Il re e la ballerina

King Alfred VII (Fernand Gravey) was deposed and now has little to do with himself but drink himself into oblivion and go to the Follies. His purposeless life is going to kill him if something doesn't happen soon. This something is one night when he does his typical routine---go to the Follies and get drunk. So how does it end up different and how does Dorothy (Joan Blondell) help him snap out of his ennui? And what do the ex-King's two most loyal retainers have to do with this?

This film has a most unusual writing team...Norma Krasna and Groucho Marx. Yes, THAT Groucho Marx! I had no idea he'd co-written a film. You really can't tell it has the Groucho touch, but it is a nice little romance. It also helps that Edward Everett Horton was there for support-- he's always grand in anything. Overall, cute and well worth seeing.

Joan Blondell is sexy, in a frumpy sort of way, and she somehow manages to be both pretty and ugly at the same time. Think of her as the Lisa Kudrow of her day. In this movie Joan acts opposite Fernand Gravet, Belgium's greatest import since waffles. Try not to think of him at all. And they both act opposite Edward Everett Horton, a whimsically asexual chap who elevated flittering to an art form. Think of him as the Jm J. Bullock of his day. But, of course, the actors are secondary to the screenwriter in this pleasantly forgettable film, as the man behind the typewriter was none other than Groucho Marx, the Groucho Marx of his day. Groucho's contributions to the screenplay are most noticeable near the beginning, in scenes of forced banter between Gravet and Horton, which only proves how unfunny Groucho the writer can be without Groucho the actor delivering the lines. If you're truly interested in how funny Groucho the writer can be, then avoid this film and read his autobiography Groucho and Me, or The Groucho Letters. If you want to see Joan Blondell in something good, rent A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. And if you absolutely must have a dose of Edward Everett Horton, watch Bullwinkle.

This movie is an absolute delight and I cannot believe it's not considered a minor classic. Joan Blondell and Fernand Gravey have an incredible chemistry - so many reviewers have talked about how witty and sexy Blondell is in this movie, but so is Gravey (grrrr!)! I kept laughing out loud, and when I looked up the movie here to read more about it and saw that it was co-written by Groucho Marx, so many things made sense as to why the banter is so witty. Solid supporting cast - Edward Everett Horton is awesome as always, but Alan Mowbray in this comic role is also a delight. What an incredibly under-rated movie - definitely my favorite of all the many, many royalty-falls-in-love-with-commoner films.

Former King Fernand Gravey now spends his life drunk in Paris at night. He has not seen daylight in years. One night at the Folies Bergere, he sees chorus girl Joan Blondell look at him -- in a purely professional manner -- and decides he wishes to pursue her. Gravey's staff -- Edward Everett Horton and Mary Nash -- thinks this is a good way to get him off the booze, so they encourage her, but warn her that he loses interest after victory.

There's no credited director for this movie co-written by Groucho Marx and Norman Krasna, but it's probably Mervyn Leroy. Beginning with an obvious set-up for a romantic comedy, it's been cast with an amazing variety of clowns: Alan Mowbray, Jane Wyman, Luis Alberni, even Shaw & Lee as two stage comics, but most of all Gravey, who is surprisingly delightful, delivering his lines with a combination of gravity and playfulness that is very winning. Miss Blondell has little to do save to act as straight woman, which she does most charmingly in her beautiful, big-eyed fashion.

Since the first time I watched this a few years back, I have thought it was a little gem. As an older woman, I really enjoy Joan Blondell as the caberet chorus line gal, who catches the eye of a former king (Fernand Gravet) of a small country, who thinks she is flirting with him because in the act each girl is to pick one part of the audience to sing to.

As a lush who drinks and parties all night and sleeps all day, his retinue is most concerned about him. When Blondell spurns his advances which piques his interest, his staff (Edward Everett Horton & wife) decide to get her to keep doing it so he will try to win her. Of course, he keeps chasing her until she catches him.

The fun is in watching Gravet and Blondell interact with each other. Both are charming and we have fun right along with them. For a sweet and witty comedy from the 30's, I give it a 9/10 for pure sit back and enjoyment.