Princesse par intérim

"Thirty Day Princess" can easily fit into the oeuvre of master comedy writer Preston Sturges although this film predates his 1940 directorial debut by six years. The basic comic premise of one woman impersonating two very different people on opposite ends of the social scale (while convincing the man she's romantically involved with that they are different people) is difficult material to bring off. Within that context Sturges inserts his unique satiric sensibilities on sex and social mores.

Sylvia Sydney, like Barbara Stanwyck seven years later in Sturges' wildly successful "The Lady Eve," succeeds admirably in using accent and mannerisms to distinguish the two characters. Additionall, both talented actresses have the chameleon-like ability to actually look different in both roles without resorting to any major make-up changes. Unfortunately, Cary Grant, at this stage of his career, had not as yet developed his screen persona to a degree that he could capture as much of the Sturges zaniness that Henry Fonda did in the 1941 film.

While Sidney is portraying two completely different people in "Thirty Day Princes," the audience in "The Lady Eve" knows that Barbara Stanwyck's character is essentially playing two different facets of her own personality. so the similarities in her two roles are dramatically plausible. Although it is highly improbable that Sidney's characters, Nancy Lane and Princess Catterina, could look so much alike under ordinary circumstances, Sturges inserts a sly bit of covert sexual innuendo at the film's climax with a subtle dialogue exchange between Nancy and King Anatole suggesting that she possibly is the King's illegitimate daughter, illegitimately sired during a previous trip to America. Sturges was a master at getting questionable material like this discreetly past the censors of his day.

Stealing the show, however, is character actor Vince Barnett, usually assigned to play low level gangsters and bumbling waiters, as Catterina's obnoxiously infantile fiancé, Prince Nicholeus. He delivers a hilarious performance, alternating accents from Mittel-English Ruritanian to Brooklynese. Considering Sturgis' loyalty to eccentric character actors during his heyday at Paramount, it seems unusual that he would not have written additional roles for Barnett in his series of screwball comedies in the early 40's as Barnett did occasionally turn up in Paramount films like Bob Hope's 1942 MY FAVORITE BLONDE.

I liked this movie far more than expected - it's a quite funny mistaken identity kind of film - with the requisite newspapermen, wealthy men, princesses, romance that any Depression era comedy relish. I had some concern about the always serious Sylvia Sidney in a comedy - but her intelligence is just wonderful in the line readings - she's quite an actress.

Cary Grant is very young - and not quite as deft and light as in later years - but fine, not clunky at all.

Edward Arnold is thoroughly enjoyable in the kind of role he was born to play - the plutocrat. I particularly enjoyed the amusing discussion (hard to imagine in a film now) with the king of the necessary size for the bond issue for Taronia's electrification.

There is further interest in the comedy's deadly serious background of extreme poverty/destitution/fear of hunger that haunts the film - it's very much there in the asides, in the protagonist's motivation.

I hadn't realized that Sylvia Sidney (known as a real symbol of the Great Depression) and Cary Grant had worked together twice before. They work very well - and she's far prettier than I remembered.

You'll enjoy this one - the writing (by Sturges and others) is truly sparkling, the comedy is fast, intelligent and the show charming.

THIRTY DAY PRINCESS (Paramount, 1934), directed by Marion Gering, is a lighthearted comedy starring Sylvia Sidney as Princess Catterina of Taronia coming to New York City to seal a loan for her homeland. Upon her arrival by ship, she acquires the mumps and is unable to create favorable public opinion for a proposed bond issue. Richard M. Gresham (Edward Arnold), a financial banker for her father, King Anotol (Henry Stephenson), whom he met earlier taking a mud bath, hires detectives to locate a substitute. They find one in Nancy Lane (Sylvia Sidney), a Idaho farm girl struggling to find work as a stage actress, who happens to be an exact double of the stricken princess. While impersonating the princess, Nancy meets Porter Madison II (Cary Grant), a newspaper publisher for the Star Express who, at first, is against Gresham's granting a large foreign loan, but has a change of heart when he becomes very much interested in the "princess," who turns out to be engaged to the bumbling Prince Basseria Nicholeus (Vince Barnett). Subsequent merry mix-ups add to the simple fun of the story.

What's rare about this seldom revived comedy is that it's Sylvia Sidney's only opportunity on screen in both comedy and assuming a dual role. Usually type-cast as a poor working girl struggling to fight the Depression, or a hard-luck girl in love with the wrong type of guy, THIRTY DAY PRINCESS is a welcome change of pace for Sidney, who handles this comedic assignment quite well. A pity she didn't do more comedies, even in the "screwball" genre of the mid thirties. THIRTY DAY PRINCESS marked Sidney's third and final opportunity appearing opposite Cary Grant, their best known collaboration being MADAME BUTTERFLY (Paramount, 1932), also directed by Marion Gering.

The supporting cast includes Lucien Littlefield (Parker); George Baxter (Donald Spottswood); Edgar Norton (The Baron); and Robert McWade (The Managing Editor). Preston Sturges, a future comedy director for Paramount in the 1940s, is credited for the screenplay.

THIRTY DAY PRINCESS has some bright comedic moments, many belonging to Sidney, including one where she does her own impersonation of Nancy as a sassy, gum-chewing secretary; and where impersonator Nancy Lane comes face to face with her look-alike princess, offering movie-goers two Sylvia Sidney's for the price of one.

Not quite on the hilarious side, but confidentially, a cute comedy that holds up quite satisfactory for 73 minutes. Even though it's not as well known as other comedies from this era, it's still worth viewing for the presence of Sidney and Grant, each succeeding in making THIRTY DAY PRINCESS to appear both original and entertaining fun. Never distributed to home video, availability has turned up in 2006 in the DVD format as a Cary Grant double feature package along with Paramount's other forgotten comedy, KISS AND MAKE-UP (1934), and broadcast on cable television's Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: August 7, 2020). (**1/2)

A thoroughly winning little depression-era romantic comedy, THIRTY DAY PRINCESS manages to turn it's fairly routine storyline into a fresh and engaging picture that entertains throughout it's entire runtime. The plot has the Princess of the imaginary country Taronia (Sylvia Sidney) touring the US as an ambassador for her financially struggling country, with the hope of securing a major loan from the US. Upon arrival, our unfortunate Princess is stricken with the mumps, and is replaced by a look-alike actress (also played by Sidney), who doubles the ill Princess until she filly recovers. Complicating matters, however, is an ambitious news executive (Cary Grant), who is skeptical of the US approving such a large loan and wants to get to know out titular princess first hand.

As evidenced by the summary above, the film's plot was flimsy and formulaic even by the standards of the mid-thirties, but the picture manages to surprise viewers by using such an overly-familiar plot device as a springboard for sharp dialogue and delightful, fully-realized performances. Any film of this nature is almost entirely dependent upon its lead performer, and Sylvia Sidney handles her dual role with utter conviction, truly convincing viewers that she is two completely different characters. There is also an irresistible chemistry between Sidney and the young Cary Grant, who offers flashes of the brilliant actor he would soon become. In the end, the film manages to escape its well-worn premise and emerge as a genuine delight as one of the more underrated comedies of the thirties.

A witty romantic comedy about a newspaper man and a princess - no, not ROMAN HOLIDAY, something just as classy and if you're more a 30s movie fan than a 50s movie fan, like me you might find this better.

This is not one of those awful cute and sickly sugar coated Ruritanean comedies which were common in the thirties. Surprisingly it's a smart, cleverly written grown up fun film. I'm not saying it's a biting political or social satire - no, it's a silly, silly story but it's one of those really well made films which still work today.

Every time you find a film directed by Paramount's unsung genius Mr Marion Gering, you find a near perfect piece of entertainment. He wasn't quite top table maybe because he didn't have a particular discernible style but he never failed to make near masterpieces - like this.

In the hands a lesser director this could have been utter tripe. After all: 1. The story is absurd but Gering makes it utterly compelling. 2. Cary Grant's output at this time was hardly notable but he's as good as he ever was in this. 3. You initially think that Claudette Colbert should have been the princess rather than miserable Sylvia Sidney but Gering turns her into the perfect comedy actress.

You might think that this sounds very familiar and that you've seen this type of thing a dozen times before. But don't dismiss this, it's not just another 'also ran.' In terms of writing, acting and production and definitely in terms of humour, this is a cut above the rest. We're not quite at IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT levels but we're pretty close.......and more entertaining than ROMAN HOLIDAY.