The Merry Widow (1952 film)
The Merry Widow | |
---|---|
Directed by | Curtis Bernhardt |
Written by | Victor Léon (libretto) Leo Stein (libretto) Sonya Levien William Ludwig |
Based on | Die lustige Witwe 1905 operetta by Franz Lehár |
Produced by | Joe Pasternak |
Starring | Lana Turner Fernando Lamas |
Cinematography | Robert Surtees |
Edited by | Conrad A. Nervig |
Music by | Jay Blackton (uncredited) |
Color process | Technicolor |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date | September 5, 1952 |
Running time | 105 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2,417,000[1] |
Box office | $4,500,000[1][2] |
The Merry Widow is a 1952 film adaptation of the 1905 operetta of the same name by Franz Lehár. It starred Lana Turner (whose singing voice was dubbed by Trudy Erwin) and Fernando Lamas.
The film received two Oscar nominations: for Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Color (Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse, Edwin B. Willis, Arthur Krams) and Best Costume Design, Color.[3] Paul Francis Webster provided revised lyrics for a greatly abridged score of the operetta conducted by Jay Blackton.
Plot[]
The young widow Crystal Radek is invited to Marshovia, a small European kingdom, to attend the unveiling of a statue in honour of her deceased husband. The royal coffers are seriously in need of her money so the king sends out count Danilo to seduce her.
Cast[]
- Lana Turner as Crystal Radek
- Fernando Lamas as Count Danilo
- Una Merkel as Kitty Riley. Merkel played Queen Dolores in the 1934 film version.
- Richard Haydn as Baron Popoff
- Thomas Gomez as the King of Marshovia
- John Abbott as the Marshovian ambassador
- Marcel Dalio as the police sergeant
- King Donovan as Nitki
- Robert Coote as Marquis de Crillon
- Lisa Ferraday as Marcella
- Joi Lansing as a Maxim's girl (uncredited)
Gwen Verdon and Matt Mattox performed specialty dances choreographed by Jack Cole.
Reception[]
According to MGM records, the film made $2,232,000 in the US and Canada and $2,268,000 overseas resulting in a profit of $27,000.[1]
References[]
- ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ^ See also 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954 and 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953
- ^ "NY Times: The Merry Widow". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
External links[]
- The Merry Widow at IMDb
- The Merry Widow at AllMovie
- The Merry Widow at the TCM Movie Database
- The Merry Widow at the American Film Institute Catalog
- English-language films
- 1952 films
- 1950s romantic musical films
- American romantic musical films
- American films
- Films directed by Curtis Bernhardt
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
- Films set in Europe
- Films set in the 1900s
- Operetta films
- Films based on operettas
- Films produced by Joe Pasternak
- Films with screenplays by William Ludwig
- Films with screenplays by Sonya Levien
- Romantic musical film stubs