weezeralfalfa The plot of this superior comedic musical romance is basically similar to that in "Royal Wedding", starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell. A male and female pair of American entertainers(with other official roles in the present case)come to Europe to interact with royalty and other upper class persons, and each establishes a romance with one of such. The three main musical stars: Ethel Merman, Vera -Ellen, and Don O'Connor, all deserved much more and better film documentation of their exceptional talents during their careers. Here is a unique opportunity to see all of them shine, separately and together.Ethel is perfectly cast as the brassy expert Washington party hostess, turned ambassador. Vera-Ellen is also perfectly cast as the beautiful, but somewhat icy, cloistered princess, looking for an opportunity to shed this lifestyle and pursue her singing/dancing talents. This role rather closely mimics her role as a beautiful but repressed lost soul saviour, who falls for the suave rich playboy Fred Astaire, in "The Belle of New York".Ethel was often denied the film version of Broadway hits she starred in as a singer, comedian and actress, because she was considered not beautiful enough, or because too many in the film audience considered her singing voice too harsh and loud, or her personality too brassy, as she often acted as if she were still on a stage without a microphone.Vera-Ellen's exceptional dancing talent was recognized, but her singing was usually dubbed, and she was often considered too introverted to come across as an all around entertainer.In this film, her scenes nearly all exclude Ethel, thus she has ample opportunity to carry her own scenes, mostly with O'Connor's help.O'Connor's exceptional vaudevillian combination of talents, honed since early childhood, was too often shadowed in film assignments by Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, or others, or wasted in inferior roles at Universal. I think of him as a younger version of rubbery comedic dancer Ray Bolger(Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz"). In this film, he escapes the dominance of Kelly in their superhit "Singing in the Rain". He gets to shine in his comical novelty dance, following singing the somber "What Chance Have I With Love? He also sings a Berlin standard with Ethel, and has several romantic song or dance numbers with Vera-Ellen, who made a perfect dance partner. In addition to brassy solos of "The Hostess with the Mostess","The International Rag" and "Can You Use any Money Today?" and a show-stopping duet with O'Connors, Ethel sings several romantic duets with George Sanders.The fanciful story is based on an actual Truman appointment of a Washington socialite as ambassador to the tiny country of Luxemburg. In the film, the country is changed to the ultratiny alpine country of Liechtenstein, renamed Lichtenburg, presumably because it is more scenic and remote and has more colorful traditional dance costumes, esploited in the charming musical number "Ocarina", featuring Vera-Ellen and a dance chorus.Seems Lichtenburg had a problem of needing a huge dowry for their Princess Maria(Vera-Ellen), to marry Prince Hugo of a neighboring country, and they are hoping to obtain a loan from the US Marshall Plan. As instructed, Ethel refuses a loan requested by several short overeager ministers, but offers a huge loan to tall suave reserved foreign minister Cosmo Constantine(George Sanders), who immediately mermerizes her. But Cosmo knows that the princess does not love the prince, thus he refuses to OK the loan. He himself refused a political arranged marriage and sings the song "Marrying for Love" to Ethel, whom he is warming up to. Meanwhile, the cloistered princess Maria, with the forbidden desire of a singing/dancing career, develops a romance with Ethel's press attache(O'Connor), who happens to have similar talents. In the happy ending, although Ethel is recalled to Washington for encouraging the O'Connor:Vera-Ellen romance, Cosmo conveniently is appointed ambassador to the US, after defeating the loan offer in his very brief role as prime minister.Princess Maria accompanies Cosmo on the ship over, having decided to renounce her claim to the throne in favor of a marriage with O'Connor's character and perhaps a show business career.Billy De Wolfe has the thankless, if prominent, role of the arrogant embassy chief of protocol in Lichtenburg, who thinks Ethel should be just a figurehead, with himself wielding actual embassy power. The title of the film comes from Ethel's imperative that he address her as Madam, as part of her counterattack. I wonder if the fact that Billy has more than a passing physical resemblance to Thomas Dewey was purely coincidental, with Truman periodically on the phone with Ethel?... Several of the leading actors in the Lichtenburg government were native to that region. This includes Walter Slezak, who makes a play for Ethel, but is quickly rejected.

writers_reign In almost every way Sally Adams was the perfect role for La Merm; brash, vulgar, strident, these were qualities she acquired seemingly in the womb and the role called for them all - in spades. It's also arguably the best of Irving Berlin's four 'Book' shows - he was represented on Broadway several times but largely in Revues until 1946 when he inherited Annie Get Your Gun after the death of Jerry Kern; he followed with the ho-hum Miss Liberty, the turkey Mr. President and in between Call Me Madam, his second vehicle for Merman. From the opening credits, displayed on a gorgeous blue background on the old three-neg Technicolor as one great number segues into another in the overture there's a good feeling about the movie and once it gets underway it seldom lets up so that even the one jarring note, the wooden performance of Vera Ellen can't really louse it up. Merm, who can't even SPEAK in a conversational tone, is presumably on top of her game whilst acting/charm honors are divided equally between Donal O'Connor and George Sanders. One of the best film adaptations of a Broadway musical.

Jackson Booth-Millard I had no idea who anyone was in this film, but I was giving it a chance purely because of the critics opinions, and the fact that I like musicals. But it turned out I do know one person, the main star, Golden Globe winning Ethel Merman, who sings the great "There's No Business Like Show Business". She is a terrific actress that dominates the film with her foghorn voice, whirlwind energy and larger-than-life personality. Basically she is a Washington hostess that becomes a Truman-era US ambassador to a European grand duchy. Along the way, there is an element of a love story with Sally having feelings for Prince Hugo (Helmut Dantine). This is memorable not just for Merman, but some great songs and dance routines. Also starring Donald O'Connor as Kenneth, Vera-Ellen as Princess Maria, George Sanders as Cosmo Constantine, Billy De Wolfe as Pemberton Maxwell, Walter Slezak as August Tantinnin, Steven Geray as Sebastian, Ludwig Stössel as Grand Duke and Lilia Skala as Grand Duchess, from director Walter Lang (The King and I). It won the Oscar for Best Music, and it was nominated for Best Costume, and it was nominated the Cannes Film Festival Award for Grand Prize of the Festival for Walter Lang. Very good!

pikey_kingy I use to watch this movie with my mum and this is the first time that I've watched it since her passing and I have to say that I fell in love with it all over again. Ethel Merman was great but Donald O'Conner stole the show. I love his dancing ability for someone who never had any professional training you would not know it. His steps are flawless, he has grace. I love him as an actor, dancer, singer and performer he rates with the best of them. Male and female dancers alike. I have not seen many Ethel Merman movies but I have seen most of Donald O'Conner's movies, from comedy to his more serious roles as an actor. I liked him in Singing in the rain but my favorite movies of them all are the Francis movies