Main Cast: Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Florence Rice
Release Year: 1938
Country: US
Run Time: 114 minutes
Plot
Contrary to popular belief, the Nelson Eddy-Jeanette MacDonald Technicolor confection Sweethearts is not based on the 1913 Victor Herbert operetta of the same name (though most of Herbert's songs remain intact), but a Dorothy Parker-Alan Campbell brainstorm about a popular Broadway singing duo, starring in a long-running production of Sweethearts. The early portions of the film take place during a purported presentation of the Herbert piece, with Eddy and MacDonald singing their hearts out and Ray Bolger providing comic relief. We then segue into a long sequence wherein producer Frank Morgan, celebrating Sweethearts's six-year run, insists that Eddy and MacDonald attend a lavish party, where the weary performers are called upon to continue singing throughout the evening. Hoping for a few moments alone after escaping the party, Eddy and MacDonald are besieged at their apartment by friends, co-workers, hangers-on and sponging relatives. Seeking peace and quiet, the couple agrees to leave Sweethearts for the comparative calm of Hollywood. But their entourage, fearing that they'll lose their meal ticket if Eddy and MacDonald leave New York, arrange to inaugurate two profitable road companies of Sweethearts by contriving to split up the loving couple. Cleverly sidestepping the sugary sweet sentimentality that one might expect from an MGM musical of the era, the delightful Sweethearts is hampered only by its overlength. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Sweethearts is one of the most enjoyable of the Jeanette MacDonald-Nelson Eddy series of operettas. While it lacks both the iconic stature and the inclusion of "classic" MacDonald-Eddy duets associated with some of their more revered outings, Sweethearts is possessed of something much more rare: a genuinely amusing screenplay. In most of the pair's outings, the script ranges from middling to poor, with the films saved by the musical moments. Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell's screenplay for Sweethearts, totally dispending with the story of the original stage production, is a delight. It starts with amusing and workable (if admittedly far-fetched) premise and builds upon this foundation with dialogue that is often very witty. MacDonald, an excellent comedienne, gets a chance to flex her underused comic muscles, and even Eddy comes alive here: he's no farceur, but he is livelier and more engaging in his dialogue scenes than one expects. And, of course, the duo is in great voice, handling some gorgeous Victor Herbert melodies, clothed in elaborate costumes and photographed lovingly in Technicolor. Throw in a marvelous dance near the beginning from Ray Bolger and the always dependable Frank Morgan and the result is a winner. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Albertina Rasch - Choreography, Adrian - Costume Designer, W.S. Van Dyke - Director, Robert J. Kern - Editor, Herbert Stothart - Composer (Music Score), Allen M. Davey - Cinematographer, Oliver Marsh - Cinematographer, Hunt Stromberg - Producer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Slavko Vorkapich - Special Effects, Dorothy Parker - Screenwriter, Fred de Gresac - Screenwriter, Alan Campbell - Screenwriter, Victor Herbert - From Musical by, Victor Herbert - Play Author, Fred de Gresac - Play Author, Harry B. Smith - Play Author, Robert B. Smith - Play Author
