Main Cast: Jeanette MacDonald, Robert Young, Reginald Owen, Grant Mitchell
Release Year: 1942
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
Plot
Written by real-life intelligence agent Ladislas Fodor, Cairo is both a spoof of espionage thrillers and a good-natured refutation of Jeanette MacDonald's established screen image (it was her last film on her MGM contract). MacDonald plays wisecracking movie star Marcia Warren, who while "between pictures" in London hires fellow American Homer Smith (Robert Young) as her butler. What Marcia doesn't know is that Smith is an American newspaperman, who strongly suspects that our heroine is a Nazi spy (the real enemy agent is played by Mona Barrie, who looks not at all like dear Marcia). All such misunderstandings are forgotten once the principal characters end up in Cairo, with Marcia and her maidservant Cleona (Ethel Waters) pitching in to help Smith break up an Axis espionage ring. There are "in jokes" aplenty in Cairo, ranging from Jeanette MacDonald's flippant reference to her 1936 film hit San Francisco to the "it's only a movie, folks" closing shot. The music isn't bad, either. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Cairo is enormously fortunate to have Jeanette MacDonald on hand. Without this bright star operating in top form, it would be a bit of trial to sit through all the muddled nonsense that passes for its screenplay. With MacDonald, who looks sensational, Cairo emerges as an entertaining bauble. Rarely has the singer been in better voice, and she's given ample opportunity to show that voice off to its best advantage; whether dealing with "light" numbers like "Beautiful Ohio" and the title song or attacking operatic entries like "Il Bacio" and "Chi mi frema," MacDonald sounds glorious. She's also allowed to take full advantage of her comic abilities, including her too-rarely-used knack for spoofing herself. As her suspicious paramour, Robert Young provides very able support; if his role doesn't allow him the chance to shine as it does MacDonald, he nevertheless acquits himself quite respectably. Ethel Waters is given entirely too little to do, but she makes the most of "Buds Won't Bud" and "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee," and Lionel Atwill, Reginald Owen, and Dennis Hoey help to make the proceedings pleasant and enjoyable. Cairo is far from a top-notch vehicle, but as long as MacDonald is driving it, it's an engaging little diversion. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Robert Kalloch - Costume Designer, W.S. Van Dyke - Director, James Newcom - Editor, Herbert Stothart - Composer (Music Score), George Stoll - Composer (Music Score), George Stoll - Musical Direction/Supervision, Harold Arlen - Songwriter, Alfred de Musset - Songwriter, L. Wolfe Gilbert - Songwriter, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg - Songwriter, Lewis F. Muir - Songwriter, Arthur Schwartz - Songwriter, Ray June - Cinematographer, Joseph L. Mankiewicz - Producer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, John McClain - Screenwriter, Leo Delibes - Featured Music
Cairo is a 1942 musical comedy film made by MGM and Loew's, and directed by W.S. Van Dyke. The screenplay was written by John McClain, based on idea by Ladislas Fodor. The music score is by Herbert Stothart.
