The plot of this superior comedic musical romance is basically similar to that in "Royal Wedding", starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell. A male and female pair of American entertainers(with other official roles in the present case)come to Europe to interact with royalty and other upper class persons, and each establishes a romance with one of such. The three main musical stars: Ethel Merman, Vera -Ellen, and Don O'Connor, all deserved much more and better film documentation of their exceptional talents during their careers. Here is a unique opportunity to see all of them shine, separately and together.Ethel is perfectly cast as the brassy expert Washington party hostess, turned ambassador. Vera-Ellen is also perfectly cast as the beautiful, but somewhat icy, cloistered princess, looking for an opportunity to shed this lifestyle and pursue her singing/dancing talents. This role rather closely mimics her role as a beautiful but repressed lost soul saviour, who falls for the suave rich playboy Fred Astaire, in "The Belle of New York".Ethel was often denied the film version of Broadway hits she starred in as a singer, comedian and actress, because she was considered not beautiful enough, or because too many in the film audience considered her singing voice too harsh and loud, or her personality too brassy, as she often acted as if she were still on a stage without a microphone.Vera-Ellen's exceptional dancing talent was recognized, but her singing was usually dubbed, and she was often considered too introverted to come across as an all around entertainer.In this film, her scenes nearly all exclude Ethel, thus she has ample opportunity to carry her own scenes, mostly with O'Connor's help.O'Connor's exceptional vaudevillian combination of talents, honed since early childhood, was too often shadowed in film assignments by Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, or others, or wasted in inferior roles at Universal. I think of him as a younger version of rubbery comedic dancer Ray Bolger(Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz"). In this film, he escapes the dominance of Kelly in their superhit "Singing in the Rain". He gets to shine in his comical novelty dance, following singing the somber "What Chance Have I With Love? He also sings a Berlin standard with Ethel, and has several romantic song or dance numbers with Vera-Ellen, who made a perfect dance partner. In addition to brassy solos of "The Hostess with the Mostess","The International Rag" and "Can You Use any Money Today?" and a show-stopping duet with O'Connors, Ethel sings several romantic duets with George Sanders.The fanciful story is based on an actual Truman appointment of a Washington socialite as ambassador to the tiny country of Luxemburg. In the film, the country is changed to the ultratiny alpine country of Liechtenstein, renamed Lichtenburg, presumably because it is more scenic and remote and has more colorful traditional dance costumes, esploited in the charming musical number "Ocarina", featuring Vera-Ellen and a dance chorus.Seems Lichtenburg had a problem of needing a huge dowry for their Princess Maria(Vera-Ellen), to marry Prince Hugo of a neighboring country, and they are hoping to obtain a loan from the US Marshall Plan. As instructed, Ethel refuses a loan requested by several short overeager ministers, but offers a huge loan to tall suave reserved foreign minister Cosmo Constantine(George Sanders), who immediately mermerizes her. But Cosmo knows that the princess does not love the prince, thus he refuses to OK the loan. He himself refused a political arranged marriage and sings the song "Marrying for Love" to Ethel, whom he is warming up to. Meanwhile, the cloistered princess Maria, with the forbidden desire of a singing/dancing career, develops a romance with Ethel's press attache(O'Connor), who happens to have similar talents. In the happy ending, although Ethel is recalled to Washington for encouraging the O'Connor:Vera-Ellen romance, Cosmo conveniently is appointed ambassador to the US, after defeating the loan offer in his very brief role as prime minister.Princess Maria accompanies Cosmo on the ship over, having decided to renounce her claim to the throne in favor of a marriage with O'Connor's character and perhaps a show business career.Billy De Wolfe has the thankless, if prominent, role of the arrogant embassy chief of protocol in Lichtenburg, who thinks Ethel should be just a figurehead, with himself wielding actual embassy power. The title of the film comes from Ethel's imperative that he address her as Madam, as part of her counterattack. I wonder if the fact that Billy has more than a passing physical resemblance to Thomas Dewey was purely coincidental, with Truman periodically on the phone with Ethel?... Several of the leading actors in the Lichtenburg government were native to that region. This includes Walter Slezak, who makes a play for Ethel, but is quickly rejected.

This is one of the best musicals and is a sweet little love story focusing on two couples of different ages.The wealthy American society hostess Sally Adams(Ethel Merman)is appointed American Ambassador to the royal country of Lichtenburg.She goes there with her young aide Kenneth Gibson(Donald O'Connor)who falls in love with the young and beautiful Princess Maria(Vera Ellen)who is a national treasure and delights the people with her dancing skills at the annual festivals.While their little romance blooms(against protocol)Sally falls in love with the charming and kind General Cosmo Constantine(George Sanders).Cosmo is a gentleman of the old school and sweeps Sally off her feet with manners,charm and sincerity.Featuring some toe tapping songs and Vera Ellen proving once again that she's one of the best dancers of all time(check her out in White Christmas as well).I was also pleasantly surprised to see that George can sing he had a gorgeous voice and it serves him well when he's singing I for one could listen all day to him.Although it doesn't have loads of character development(there never really is in a lot of musicals)this is a must see which will entertain you and and is one to watch on a rainy day or if you need cheering up.

Once upon a time there was a society hostess named Perle Mesta who became US ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. And soon afterwards there was a society hostess in an Irving Berlin musical who became ambassador to the Grand Duchy of 'Lichtenburg', made some gaffes and matches, and hoofed and bawled her way through diplomatic receptions in ball gowns.Ethel Merman notoriously 'projected' too much to sit comfortably on a movie screen; but Berlin, who had much say over picturisations of his Broadway hits, insisted on her repeating her Broadway show-stopping turn in Fox's stodgy adaptation-- directed by Walter Lang with the resolute anonymity that was his non-trademark. Scene after scene plays as just that: a procession of Broadway tableaux, designed for Ruritanian artificiality with no cinematic flow or heightening by camera or cutting. The book is light on hits, and 'You're Just In Love' is worked too hard.Ethel is adequately restrained, but neither of the juvenile leads-- Donald O'Connor as a gawky junior American diplomat, Vera-Ellen as the reluctant princess he woos-- are full-blooded enough.O'Connor lacks the furious energy he showed as Gene Kelly's partner in the previous year's 'Singin' in the Rain', which probably got him this part. He is not trusted with many funny lines either. Vera-Ellen, whose previous director had called her a piece of putty, is an efficient if anorexic hoofer and mouther of dubbed songs. She lacks something extra: the neurotic streak of Garland, the dynamism of Ann Miller or the steeliness of Doris Day that makes an ingénue stand out. George Sanders, as the Lichtenburg bigwig who tickles Ethel's fancy, warbles a little, breaks into a shuffling dance sometimes and remembers not to be a cad.Camp keeps breaking in. Billy De Wolfe, Merman's disapproving chief of staff, made his name as a nightclub comedian impersonating a woman in the bath, and there are intimations of that in his remonstrances. A big number at the annual Lichtenburg fair, with Princess Vera-Ellen hymning the joys of the ocarina amid a troupe of Hollywood chorus boys dressed as mittel-European peasants in tight shorts, is one of several moments which remind one of Freedonia in 'Duck Soup' (as does the finale back in Washington).Romance is on low temperature given the four principals, and the laughs are limply drawn from the idea that the Grand Duchy, uniquely in Marshall Plan Europe, would be too proud to take Uncle Sam's largess. Ethel has several one-sided telephone talks with a president named Harry whose daughter gets mixed reviews for her piano-playing. Gangs of local and US politicians splutter in mutual misunderstanding.This was Berlin's last hit musical, though he lived another 36 years, and it was something of a career-finisher for the stars as well-- although Berlin's 'There's No Business Like Show Business' was shot back-to-back with it with Lang, Merman and O'Connor and rushed out the next year.Vera-Ellen married and retired to a life of misery and seclusion; Merman never had a big film role after 1954 ('Gypsy' went to Rosalind Russell); O'Connor was soon stooging for Francis the talking mule; and Sanders dwindled into supporting parts, bankruptcy and suicide. 'Singin' in the Rain' had been the summit and the beginning of the end.

I love Donald O'Connor and it's so hard to find his movies. So when I found this one I jumped at the chance to get it. I had never seen it before I bought. I went home and watched and quickly fell in love with it. The acting was well done and it's a cute little story line. I had seen There's no Business like Show Business with Ethel Merman and Donald O'Connor so I knew a little bit what it would be like to see them together. I'm not a huge fan of Ethel but like I said I love Donald and this was one of his best! On a scale of 1-10 I would give a 10. It is in my opinion one of the best musicals around. I love the songs in it. I think that my favorite song in the movie though would have to be You're Just in Love. Though I also think that Donald looks a little funny in those glasses. But I also really like What Chance have I with Love. Donald shows in this song that he was one of the best dancers ever around. He's right up there with Gene Kelly.