Gold Diggers in Paris

Director: Ray Enright Ray Enright

Overview

The last and least of Warner Bros.' Gold Diggers musicals, Gold Diggers in Paris at least has the novelty of a Gallic setting. The stars this time are Rudy Vallee, Rosemary Lane, and Warners musical perennial Hugh Herbert. There aren't really any "gold diggers" (i.e. young ladies on the prowl for rich husbands), merely a troupe of stranded nightclub chorines whom Vallee passes off as a ballet troupe in order to win an international prize. Busby Berkeley's choreography is far from his best, especially since he's dealing with real dancers this time instead of geometrically arranged nonmoving bodies. The one song of note is "The Latin Quarter," later put to excellent use in countless Bugs Bunny and Pepe Le Pew cartoons.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/25/2017
UPC:	0888574487751
Original Release:	1938
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:37:00
Sales rank:	56,361

Special Features

Broadway Brevities Musical Short The Candid Kid; Classic Cartoons Cinderella Meets a Fella and Love and Curses; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Rudy Vallee	Terry Moore
Rosemary Lane	Kay Morrow
Hugh Herbert	Maurice Giraud
Gloria Dickson	Mona
Allen Jenkins	Duke Dennis
Melville Cooper	Pierre LeBrec
Mabel Todd	Leticia
Fritz Feld	Luis Leoni
Edward Brophy	Mike Coogan,Mike Coogan
Curt Bois	Padrinsky
Victor Kilian	Gendarme
Georges Renavent	Gendarme
Armand Kaliz	Stage Manager
Maurice Cass	Vail
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson	Doorman
Carole Landis	Bit Part
Victor Moore	J.J. Hobart
Harry Warren	Composer

Technical Credits

Warren Duff

Earl Baldwin

Ray Enright	Director
Warren Duff	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Earl Baldwin	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Samuel Bischoff	Producer,Producer
Hal Wallis	Producer

Editorial Reviews

The gold was thinning out by the time of Gold Diggers in Paris, but there's still just enough there to make this last of the series a fairly enjoyable piece of fluff. Economics and the law of diminishing returns caught up with this sequel, however, and the lack of budget shows. It's not so apparent in the dialogue scenes, although one or two sets are a bit too obviously phony and it's clear that the real title should have been "Gold Diggers in a Paris-like Backlot." The bigger problem is with the musical numbers, which are the reason the film was made in the first place. Choreographer Busby Berkeley was by this time having a hard time coming up with new and fresh ideas for numbers. The fact that he was someone whose strength was concept and vision rather than actual dance steps further hamstrung him when, as here, he wasn't given the money to make those concepts and vision come to life. There are a couple of nice Berkeley touches here and there, most notably a gigantic Navy cap that dominates one number; but for the most part, the dance sequences are acceptable rather than inspired. The cast is amiable enough, and Rudy Vallee and Rosemary Lane are in fine voice; they can't do much with the weak script, but who could? The Schnickelfritz Band provides some quirky musical interludes that will remind viewers of the later Spike Jones, and Harry Warren's tunes are engaging. If Gold Diggers in Paris is rather too thin, it's certainly good enough for audiences in an undemanding mood.