Nearly everyone agrees that this musical romance was inspired by the success of MGM's "Meet Me in St. Louis", and that it is an inferior production in most respects. The question is :is it still worth viewing? For fans of the stars, it probably is. Like its predecessor, it was filmed in Technicolor. Its Jerome Kern songs are generally serviceable, but not especially memorable. Most of the singing by the stars was dubbed, and there is no stage dancing. The main romantic players were chosen for their looks, personality, and track record.
The competition between marriageable sisters Julia(Jeanne Crane) and Edith(Linda Darnell) for the romantic attention of dashing Frenchman Philippe(Cornel Wilde), along with their father's obsession in making a superior railroad clock, provide the main elements of the plot. Edith is a snake in the grass, in her competition to win the heart of Philippe. Love is a game, she says, to use whatever wiles work. However, Julia has one ace up her sleeve. She speaks French reasonably well, which is what Philippe needs in a helper to construct the French pavilion at the Centennial exposition in Philadelphia. Thus,she is chosen over Edith for this post. To help even the odds, Edith claims that her boyfriend Ben is actually Julia's boy friend. This really messes things up for a while. One day, Philippe walks Julia home. They stop and she kisses him, hoping he will return the favor. But, seeing Ben, he hesitates, saying it's not good to kiss in the presence of one's fiancé. Julia is devastated, thinking he meant Edith, as his love. She runs to her room, and writes a letter, saying that she left for her grandmother's. Later, Edith is trying to romance Philippe, but he declines, saying he loves Julia. This causes her to flee to Ben, and she succeeds in patching things up with him. Meanwhile, Phillipe talks to the father(Walter Brennan), who tells him about Julia's flight, and tells him how to reach her grandmother's house. Next thing we know, they are walking hand in hand. We aren't shown how he explained the misunderstanding, and won her back.
Meanwhile, their father has been fired from the railroad for arriving drunk, But, his newest clock has been accepted, and he is given a post as an inventor.
This film is available at YouTube.
The competition between marriageable sisters Julia(Jeanne Crane) and Edith(Linda Darnell) for the romantic attention of dashing Frenchman Philippe(Cornel Wilde), along with their father's obsession in making a superior railroad clock, provide the main elements of the plot. Edith is a snake in the grass, in her competition to win the heart of Philippe. Love is a game, she says, to use whatever wiles work. However, Julia has one ace up her sleeve. She speaks French reasonably well, which is what Philippe needs in a helper to construct the French pavilion at the Centennial exposition in Philadelphia. Thus,she is chosen over Edith for this post. To help even the odds, Edith claims that her boyfriend Ben is actually Julia's boy friend. This really messes things up for a while. One day, Philippe walks Julia home. They stop and she kisses him, hoping he will return the favor. But, seeing Ben, he hesitates, saying it's not good to kiss in the presence of one's fiancé. Julia is devastated, thinking he meant Edith, as his love. She runs to her room, and writes a letter, saying that she left for her grandmother's. Later, Edith is trying to romance Philippe, but he declines, saying he loves Julia. This causes her to flee to Ben, and she succeeds in patching things up with him. Meanwhile, Phillipe talks to the father(Walter Brennan), who tells him about Julia's flight, and tells him how to reach her grandmother's house. Next thing we know, they are walking hand in hand. We aren't shown how he explained the misunderstanding, and won her back.
Meanwhile, their father has been fired from the railroad for arriving drunk, But, his newest clock has been accepted, and he is given a post as an inventor.
This film is available at YouTube.