Duchess of Idaho

Duchess of Idaho

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Produced by Jack Cummings
Written by Dorothy Cooper
Jerry Davis
Sid Fields
Starring Van Johnson
Esther Williams
Music by Albert Sendrey
George Stoll
Cinematography Charles Edgar Schoenbaum
Editing by Adrienne Fazan
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) July 14, 1950 (1950-07-14)
Running time 98 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Duchess of Idaho is a musical romantic comedy produced in 1950 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard, it was the fourth film pairing Esther Williams and Van Johnson. It was shot mainly on location in Sun Valley, Idaho.[1]

Contents

Plot summary

Christine Riverton Duncan (Esther Williams) attempts to play matchmaker for her lovelorn friend Ellen (Paula Raymond) by pursuing Douglas J. Morrissen, Jr. (John Lund), the man Ellen loves, all the way to Idaho. There, Christine decides to play a joke on Douglas. After boarding his train to Sun Valley, Christine wins the man's affections and then shocks him with hints that she expects a commitment. Once she's in Sun Valley, however, things become problematic when Christine falls in love with hotel bandleader Dick Layne (Van Johnson). During her time in Sun Valley, Christine wins the title of "Duchess of Idaho" in a dance contest.

Cast

Production

In her autobiography, Million Dollar Mermaid, Williams called this a "re-hash of the Esther Williams formula: the mismatched lovers plot. It was enough to give one a case of cinematic deja vu."[3]

Duchess of Idaho marked Eleanor Powell's first film appearance in six years as well as her last film appearance. Williams reported that Powell had practiced her cameo's routine until her feet bled, claiming that it had to be perfect.[3]

Lena Horne's contract with MGM also ended with this film, though she would make several more MGM musical appearances later in the decade.

Soundtrack

Deleted performances

Several musical numbers filmed for the movie were cut from the theatrical release. The deleted songs were:

These performances would later surface on a special DVD packaged in a 2004 box set of the That's Entertainment! films.

Critical reception

Cue magazine found the film to be "a big, beautiful bore. The comedy is rapid and the pace is sleepy."[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Davis, Ronald L. (2001). Van Johnson: MGM's Golden Boy (1st ed.). ISBN 1578063779, 9781578063772. http://books.google.com/books?id=RG2PFR0tFSAC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved 2010-01-07. 
  2. ^ Hanson, Patricia King; Dunkleberger, Amy, eds (1971). "Duchess of Idaho". The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1941-1950. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 657. ISBN 0520215214. OCLC 468239657. 
  3. ^ a b Williams, Esther (1999). The Million Dollar Mermaid: An Autobiography (1st ed.). ISBN 0156011352, 9780156011358. http://books.google.com/books?id=qItZAAAAMAAJ&q=the+million+dollar+mermaid&dq=the+million+dollar+mermaid&cd=1. Retrieved 2009-12-11. 

External links