Idiot's Delight
Encyclopedia
Idiot's Delight is a 1939
MGM
comedy film
, with a screenplay adapted from the 1936 Robert E. Sherwood
play of the same name
, by Sherwood himself. The movie stars Norma Shearer
and Clark Gable
. It is notable as the only film where Gable sings and dances, performing a version of the Irving Berlin
standard "Puttin' on the Ritz
". However, it is not strictly a musical.
), an American World War I veteran, tries to reenter show biz and ends up in a mind-reading performance with an alcoholic partner. There he meets the mysterious Irene (Norma Shearer
), an acrobat
, who claims to come from Russia
and wants to become his performance partner. They have a romantic night but Harry decides to stay with his previous partner.
Twenty years later, after a number of jobs, Harry escorts a dancing group of six blondes on a trip through Europe. They get stranded in an alpine
country, where they have to wait in a hotel until the border opens again: the international situation is close to war.
It is here that Harry meets Irene again, who is the mistress of a rich entrepreneur, Achille Weber (played by Edward Arnold
). A pacifist (Burgess Meredith
) told the people in the hotel that Weber is behind the war that just started, and that the planes the guests saw rushing away from a nearby air field are carrying bombs to kill thousands of people in other countries. The pacifist is imprisoned and it is later mentioned that he was killed.
The next day the people in the hotel are able to continue their voyage, as the borders have opened again. Also the American society manager is leaving, telling Harry and his blondes that the other countries will take revenge and bomb the hotel. But Irene cannot leave the hotel because she "told the truth she had always wanted to tell" to Weber - imagining the deaths of the young couple they had met in the hotel due to the weapons that Weber manufactures. To exact revenge, Weber refuses to vouch for Irene's "League of Nations passport". Irene has no valid passport and cannot travel on her own, so she must stay in the country.
Harry, who had already left with the blondes, reluctantly comes back for Irene. She then admits that she is the person he had met in America twenty years ago. Harry says that he wants to take her with him and the blondes. They hear planes approaching, and are told that they should seek shelter in the cellar.
In an ending shown to the international audience, Irene does not want to go to the cellar. She and Harry stay in the society room of the hotel. With the enemy planes bombarding the air field next to the hotel, the couple sings a hymn from Harry's youth. They survive the bombing in the half-destroyed hotel.
In the ending shown to the domestic (American) audience, Harry and Irene cannot go to the shelter because the results of a bomb blocks their way. This shorter end differs by replacing the hymn with the couple's plans for the future. Harry reprises "the code," and Irene excitedly describes their future act together, Namura, the world's greatest mind reader (assisted by Harry Van) as Harry plays the damaged piano.
. There are also Esperanto words and sentences written, like a sign reading Autobuso. The actors actually speak comprehensive Esperanto, but slightly too Italian
-like.
Norma Shearer
's elaborate hairstyle in this film was copied from the hairstyle worn by Lynn Fontanne
when she played the same character in the Broadway
production of the stage play
. The film's ending is considerably different from the play's ending, as well as more optimistic.
1939 in film
The year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
, with a screenplay adapted from the 1936 Robert E. Sherwood
Robert E. Sherwood
Robert Emmet Sherwood was an American playwright, editor, and screenwriter.-Biography:Born in New Rochelle, New York, he was a son of Arthur Murray Sherwood, a rich stockbroker, and his wife, the former Rosina Emmet, a well-known illustrator and portrait painter known as Rosina E. Sherwood...
play of the same name
Idiot's Delight (play)
Idiot's Delight is a 1936 play written by American playwright Robert E. Sherwood. The original Broadway production was presented by The Theatre Guild and starred Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. It was awarded the 1936 Pulitzer Prize for drama, the first of three that Sherwood received...
, by Sherwood himself. The movie stars Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer
Edith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s...
and Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
. It is notable as the only film where Gable sings and dances, performing a version of the Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
standard "Puttin' on the Ritz
Puttin' on the Ritz
"Puttin' on the Ritz" is a popular song written and published in 1929 by Irving Berlin and introduced by Harry Richman in the musical film Puttin' on the Ritz . The title derives from the slang expression "putting on the Ritz," meaning to dress very fashionably. The expression was inspired by the...
". However, it is not strictly a musical.
Plot
Harry Van (Clark GableClark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
), an American World War I veteran, tries to reenter show biz and ends up in a mind-reading performance with an alcoholic partner. There he meets the mysterious Irene (Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer
Edith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s...
), an acrobat
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
, who claims to come from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and wants to become his performance partner. They have a romantic night but Harry decides to stay with his previous partner.
Twenty years later, after a number of jobs, Harry escorts a dancing group of six blondes on a trip through Europe. They get stranded in an alpine
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
country, where they have to wait in a hotel until the border opens again: the international situation is close to war.
It is here that Harry meets Irene again, who is the mistress of a rich entrepreneur, Achille Weber (played by Edward Arnold
Edward Arnold (actor)
Edward Arnold was an American actor. He was born on the Lower East Side of New York City as Gunther Edward Arnold Schneider, the son of German immigrants Carl Schneider and Elizabeth Ohse.-Acting career:...
). A pacifist (Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
) told the people in the hotel that Weber is behind the war that just started, and that the planes the guests saw rushing away from a nearby air field are carrying bombs to kill thousands of people in other countries. The pacifist is imprisoned and it is later mentioned that he was killed.
The next day the people in the hotel are able to continue their voyage, as the borders have opened again. Also the American society manager is leaving, telling Harry and his blondes that the other countries will take revenge and bomb the hotel. But Irene cannot leave the hotel because she "told the truth she had always wanted to tell" to Weber - imagining the deaths of the young couple they had met in the hotel due to the weapons that Weber manufactures. To exact revenge, Weber refuses to vouch for Irene's "League of Nations passport". Irene has no valid passport and cannot travel on her own, so she must stay in the country.
Harry, who had already left with the blondes, reluctantly comes back for Irene. She then admits that she is the person he had met in America twenty years ago. Harry says that he wants to take her with him and the blondes. They hear planes approaching, and are told that they should seek shelter in the cellar.
In an ending shown to the international audience, Irene does not want to go to the cellar. She and Harry stay in the society room of the hotel. With the enemy planes bombarding the air field next to the hotel, the couple sings a hymn from Harry's youth. They survive the bombing in the half-destroyed hotel.
In the ending shown to the domestic (American) audience, Harry and Irene cannot go to the shelter because the results of a bomb blocks their way. This shorter end differs by replacing the hymn with the couple's plans for the future. Harry reprises "the code," and Irene excitedly describes their future act together, Namura, the world's greatest mind reader (assisted by Harry Van) as Harry plays the damaged piano.
Cast
- Norma ShearerNorma ShearerEdith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s...
as Irene Fellara - Clark GableClark GableWilliam Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
as Harry Van - Edward ArnoldEdward Arnold (actor)Edward Arnold was an American actor. He was born on the Lower East Side of New York City as Gunther Edward Arnold Schneider, the son of German immigrants Carl Schneider and Elizabeth Ohse.-Acting career:...
as Achille Weber - Charles CoburnCharles CoburnCharles Douville Coburn was an American film and theater actor.-Biography:Coburn was born in Macon, Georgia, the son of Scots-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman and Moses Douville Coburn. Growing up in Savannah, he started out doing odd jobs at the local Savannah Theater, handing out programs,...
as Dr. Hugo Waldersee - Joseph SchildkrautJoseph SchildkrautJoseph Schildkraut was an Austrian stage and film actor.-Early life:Born in Vienna, Austria, Schildkraut was the son of stage actor Rudolph Schildkraut. The younger Schildkraut moved to the United States in the early 1900s. He appeared in many Broadway productions...
as Capt. Kirvline - Burgess MeredithBurgess MeredithOliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
as Quillary - Laura Hope CrewsLaura Hope CrewsLaura Hope Crews was a leading actress of the American stage in the first decades of the 20th century who is best remembered today for her later work as a character actress in motion pictures of the 1930s...
as Madame Zuleika - Richard "Skeets" GallagherRichard "Skeets" GallagherRichard "Skeets" Gallagher was an American actor.He was educated at Rose Polytechnic Institute and Indiana University. He first studied civil engineering and then to become a lawyer but ended up on the stage...
as 'Don' Navadel (as Skeets Gallagher) - Peter Willes as Mr. Jimmy Cherry
- Pat PatersonPat PatersonPat Paterson was an Anglo-Scottish film actress, born in Bradford, England. Though she made over 20 films, she is most famous for being the wife of French-born actor Charles Boyer and for the death of their only child, Michael, at his own 21st birthday party.-Childhood and early life:She was born...
as Mrs. Cherry - William EdmundsWilliam Edmunds (actor)William Edmunds was a stage and screen character actor, typically playing roles with heavy accents . Born as Guillermo Bocconcini in Italy, he immigrated to the United States and was a New York City based actor, receiving his first credited role in the Bob Hope film Going Spanish...
as Dumptsy - Fritz FeldFritz FeldFritz Feld was a film character actor actor who appeared in over 140 films, both silent and sound. His trademark was to slap his mouth with the palm of his hand to create a pop sound.-Biography:...
as Pittatek - Virginia GreyVirginia GreyVirginia Grey was an American actress.She was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of director Ray Grey. One of her early babysitters was movie star Gloria Swanson. Grey debuted at the age of ten in the silent film Uncle Tom's Cabin as Little Eva...
as Shirley Laughlin - Virginia DaleVirginia DaleVirginia Dale was an American film actress.She was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. She appeared in a number of movies in the 1930s and 1940s, including Holiday Inn, and became particularly associated with musicals. She left the movie business for almost three decades before returning to the...
as Francine Merle - Paula StonePaula StonePaula Stone was an actress in theater and motion pictures from New York City.-Birth:She was the daughter of Fred Stone, a stage actor, dancing comedian, and owner of the Fred Stone theatrical stock company. Her mother, Allene Crater Stone, acted with her father and was a singer...
as Beulah Tremayne
Production notes
The country is not identified. In order for that to happen, the producers have the 'locals' speaking EsperantoEsperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
. There are also Esperanto words and sentences written, like a sign reading Autobuso. The actors actually speak comprehensive Esperanto, but slightly too Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
-like.
Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer
Edith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s...
's elaborate hairstyle in this film was copied from the hairstyle worn by Lynn Fontanne
Lynn Fontanne
Lynn Fontanne was a British actress and major stage star in the United States for over 40 years. She teamed with her husband Alfred Lunt.She lived in the United States for more than 60 years but never relinquished her British citizenship. Lunt and Fontanne shared a special Tony Award in 1970...
when she played the same character in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of the stage play
Idiot's Delight (play)
Idiot's Delight is a 1936 play written by American playwright Robert E. Sherwood. The original Broadway production was presented by The Theatre Guild and starred Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. It was awarded the 1936 Pulitzer Prize for drama, the first of three that Sherwood received...
. The film's ending is considerably different from the play's ending, as well as more optimistic.