiseliner's kitchen).

I bought this inexpensively from Ken Cranes on Laserdisc and Doris looks terrific as always. From what I've read Ray had some trouble with the director who accused him of trying to upstage Doris on camera - as if that were ever possible.

My advice...rent TEA FOR TWO instead.