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:

camp | festival | paris france | april | american in paris | 

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Taglines:

Warner Bros.' Musical Oo-La-La!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite the title, the characters don't reach France until 1 hour and 15 minutes into the film, and only the last 25 minutes are spent in Paris.

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Goofs

Ray Bolger visits Doris in her apartment to persuade her to go to Pais with him. She's in her dressing gown ironing. She goes behind a screen to change and throws a slip over the top but no dressing gown.

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Quotes

S. Winthrop Putnam: Do you know what my title is? Assistant Secretary to the Assistant to the Undersecretary of State. It's taken me ten years to get this far. If this falls through I'll be right back where I started: Assistant Assistant Secretary to the Assistant to the Undersecretary of State.

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Connections

Referenced in The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Divorce Isn't Everything (1970)

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Soundtracks

Give Me Your Lips
(uncredited)
Music by Vernon Duke
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Sung by Claude Dauphin

User Reviews

Talent trumps material

Doris Day is fun in this movie. Her smile lights up the screen, her rendition of the title song is not corny- it is terrific. Her dancing is vivacious and guaranteed to brighten up your day.

Bolger's dancing is a bit vaudevillian but has a happy uniqueness that is very watchable. Many of his moves are like a series of "controlled falls" that require tremendous balance- this is harder than it looks. On the other hand some of his dance is very above-average tap or two-step. Overall he seems to combine a lot into his different routines. As a bonus, his acting is not bad and better than you might expect.

This film suffers from cheapness and a nothing plot, but is overcome by exceptional talent and charm by all the cast. Who cares if it is cheap and set-bound? The results are entertaining and that's the true bottom line.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

17 April 1953 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

April in 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