The Great Victor Herbert

The Great Victor Herbert backdrop
Poster for The Great Victor Herbert
MOVIE
NR

The Great Victor Herbert

Hear 28 Victor Herbert Melodies

In his last film assignment, portly Walter Connolly fills the title role (in more ways than one) in The Great Victor Herbert. Very little of Herbert's life story is incorporated in the screenplay (a closing title actually apologizes for the film's paucity of cold hard facts); instead, the writers allow the famed composer's works to speak for themselves. In the tradition of one of his own operettas, Herbert spends most of his time patching up the shaky marriage between tenor John Ramsey (Allan Jones) and Louise Hall (Mary Martin). Many of Herbert's most famous compositions are well in evidence, including "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life", "March of the Toys" and "Kiss Me Again", the latter performed con brio by teenaged coloratura Susanna Foster. Evidently, the producers were able to secure the film rights for the Herbert songs, but not for the stage productions in which they appeared, which may explain such bizarre interpolations as having a song from Naughty Marietta.

Release Date

1939-12-29

Year

1939

Duration

1h 31m

Status

Released

Score

5.00

#broadway#singing-waiter

Cast

Allan Jones

Allan Jones

John Ramsey

Mary Martin

Mary Martin

Louise Hall

Walter Connolly

Walter Connolly

Victor Herbert

Lee Bowman

Lee Bowman

Dr. Richard Moore

Susanna Foster

Susanna Foster

Peggy

Judith Barrett

Judith Barrett

Marie Clark

Jerome Cowan

Jerome Cowan

Barney Harris

John Garrick

John Garrick

Warner Bryant

Pierre Watkin

Pierre Watkin

Albert Martin

Hal K. Dawson

Hal K. Dawson

George Faller