The Cat and the Fiddle is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic musical film directed by William K. Howard[4] based on the hit 1931 Broadway musical of the same name by Jerome Kern and Otto A. Harbach, about a romance between a struggling composer and an American singer. The film stars Ramon Novarro and Jeanette MacDonald in her MGM debut.[5]
| The Cat and the Fiddle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | William K. Howard Sam Wood (uncredited) |
| Written by | Otto A. Harbach (book) Bella Spewack (screenplay) |
| Produced by | Bernard H. Hyman |
| Starring | Ramon Novarro Jeanette MacDonald |
| Cinematography | Charles G. Clarke Ray Rennahan Harold Rosson |
| Edited by | Frank Hull |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $843,000[3] |
| Box office | $455,000 (Domestic earnings)[3] $644,000 (Foreign earnings)[3] |
Plot
editThe film plot is substantially changed from that of the Broadway musical. Victor Florescu (Ramon Novarro)[6] is a composer desperately trying to get his operetta to opening night. First his leading lady (Vivienne Segal) leaves, taking the bulk of their budget with her. Then the male lead splits, leaving Victor to fill his role. Next he calls upon an old love, songstress Shirley Sheridan (Jeanette MacDonald) to be his ingénue, but she insists that she is leaving the theater to marry her affluent, but unfaithful fiancé (Frank Morgan).[7]
Cast
edit- Ramon Novarro as Victor Florescu
- Jeanette MacDonald as Shirley Sheridan
- Frank Morgan as Jules Daudet
- Charles Butterworth as Charles
- Jean Hersholt as Professor Bertier
- Vivienne Segal as Odette Brieux
- Frank Conroy as The Theatre Owner
- Henry Armetta as the Taxi Driver
- Adrienne D'Ambricourt as Concierge
- Joseph Cawthorn as Rodolphe 'Rudy' Brieux
- Sterling Holloway as Flower Messenger (uncredited)
Box office
editThe film grossed a total (domestic and foreign) of $1,099,000: $455,000 from the US and Canada and $644,000 elsewhere resulting in a loss of $142,000.[3] The film was a box office disappointment for MGM.
Technicolor sequences
editThe final reel was filmed in the then newly perfected three-strip Technicolor process, previously used only in Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies cartoons. The finale in 3-strip Technicolor was not restored to its original hues until the film was shown by Turner Classic Movies on TNT in the late 1980s.[citation needed]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ The Jeanette MacDonald Story ISBN 978-1-537-72714-1 p. 71
- ^ "The Cat and the Fiddle". Turner Classic Movies. tcm.com. July 17, 2013. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Turk, Edward Baron (1998). Hollywood Diva: A Biography of Jeanette MacDonald. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520222533.
- ^ A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film ISBN 978-0-195-37734-7 p. 424
- ^ Hollywood Diva: A Biography of Jeanette MacDonald ISBN 978-0-520-22253-3 p. 93
- ^ "TV Guide: Ramon Novarro". November 29, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ Green, Stanley (1999) Hollywood Musicals Year by Year (2nd ed.), pub. Hal Leonard Corporation ISBN 0-634-00765-3 page 29
External links
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