On the Riviera (1951)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Walter Lang

Writers:

Hans Adler (play)
Valentine Davies (writer)

Release Date:

20 April 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Plot:

Jack Martin (Danny Kaye), an American entertainer working cabarets on the French Riviera, does an impersonation...

Plot Keywords:

Entertainer | Beautiful Woman | Dual Role | Based On Play

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Danny Kaye	...	Jack Martin / Henri Duran
Gene Tierney	...	Lili Duran
Corinne Calvet	...	Colette
Marcel Dalio	...	Philippe Lebrix
Jean Murat	...	Felix Periton
Henri Letondal	...	Louis Foral
Clinton Sundberg	...	Antoine
Sig Ruman	...	Gapeaux
Joyce Mackenzie	...	Mimi (as Joyce MacKenzie)
Monique Chantal	...	Minette
Marina Koshetz	...	Mme. Louise Cornet
Ann Codee	...	Mme. Periton
Mari Blanchard	...	Eugenie
Ethel Martin	...	Trio Dance Team Member
George Martin	...	Trio Dance Team Member

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 | France:U | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (certificate #14863)

Filming Locations:

Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The painting of Gene Tierney over the fireplace is, of course, the famous portrait of her from the black-and-white noir classic Laura (1944). It is the only opportunity to see the legendary painting in color.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Rhythm Of A New Romance

Danny Kaye at his best

I can't imagine why anyone would dislike this marvelous film. Danny Kaye does a superb job playing a double role, showing a subtlety of acting ability that some might not have thought he had. He is not, for once, cast like a complete fool. Don't get me wrong; he plays those parts well, and is often hysterically funny, as in The Inspector General and The Court Jester. In that picture he does get to play a part that is not a fool, as he is hypnotized into thinking himself a swashbuckling hero, but it is a role that calls for him to lampoon the part he is playing. In On The Riviera, however, he plays a genuine masterful leading male role: a millionaire French airplane manufacturer with a gorgeous wife who is worth the price of admission. His other role is a traditional Kaye role: an American comedian. The gimmick is that he is an almost perfect double for the suave French romantic lead. He really plays three roles, and the subtlety with which he distinguishes them is superb. He is the American comic, he is the French millionaire looking a little like Yves Montand, and he is the American comic successfully passing himself off as the millionaire, fooling the wife and the valet as well as the general public. The role reminds me of Yves Montand in Let's Make Love with Marilyn Monroe: he plays the millionaire and he plays a poor guy trying to break into show business by passing for the millionaire. All in all, a triumph for Danny Kaye, well decorated with gorgeous females.