The Great Victor Herbert
29/12/1939
2h



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.
Cast


Allan Jones
John Ramsey


Mary Martin
Louise Hall


Walter Connolly
Victor Herbert


Lee Bowman
Dr. Richard Moore


Susanna Foster
Peggy


Judith Barrett
Marie Clark


Jerome Cowan
Barney Harris


John Garrick
Warner Bryant


Pierre Watkin
Albert Martin


Hal K. Dawson
George Faller


Richard Tucker
Michael Brown


Mary Currier
Mrs. Victor Herbert


Emmett Vogan
Forbes


James Finlayson
Lamplighter
Sandra Lee Richards
Peggy - as a Young Girl
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