Evening star., 1948-07-16


charm in the picture at the
Warner, they would have to sue
cumb to the loveliness of Joan
Fontaine and the delightful Tech
nicolor vistas of the pictures man
made Tyrol.
The Emperor Waltz as BELTS
its star and it's setting, is super
special piece of entertainment, by
no means a great picture, but an
altogether agreeable one. 1t ought
to please every one except those
who keep on insisting that the
movies should be more profound.
The elfin minds behind this
pretty project are those of Charles
Bracket and Billy Wilder, a pair
of former writer's who know how
to make the best use of Crosby's
talent and Miss Fontaines beauty.
They have dreamed up another OF
those musical fairy tales family
sprinkled with satire which sends
the moviegoer away feeling that he
has been amused and adequately
rewarded for his money.
y y
Vienna was its old gaily Waiting
self at the time of this Crosby IN
vasion. It's Emperor Franz Josef
was tired monarch, no longer
soothed by the music OF Strausses
or concerned with political prestige.
1t is the irreverent Brackett-
Wilder theory that his major con-
Germ was finding a proper mate for
his venerable French poodle, an
other royal male in danger OF dying
without a proper heir.
This. of all places, is where
Crosby comes in. His part Is that
of an American talking machine"
salesman, wandering minstrel
sort full Of such good will to-
ward man-and especially women
that even palace doors cannot be
closed against him. Highest aim
Of his Austrian visit is to get the
Emperor's endorsement of his auto
matte music box, deal which he
figures to bring off most easily
through the beautiful countess
PLAYED by Miss Fontaine.
These two so unlike humans, the
brash salesman and the gorgeous
aristocrat, are brought together by
their dogs. Her French poodle,
chosen by the Emperor himself 81
his own dogs final mate, has xhe
misfortune to fall in lQye| with
Crosby's mutt.
This provides Vienna with a ma
ior crisis, but not Crosby. He sug-
gests that the countess should fol-
low the example of her royal poodle
and accept the courtship of happy
go-lucky commoner like himself.
In the best fashion of fairy-tales.
this is what heappens, although not
without lot of advances by Cros-
by and retreats by the lovely count
ess before things end happily for
every one concerned.
X
Into the brilliant sweep of the
pictures scene and its gorgeous
costuming, Paramount has woven
more of comedy than of music. 1t
does, however, give Bing chance
to indulge his vocal speciality with
the usual pleasing result. AS mat
ter of fact, song is the major ele-
ment in his courtship. He uses it
first to tell Austria how much he
loves it and. later, to tell Miss Fon-
taine how much he is smitten.
There is not enough of music in
"The Emperor Waltz to make it
more than a play with songs. OF
these, there is a truly refreshing
comedy number. Friendly Noun
tains," yodeling refrain in which
echo effects are employed for a
stretch of the pictures finest humor.
The ballad with which the Ameri-
can minstrel breaks down the coun-
tess last resistance is pretty small
thing called Kiss in Your Eyes"
For the huge. ornate finale in the
Emperor's palace, the big tune is
the one that provides the screenplay
with its title.
The debonair courtship between
the travelling salesman and the
royal beauty is conducted upon a
dramatically light-hearted plane