Balalaika

• Director: Reinhold Schünzel
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Musical
• Movie Type: Musical Romance
• Themes: Star-Crossed Lovers, Totalitarian States
• Main Cast: Nelson Eddy, Ilona Massey, Charlie Ruggles, Frank Morgan, Lionel Atwill
• Release Year: 1939
• Country: US
• Run Time: 102 minutes

Plot

In this romantic musical, a Russian prince sees a lovely singer in a town cafe and falls head-over-heels. Realizing that he cannot be seen with her in royal garb, he masquerades as a worker. Later he secretly arranges for her to sing at the Imperial Opera. Unfortunately, his father the emperor is wounded that night by the wicked Reds. The girl's father is among the would-be assassins. Years pass. Just before the dawn of WWII, the girl and her family are exiled to Siberia while the former prince heads for Paris to become a famous nightcub singer. When revolution erupts in Russia, the girl is freed and the lovers are eventually reunited. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Nelson Eddy - Prince Peter Karagin
• Ilona Massey - Lydia Pavlovna Marakova
• Charlie Ruggles - Pvt. Nicki Popoff
• Frank Morgan - Ivan Danchenoff
• Lionel Atwill - Prof. Marakov

C. Aubrey Smith - Gen. Karagin; Joyce Compton - Masha, Lydia's Maid; Walter Woolf King - Capt. Sibirsky; Phillip Terry - Lt. Smirnoff; Abner Biberman - Leo; Roland Varno - Lt. Nikitin; George Tobias - Slaski, the Counterman; Paul Sutton - Anton; William Costello - Capt. Testoff; Paul Irving - Prince Morodin; Mildred Shay - Jeanette Sibirsky; Alma Kruger - Mrs. Danchenoff; Zeffie Tilbury - Princess Morodin; John Holland; Lee Phelps - Doorman; Frederic Worlock - Dr. Ramensky; Dalies Frantz - Dimitri Marakov

Credit

Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Eddie Imazu - Art Director, Ernst Matray - Choreography, Adrian - Costume Designer, Reinhold Schünzel - Director, George Boemler - Editor, Herbert Stothart - Composer (Music Score), Dr. William Axt - Musical Direction/Supervision, George Forrest - Songwriter, Gus Kahn - Songwriter, Herbert Stothart - Songwriter, Robert Wright - Songwriter, Jack Dawn - Makeup, Karl W. Freund - Cinematographer, Joseph Ruttenberg - Cinematographer, Lawrence Weingarten - Producer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Jacques Deval - Screenwriter, Leon Gordon - Screenwriter, Eric Maschwitz - Screenwriter, Charles Bennett - Screenwriter, George Posford - From Musical by, Eric Maschwitz - Play Author, George Posford - Play Author, Bernard Gruen - Play Author

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