O Vagalume

France and England are at war. Napoleon has placed troops in Spain "to protect the Spanish" in case England invades.

There is a beautiful cantina singer (and dancer!) named Nina Maria (Jeanette MacDonald) whom men fight over. She works as a spy for Spain. When Napoleon invites Ferdinand--who appears guileless--to France for a meeting, Nina Maria must leave for France immediately to determine if Napoleon's intentions are honorable.

She is pursued there by Don Diego (Allan Jones), a man smitten by the senorita. Along the way, he tries to charm her by singing "The Donkey Serenade"--one of the most memorable moments in the film.

When they arrive in Bayonne, France, things get complicated. The senorita discovers someone is on to her. The love story becomes more political as Nina Maria must make alliances based on trust. Will she let her heart guide her actions? What is Napoleon's true objective?

The two leads are excellent. Much of the surrounding cast portray military characters and they are very strong.

The lavish sets and a large number of extras give the film a feeling of richness, as when Joseph Napoleon and his military escort ride into Madrid.

Part romance, part political intrigue, "The Firefly" entertains while Jeanette MacDonald shines.

Spy-thrilla where Jeannette MacDonald must get napoleonic soldiers to reveal their secrets. Warren Williams (The Lone Wolf!) is the Major; Billy Gilbert who sneezed his way through films is the innkeeper. Douglass Dumbrille always played the bad guy, and here is the Marquis. Dance numbers, singing. It's Jeanette MacDonald, who always does operatic arias. Yawn. Pretty dated stuff. Intrigue. suspense. love triangles. It's a pretty dry period piece, which is never my first choice. Kind of a mata hari. Showing on Turner Classics. It's pretty well done, but moves pretty slowly. the songs keep bringing it to a screeching halt. I'd skip this one unless you're a fan of J. MacDonald. Directed by Robert Leonard... nominated twice, but never got the Oscar.

Wonderful mix of music, romance and comedy but I concede a trifle too long, the length however acceptable with these two. Jeanette MacDonald could do everything; sing beautifully, act as well and surprisingly (I just watched this one after many years) a gifted dancer. MacDonald and Jones are quite compatible and I can see where, had fate taken a hand, it could have been these two and not Nelson Eddy, not to downgrade Nelson's resonant baritone in any way. Allan Jones was a better actor, and was one of the finest tenors in movie history. There was one brief comic bit I found hilarious -- it was so short it may have been overlooked by many. Don Diego (Allan Jones) is singing the famous Donkey Serenade to MacDonald as she rides along in a coach. He sings the line "But try as she may, in her voice there's a flaw", to this jibe at her voice, Jeanette's displeasure shows in a grimace! The expert supporting cast is up to MGM'S standards; Warren William, Billy Gilbert, George Zucco, Douglas Dumbrille, Henry Daniell and even a one-line appearance by Ralph Byrd (a.k.a. Dick Tracy in the 1940's). I highly recommend this film, especially to fans of light operetta. The music is delightful and Jeanette and Allan give it their all. Jones' last appearance was a 1980 role on the Love Boat TV program. Upon retirement from the screen (big screen and little) he became a dentist, quite a surprise. I wonder if he sang for his patients? If he did I'm sure his waiting list was the envy of his fellow dentists.

If it wasn't for "Donkey Serenade", this would have been a total loss as a piece of gaudy MGM entertainment for the masses in the 1930s. JEANETTE MacDONALD gives her all as a sexy spy who tries getting potentially harmful information from French officers, but it's all pretty preposterous and finally much too long for sustained interest.

The only sequence that comes off as completely charming is the "Donkey Serenade" episode with ALLAN JONES singing his heart out as he rides a dusty trail following her carriage. Jones is a fine match for MacDonald but probably left MGM when he realized it was Nelson Eddy's territory.

The score is kind of lackluster, the sets are opulent in typical MGM grand style manner, but the plot is never lively enough to keep one's attention riveted on the plodding story of spies and counter-spies in ye olde Spain. Everyone tries hard, but it just seems to stall somewhere near the middle and never recovers.

Trivia: Did Jeanette MacDonald ever show her real hair in a costume film? She must wear at least 25 wigs and hairdos in this film alone, changing her far from simple hairstyles from scene to scene more often than Lana Turner ever changed her costumes in glamorous roles. There must have been a special Jeanette wig department at Metro just for the occasion.

is exceptional in this OK Napoleonic War film. Anyone who ever thought MacDoanld was just a bland operatic singer needs to see this film. She plays a spy posing as a camp follower. MacDonald has a sexy dance number that is just a knockout. She is as sultry and sexy as any star of her era. MacDonald was a great singer who was also a great actress and comic. She is superb. Starring here with Allan Jones and Warren William, the film is a tad long, but still eminently watchable. Jones and MacDonald introduced the big hit "Donkey Serenade" in this film. Good support from Billy Gilbert, Henry Daniell, Douglas Dumbrille, and George Zucco. Not as snappy as some of her films with Nelson Eddy, but this is Jones' best film aside from the 1936 Show Boat with Irene Dunne. Give this one a watch and marvel at Jeanette MacDonald!