Themes: Social Climbing, Members of the Press, Love Triangles
Main Cast: Ginger Rogers, Cary Grant, Walter Slezak, Albert Dekker, Albert Basserman
Release Year: 1942
Country: US
Run Time: 116 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
The surrealistic opening sequence, featuring a WW2 calendar as written "by A. Hitler", should be indication enough that Once Upon a Honeymoon is no ordinary lighthearted romantic trifle. Ginger Rogers plays Katie, an American chorus girl who seeks to better herself by marrying titled European Baron von Luber (Walter Slezak), despite the warnings of reporter Pat (Cary Grant). Katie thinks Pat is just jealous, but both he and the audience are aware that Von Luber is secretly a high-ranking Nazi, whose "unofficial" visits to Czechoslovakia, Poland and France precipitate the German invasions of those countries. When Katie wises up, she agrees to help counterespionage agent LeBlanc (Albert Dekker) in his efforts to stop Von Luber before he can reach New York-and along the way, she falls in love with the ubiquitous Pat. The bizarre ending, in which one of the main characters is casually murdered, is played for laughs, as if WW2 is merely fodder for a screwball comedy. In the film's most unsettling scene, Katie and Pat, mistaken for Jews, are briefly interred in a Polish concentration camp; their outrage over this treatment seems to be founded not on Germany's crimes against humanity, but over the fact that the Gestapo would have the audacity to incarcerate two non-Jewish Americans! A curious and often tasteless misfire from producer-director Leo McCarey, One Upon a Honeymoon is an undeniably fascinating historical artifact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Once Upon a Honeymoon is definitely an interesting picture, and one that may provoke quite varying responses among viewers. No one is likely to really go to bat for it and call it a really good film, but some viewers will find individual moments rewarding enough to stick up for it as quite good in parts and better than average overall. Indeed, there are plenty of moments when Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers display a lovely chemistry that do work quite well, or when Walter Slezak's performance inspires admiration. And the supporting cast turns in very fine work. But those who don't hold Honeymoon in particularly high regard can point to the erratic tone in its direction; the manner in which the screenplay tries to mix screwball comedy, romance, and spy thriller elements, and totally botches the job; and some truly tasteless sequences, including the "mistaken Jewish identity" sequence that sees the stars put in a concentration camp. Basically, it comes down to a "you pays your money, you takes your choice" kind of situation. But even so, Honeymoon is worth watching, if only to see how much director Leo McCarey and his collaborators wanted to try to accomplish, and how far they fell of their goal. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Ferike Boros - Elsa; Harry Shannon - Ed Cumberland; John Banner - Kleinoch; Fred Aldrich; Frank Alten - Spontaneity; Felix Basch - Herr Kelman; Brandon Beach - Civilian; Walter Byron - Guard; Gordon B. Clark; Hans Conried - French Fitter; Boyd Davis - Chamberlain; Pedro de Cordoba - Cumberland; Joseph Diskay - Warsaw Desk Clerk; Carl Ekberg - Adolf Hitler; Arno Frey; Hans Furberg; Russell Gaige - Guest of Baron; Frederick Giermann; Henry Guttman - Storm Trooper; Dell Henderson - American Attache; George Irving - American Consul; Manart Kippen; Natasha Lytess - Anna Beckstein; Alex Melesh - Bar Waiter; Leda Nicova - Travelers in Warsaw; Emory Parnell - Quisling; John Peters - Kleinoch's Driver; Albert Petit; Otto Reichow - Guard; Bert Roach - Bartender; Lionel Royce - German Officer; Hans Schumm; George Sorel; Walter O. Stahl - Guest of Baron; Bob Stevenson; William Vaughan - German Colonel; Henry Victor; William Von Brincken - German Colonel; Hans Heinrich Von Twardowski - German Officer; Fred Niblo - Ship Captain; Bill Martin; Walter Bonn; Ernst Hausman - German; Edgar Licho - French Waiter; Bob O'Connor - Polish Operator; Peter Seal - Polish Orderly; Dina Smirnova - Travelerwarsaw; Jacques Vanaire - French Radio Announcer; Alex Davidoff; Jimmie Dime; Joseph Kamaryt - Czech Official; Oscar Loraine - Ship Steward; Rudolph Myzet; Major Nichols; Gohr VanVleck; Jack Martin
Credit
Albert S. D'Agostino - Art Director, Alfred Herman - Art Director, James H. Anderson - First Assistant Director, Harry Scott - First Assistant Director, Leo McCarey - Director, Theron Warth - Editor, Robert Emmett Dolan - Composer (Music Score), Mel Burns - Makeup, Alfred Herman - Production Designer, George Barnes - Cinematographer, Leo McCarey - Producer, Claude E. Carpenter - Set Designer, Darrell Silvera - Set Designer, Vernon Walker - Special Effects, James G. Stewart - Sound/Sound Designer, Richard VanHessen - Sound/Sound Designer, Stephen Dunn - Sound/Sound Designer, Sheridan Gibney - Screenwriter
In the days leading up to World War II, Katie O'Hara (Ginger Rogers), an American burlesque performer masquerading as American socialite "Katherine Butt-Smith", pronounced byüt-smith, is about to marry Austrian Baron Von Luber (Walter Slezak). Foreign correspondent Pat O'Toole (Cary Grant) suspects Von Luber of being a Nazi sympathizer and tries unsuccessfully to get information from Katie by deceit, but is warned off by Von Luber.
Undaunted, O'Toole follows the couple to Prague, where O'Hara and Von Luber marry. After the annexation of Czechoslovakia by Germany, the Von Lubers travel to Warsaw, where the baron sells arms to Polish General Borelski (Albert Bassermann). O'Toole warns the General of the dangers of trusting in Von Luber. When the General tries the weapons he finds out he has been sold duds and plans to notify his government. When the Germans invade Poland, the weapons prove to be defective. Von Luber is arrested on suspicious but warns his young bride not to worry because no one will be able to witness against him. Soon after, the General is assassinated along with a young Nazi the Baron has chosen to sacrifice. While the Baron is in jail O'Hara and O'Toole decide to flee the country. However, O'Hara has given her passport to her Jewish maid Anna, so that the woman and her two children may escape the country. O'Hara and O'Toole escape to Norway, Holland and Belgium (all of which subsequently fall to the Germans) and then to Paris all at the hand of Von Luber.
In Paris, O'Hara and O'Toole go to have new passports made. They meet Gaston Le Blanc (Albert Dekker), an American counterintelligence agent posing as a photographer. LeBlanc persuades O'Hara to return to the Baron aworking as a spy. Von Luber becomes suspicious due to O'Hara's persistent questioning. O'Toole agrees to broadcast pro-Nazi propaganda after the Baron threatens to turn O'Hara over to the Gestapo. O'Toole is then contacted by American counterintelligence who ask him to accept the offer and betray the Baron. When O'Hara is found with LeBlanc, who is shot by two Nazi agents, she is placed under house arrest. Anna finds her in the hotel and aids in her escape. O'Toole goes on the air, but after O'Hara shows up at the studio, he cleverly manages to make it look as if the baron is trying to overthrow Hitler. Von Luber is arrested, and Pat and Katie sneak away.
They board a ship for America, but Katie later runs into Von Luber on board; the baron was able to talk his way out of his troubles. Now he is on his way to the United States to continue his subversive activities. They struggle and Von Luber falls overboard. O'Hara tells O'Toole and hesitantly he agrees to tell the Captain. The Captain agrees and turns around to search for Von Luber, but when O'Hara tells them her husband cannot swim they happily turn the ship back towards America.
