Customer Reviews

Princess Comes Across [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An engaging little film from 1936. THE PRICESS COMES ACROSS adroidly combined a whodunit by Philip MacDonald with a romantic comedy novel by Louis Lucien Rogger, to give Lombard and MacMurray and delicious successor to their previous 1935 hit HANDS ACROSS THE TABLE. It took six writers to make up a brilliant script (for once, too many cooks didn't make hash!) Carole is a Brooklyn showgirl who took a third-class trip to Europe from which she returns first-class.............On the way back to the states, Carole assumes the idenity of a Swedish princess in the hopes of being discovered as a new Garbo! A zany comedy thriller with plenty of jokes has our Carole pose as royalty on an ocean voyage on a luxury liner where she meets romantic MacMurray; they soon become embroiled in a whodunit! This deft blend of satire, comedy and mystery is interesting for Lombard's obvious poke at Garbo and there's William (Fred Mertz) Frawley in rare form as Benton. William K. Howard directed Arthur Hornblow Jr.'s production and kept things skimming along at a fine rate of knots - to top it off, MacMurray even sings a little ditty entitled MY CONCERTINA.

The 1930's gave birth to a hybrid type of film which mixed comedy and mystery with a certain type of glamour. Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray have fun in this splendid example of the genre fans will enjoy. Based on a story by Philip MacDonald adapted from a novel, there are many amusing moments as the irreverent and lovely Lombard spoofs Garbo. The versatile Fred MacMurray matches her as a smitten concertina player trying to protect her when things go south.

Lombard is Wanda Nash of Brooklyn, posing as a Swedish Princess, Olga, and heading for Hollywood by ocean liner to star in a film for Transcontinental Pictures. Alison Skipworth is her traveling companion, Lady Gertrude. A cabin mix-up has them meeting concertina player King Mantell (MacMurray) and his pal William Frawley, of I Love Lucy fame. There is an instant attraction between the two, but Lady Gertrude is afraid Wanda will slip up and ruin the charade if she and Mantell hook up. As she explains to Wanda: "No good ever comes from a concertina squeezer!"

An escaped murderer who is a master of disguise is on board the ship, but luckily for the captain, an international convention of police detectives, which includes Mischa Auer as a Russian cop, is along on the cruise as well. When a slimy blackmailer named Darcy ends up dead in Wanda's cabin, the vulnerable Princess turns to King Mantell and his pal to get her out of the jam. King, on the verge of big success but with a shady past also, throws caution to the wind and moves the body.

It isn't long, of course, until King is on to the Princess, but by this time he has fallen for her, and puts himself in danger by announcing he will reveal the killer after his concert. Can any good come from a concertina player? It's fun to find out in this somewhat tame but very entertaining film. The sets are delicious and so is Lombard. The camera shows off her beauty while the story gives her a chance to poke a little fun at the `nose up in the air' variety of prestiege star popular during the 1930's. A fun little film and a must for Lombard fans.

Following their success together in HANDS ACROSS THE TABLE, Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray team up again in this light entertainment about making it in Hollywood, solving a murder mystery, and falling in love. Lombard disguises herself as a Swedish princess, and while aboard an ocean liner she not only meets handsome bandleader MacMurray, but is blackmailed by an old acquaintance. When the guy ends up dead in Lombard's stateroom, she goes to MacMurray for help. He finds the killer and, of course, falls in love with Lombard. Her ruse is revealed by the end, which makes everything normal again. The story and direction just zip right along and whether "getting to know each other" or working on the murder mystery, the two principals are fun to watch. The whole picture is as light as a feather, but it's not a slipshod affair, and it works so well because everyone involved wants it to. Worth a watch.

My wife is a great fan of Carole Lombard and her movies are hard to find now. But, not at Amazon.com.

Paramount Pictures presents "PRINCESS COMES ACROSS" (1936) ~ (76 min/B&W) -- Starring: Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, Douglass Dumbrille, Alison Skipworth & William Frawley

Directed by William K. Howard

Our mystery comedy begins something like this, Wanda Nash (Carole Lombard) is an alluring Swedish beauty who travels under the name of Princess Olga. Everyone whom she meets en route to America on the steamship Mammoth bows and scrapes to the Princess, while Hollywood anxiously awaits her arrival to star her in a big-budget film. Only the ship's band leader, King Mantell (Fred MacMurray), refuses to defer to Olga, sensing that she may not be all she claims. Mantell's instincts are right on target: the "Princess" is a phony, a Brooklyn girl who has adopted a royal guise thanks to drama coach Lady Gertrude Allwyn (Alison Skipworth) - its a publicity stunt. Unfortunately, blackmailer Darcy (Porter Hall) becomes aware of Wanda's true identity and offers to keep quiet in exchange for a huge cash settlement.

At the same time, Darcy is attempting to shake down several other passengers on the Mammoth, including King Mantell. Inevitably, Darcy is found murdered in the Princess's stateroom, and Wanda finds herself one of several likely suspects, among them Mantell. A quintet of international detectives, traveling to a convention in America, sets out to solve the mystery, which becomes even more mysterious when one of the detectives also turns up dead. Taking matters in his own hands, Mantell vows to clear Wanda's name, and in the course of things he realizes that he's madly in love with her - but will Wanda give up her hoax, and her future showbiz career, for Mantell's sake?

There is much chemistry between Lombard and MacMurray, who both could play drama and comedy, only a handful of actors can do both.

* Special footnote: - George Raft initially was cast as Carole Lombard's co-star, but he walked off the set at the start of production. He objected to Ted Tetzlaff as the cinematographer.

BIOS:

1. William K. Howard [Director]

Date of Birth: 6 June 1893 - St. Marys, Ohio

Date of Death: 21 February 1954 - Los Angeles, California

2. Carole Lombard [aka: Jane Alice Peters]

Date of Birth: 6 October 1908 - Fort Wayne, Indiana

Date of Death: 16 January 1942 - Table Rock Mountain, Nevada (airplane crash)

3. Fred MacMurray

Date of Birth: 30 August 1908 - Kankakee, Illinois

Date of Death: 5 November 1991 - Santa Monica, California

4. Douglass Dumbrille

Date of Birth: 13 October 1889 - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Date of Death: 2 April 1974 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California

5. Alison Skipworth

Date of Birth: 25 July 1863 - London, England, UK

Date of Death: 5 July 1952 - New York City, New York

6. William Frawley

Date of Birth: 26 February 1887 - Burlington, Iowa

Date of Death: 3 March 1966 - Hollywood, California

Mr. Jim's Ratings:

Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars

Performance: 5 Stars

Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars

Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 76 min on DVD/VHS ~ Paramount Pictures ~ (September 12, 1995)

The Princess Comes Across is a who-dunit on a boat headed toward America. A journalist, an average dame disguised as a Swedish princess, and a group of detectives sail together not knowing their paths will cross, but when blackmail and murder occur, they're all linked together.

This film is advertised as a comedy, but it is more of a romantic drama than anything else. There are times of wit, but the mystery of the murder and figuring out which characters are innocent and which are guilty is more dominant. There is also a decent love story between the reporter (Fred MacMurray) and the princess (Carole Lombard).

These two leading actors are good in this film, but not great. MacMurray outshines the accented Lombard who has always been slightly overrated as a comedienne, in my eyes. She is certainly beautiful and the two make a handsome couple and a fun film.

"The Princess Comes Across", was supposedly inspired by true events, but nothing in the film seems believeable, and that's one of the biggest faults of the harmless 1930s film.

Carole Lombard plays an out of work actress who is posing as the princess of Sweden, who has signed a movie deal. Fred MacMurray plays a band leader who falls for the princess. As the plot develops a murder happens and MacMurray and Lombard are the prime suspects.

The material, at least to me, sounds like the makings for a comedy. Think along the lines of a Bob Hope film, say "The Great Lover", but no, the movie is cover to all of its bases and it a half comedy (mostly in the beginning), half suspense, half romance. Speaking of Bob Hope the film was written by Don Hartman and Frank Butler, two men who actually wrote for Hope. The movie also brings to mind Preston Sturges' "The Lady Eve". Both films have characters who are not what they appear. Barbara Stanwyck was playing a con artist who passed herself off as a good girl, and Lombard as the actress playing a princess. But at least with "The Great Lover", which also has a mystery storyline on a ocean liner, and "The Lady Eve" they played their material correctly. Each film set the correct tone. "The Princess Comes Across" could have used a few rewrites. It needed to make up its mind on what exactly it wanted to be. Since MacMurray and Lombard were so successful in "Hands Across the Table", a charming 30s screwball comedy, why not try to repeat that success?

I'm recommending the movie mostly to those who enjoy classic Hollywood films. Of course if you're a fan of the stars it doesn't hurt either. Lombard and MacMurray are fine, and can be quite funny and charming when the film allows them to be.

Bottom-line: Weak comedy\romance\suspense film that never sets the right tone. The actors do their best to keep things going, but the screenwriters sure made things difficult for them.

Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray co-star in this swell screwball comedy in which Lombard, a down and out American actor posing as European royalty, comes up against MacMurray, a brash, wisecracking big band musician who casts a cynical eye on her masquerade. They, um, fall in love eventually, (duh!) but the hijinks and sharp quips in between are quite enjoyable. A classic! Plus, you get a chance to see MacMurray portray a tough guy, as well as sing and play the concertina! Lombard is a total dish, too.

"The Princess Comes Across" is definitely in the second tier of Lombard films, but well-made and worth renting for fans.

Lombard stars as ordinary showgirl Wanda, aka "Princess Olga". With a fake Swedish accent (which Lombard pulls off very nicely) and a friend and fellow thespian posing as a lady-in-waiting, Wanda gets a free crossing on an ocean liner and a film contract waiting for her in Hollywood. Unfortunately, a body turns up in her stateroom and the ruse becomes dangerous, especially when bandleader and concertina-fancier Fred McMurray gets involved.

It's all pretty silly, but harmless enough with a few snappy lines and a host of character actors brightening the mix. McMurray and Lombard don't have much chemistry, but the costumes are glamorous and we do get to hear Fred sing. Pretty much a renter, but enjoyable.

GRADE: B-