The Red Danube
Encyclopedia
The Red Danube is a 1949 drama film directed by George Sidney
and starring Walter Pidgeon
. The film was based on the 1947 novel Vespers in Vienna
by Bruce Marshall
.
) is staying in Rome with his aides Audrey Quail (Angela Lansbury
), Major John "Twingo" McPhimister (Peter Lawford
) and Private David Moonlight (Melville Cooper
), when he is suddenly transferred to Vienna
. Hooky is assigned to assist Brigadier C.M.V. Catlock (Robert Coote
) in monitoring possible activities against the Allied nations and repatriating
Soviet citizens living in the British zone of Vienna. He and his aides are billeted at a convent
, led by the friendly Mother Superior (Ethel Barrymore
). At this convent, Twingo is drawn to a ballerina known as Maria Buhlen (Janet Leigh
). He falls for her instantly and tries to meet her, but she is reluctant to, until they are officially introduced to each other by Mother Superior.
Twingo and Maria start going out, until Soviet Colonel Piniev (Louis Calhern
) reports to Hooky, announcing he is searching for a Russian ballerina named Olga Alexandrova, aka Maria Buhlen. Piniev assures Hooky that he means no harm to Olga, and that it is his order to bring her back to the Soviet Union. Later that night, Maria and the Mother Superior reveal that Maria is Olga, the daughter of Soviet dissidents. Shortly later, the Soviets search the entire convent, looking for Olga. Hooky does not reveal that he is aware of Olga's presence, not wanting to put the Mother Superior's image in danger. However, after the Russians leave without having found Olga, Hooky announces that he will give her into the hands of the Soviets the next day. When he overviews Twingo trying to help Olga escape, which Olga declines because she does not want to be the cause of endangering Hooky and Twingo's friendship, Hooky gives her into the hands of the Soviets the same night.
Over the next few days, Hooky is heavily criticized for his actions by Twingo and Mother Superior. He and Twingo continue their repatriation duties as they announce to the Soviet Professor Serge Bruloff (Konstantin Shayne) that he is about to be deported, to which Bruloff reacts by shooting himself. Hooky claims that there is no connection between Olga's reluctance to be deported to the Soviet Union and Serge's suicide, until the third person on his list, Helena Nagard (Tamara Shayne
), Serge's wife, responds by bursting into tears. Hooky starts to doubt the policy of the Soviets and as he witnesses Olga being deported to a harsh detainment camp, he swears to raise awareness of the way these displaced people are being treated.
One day, after telling Mother Superior how he has lost faith since the death of his son, Hooky finds out the Soviets are taking authority in the British zone in their own hands by displacing Soviet citizens themselves. Hooky, enraged, rushes to the train station, where he witnesses the poor conditions they are in. Mother Superior, who accompanied him, notices the presence of Olga among the people in the train. Later, Hooky announces he will take over all the people in the train, prohibiting them from being transferred to Moscow. Sometime later, Hooky finds out Olga has escaped from the Soviets and brings her to safety with Twingo, who is now her lover.
When Hooky and Mother Superior receive a visit from Piniev, who is looking for Olga, they refuse to co-operate and are therefore let go from their assignment. The following period, Hooky helps Mother Superior fly to Rome to visit the Pope. Afterward, Hooky is ordered to turn in Olga to the Soviets. He refuses and is officially fired from his job. Meanwhile, Twingo and Olga plan on moving to Scotland, when she is suddenly captured by Hooky's replacement, Colonel Omicron, who intends to turn her in to Piniev. Realizing her fate, she attempts to commit suicide by jumping out of a window; she dies that evening of her injuries. Shortly after, Hooky is assigned to an operation called "Humanizing Army". The repatriation is ended, and Hooky is put in charge of administering the new policy.
, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
showed interest in a film adaption and production was set to start in June 1947. In January 1947, it was announced Irene Dunne
, Spencer Tracy
and Robert Taylor
were set to star. In October 1947, some of the background footage was shot on location in Rome and Vienna
. The film was shelved, however, and the original director Victor Saville
was eventually replaced by George Sidney
. Furthermore, the three principal actors withdrew and were replaced by Walter Pidgeon
, Ethel Barrymore
and Peter Lawford
. Agnes Moorehead
briefly replaced Barrymore in March 1949.
On October 14, 1948, it was announced Audrey Totter
was slated to co-star as Audrey Quail. She was replaced by Angela Lansbury
in early 1949.
For the scenes of the war camps, 1,500 starved-looking extras were sought. The crew admitted they were looking for real war refugees but found that most of them were already looking too healthy. One crew member called it "the biggest casting problem since The Good Earth
(1937)".
, "designed to make you hate Russia and recognize the Vatican as the true champion of freedom".
It was nominated an Academy Award for Best Art Direction
(Cedric Gibbons
, Hans Peters
, Edwin B. Willis, Hugh Hunt
).
George Sidney
George Sidney was an American film director and film producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-Career:...
and starring Walter Pidgeon
Walter Pidgeon
Walter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
. The film was based on the 1947 novel Vespers in Vienna
Vespers in Vienna
-Plot summary:Shortly after the end of World War II, British Colonel Michael 'Hooky' Nicobar is assigned to the Displaced Persons Division in the British Zone of Vienna, Austria. Like the author himself, Nicobar has had a limb amputated...
by Bruce Marshall
Bruce Marshall
Lieutenant-Colonel Claude Cunningham Bruce Marshall, known as Bruce Marshall was a prolific Scottish writer who wrote fiction and non-fiction books on a wide range of topics and genres. His first book, A Thief in the Night came out in 1918, possibly self-published...
.
Plot
Shortly after World War II, British Col. Michael "Hooky" Nicobar (Walter PidgeonWalter Pidgeon
Walter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
) is staying in Rome with his aides Audrey Quail (Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
), Major John "Twingo" McPhimister (Peter Lawford
Peter Lawford
Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
) and Private David Moonlight (Melville Cooper
Melville Cooper
George Melville Cooper , best known as Melville Cooper, was a British stage, film and television actor. Among his roles are the cowardly Sheriff of Nottingham in The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn, and Mr...
), when he is suddenly transferred to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. Hooky is assigned to assist Brigadier C.M.V. Catlock (Robert Coote
Robert Coote
Robert Coote was an English actor. He played aristocrats or British military types in many films, and created the role of Colonel Hugh Pickering in the long-running original Broadway production of My Fair Lady.-Biography:Coote was educated at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex...
) in monitoring possible activities against the Allied nations and repatriating
Repatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
Soviet citizens living in the British zone of Vienna. He and his aides are billeted at a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
, led by the friendly Mother Superior (Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
). At this convent, Twingo is drawn to a ballerina known as Maria Buhlen (Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh , born Jeanette Helen Morrison, was an American actress. She was the wife of actor Tony Curtis from June 1951 to September 1962 and the mother of Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis....
). He falls for her instantly and tries to meet her, but she is reluctant to, until they are officially introduced to each other by Mother Superior.
Twingo and Maria start going out, until Soviet Colonel Piniev (Louis Calhern
Louis Calhern
Louis Calhern was an American stage and screen actor.- Early life :Louis Calhern was born Carl Henry Vogt on February 19, 1895 in Brooklyn, New York. His family left New York City while he was still a child and moved to St. Louis, Missouri where he grew up...
) reports to Hooky, announcing he is searching for a Russian ballerina named Olga Alexandrova, aka Maria Buhlen. Piniev assures Hooky that he means no harm to Olga, and that it is his order to bring her back to the Soviet Union. Later that night, Maria and the Mother Superior reveal that Maria is Olga, the daughter of Soviet dissidents. Shortly later, the Soviets search the entire convent, looking for Olga. Hooky does not reveal that he is aware of Olga's presence, not wanting to put the Mother Superior's image in danger. However, after the Russians leave without having found Olga, Hooky announces that he will give her into the hands of the Soviets the next day. When he overviews Twingo trying to help Olga escape, which Olga declines because she does not want to be the cause of endangering Hooky and Twingo's friendship, Hooky gives her into the hands of the Soviets the same night.
Over the next few days, Hooky is heavily criticized for his actions by Twingo and Mother Superior. He and Twingo continue their repatriation duties as they announce to the Soviet Professor Serge Bruloff (Konstantin Shayne) that he is about to be deported, to which Bruloff reacts by shooting himself. Hooky claims that there is no connection between Olga's reluctance to be deported to the Soviet Union and Serge's suicide, until the third person on his list, Helena Nagard (Tamara Shayne
Tamara Shayne
Tamara Shayne was a Russian-born actress long resident in the United States....
), Serge's wife, responds by bursting into tears. Hooky starts to doubt the policy of the Soviets and as he witnesses Olga being deported to a harsh detainment camp, he swears to raise awareness of the way these displaced people are being treated.
One day, after telling Mother Superior how he has lost faith since the death of his son, Hooky finds out the Soviets are taking authority in the British zone in their own hands by displacing Soviet citizens themselves. Hooky, enraged, rushes to the train station, where he witnesses the poor conditions they are in. Mother Superior, who accompanied him, notices the presence of Olga among the people in the train. Later, Hooky announces he will take over all the people in the train, prohibiting them from being transferred to Moscow. Sometime later, Hooky finds out Olga has escaped from the Soviets and brings her to safety with Twingo, who is now her lover.
When Hooky and Mother Superior receive a visit from Piniev, who is looking for Olga, they refuse to co-operate and are therefore let go from their assignment. The following period, Hooky helps Mother Superior fly to Rome to visit the Pope. Afterward, Hooky is ordered to turn in Olga to the Soviets. He refuses and is officially fired from his job. Meanwhile, Twingo and Olga plan on moving to Scotland, when she is suddenly captured by Hooky's replacement, Colonel Omicron, who intends to turn her in to Piniev. Realizing her fate, she attempts to commit suicide by jumping out of a window; she dies that evening of her injuries. Shortly after, Hooky is assigned to an operation called "Humanizing Army". The repatriation is ended, and Hooky is put in charge of administering the new policy.
Cast
- Walter PidgeonWalter PidgeonWalter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
- Col. Michael "Hooky" Nicobar - Ethel BarrymoreEthel BarrymoreEthel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
- The Mother Superior ("Reverend Mother Auxilia") - Peter LawfordPeter LawfordPeter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
- Maj. John "Twingo" McPhimister - Angela LansburyAngela LansburyAngela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
- Audrey Quail - Janet LeighJanet LeighJanet Leigh , born Jeanette Helen Morrison, was an American actress. She was the wife of actor Tony Curtis from June 1951 to September 1962 and the mother of Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis....
- Olga Alexandrova/Maria Buhlen - Louis CalhernLouis CalhernLouis Calhern was an American stage and screen actor.- Early life :Louis Calhern was born Carl Henry Vogt on February 19, 1895 in Brooklyn, New York. His family left New York City while he was still a child and moved to St. Louis, Missouri where he grew up...
- Col. Piniev - Francis L. SullivanFrancis L. SullivanFrancis Loftus Sullivan was an English film and stage actor. He attended Stonyhurst, the Jesuit public school in Lancashire, England whose alumni include Charles Laughton and Arthur Conan Doyle.A heavily built man with a striking double-chin and a deep voice, Sullivan made his acting debut at the...
- Col. Humphrey "Blinker" Omicron - Melville CooperMelville CooperGeorge Melville Cooper , best known as Melville Cooper, was a British stage, film and television actor. Among his roles are the cowardly Sheriff of Nottingham in The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn, and Mr...
- Pvt. David Moonlight - Robert CooteRobert CooteRobert Coote was an English actor. He played aristocrats or British military types in many films, and created the role of Colonel Hugh Pickering in the long-running original Broadway production of My Fair Lady.-Biography:Coote was educated at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex...
- Brig. C.M.V. Catlock - Alan NapierAlan NapierAlan William Napier-Clavering was an English actor, best known for portraying Alfred Pennyworth in the 1960s live-action Batman television series.-Early life and career:...
- The General
Production
Shortly after the release of the novel Vespers in ViennaVespers in Vienna
-Plot summary:Shortly after the end of World War II, British Colonel Michael 'Hooky' Nicobar is assigned to the Displaced Persons Division in the British Zone of Vienna, Austria. Like the author himself, Nicobar has had a limb amputated...
, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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...
showed interest in a film adaption and production was set to start in June 1947. In January 1947, it was announced Irene Dunne
Irene Dunne
Irene Dunne was an American film actress and singer of the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s. Dunne was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her performances in Cimarron , Theodora Goes Wild , The Awful Truth , Love Affair and I Remember Mama...
, Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
and Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
were set to star. In October 1947, some of the background footage was shot on location in Rome and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. The film was shelved, however, and the original director Victor Saville
Victor Saville
Victor Saville was an English film director, producer and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1927 and 1954...
was eventually replaced by George Sidney
George Sidney
George Sidney was an American film director and film producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-Career:...
. Furthermore, the three principal actors withdrew and were replaced by Walter Pidgeon
Walter Pidgeon
Walter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
, Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
and Peter Lawford
Peter Lawford
Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
. Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
briefly replaced Barrymore in March 1949.
On October 14, 1948, it was announced Audrey Totter
Audrey Totter
Audrey Mary Totter is an American actress and former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract star of Austrian-Slovene and Swedish descent...
was slated to co-star as Audrey Quail. She was replaced by Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
in early 1949.
For the scenes of the war camps, 1,500 starved-looking extras were sought. The crew admitted they were looking for real war refugees but found that most of them were already looking too healthy. One crew member called it "the biggest casting problem since The Good Earth
The Good Earth (film)
The Good Earth is a film about Chinese farmers who struggle to survive. It was adapted by Talbot Jennings, Tess Slesinger, and Claudine West from the play by Donald Davis and Owen Davis, which was in itself based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S...
(1937)".
Reception
Although MGM assigned an all-star cast to The Red Danube, including a big budget, the film was a commercial failure. It was criticized for being a propaganda filmPropaganda film
The term propaganda can be defined as the ability to produce and spread fertile messages that, once sown, will germinate in large human cultures.” However, in the 20th century, a “new” propaganda emerged, which revolved around political organizations and their need to communicate messages that...
, "designed to make you hate Russia and recognize the Vatican as the true champion of freedom".
It was nominated an Academy Award for Best Art Direction
Academy Award for Best Art Direction
The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
(Cedric Gibbons
Cedric Gibbons
Austin Cedric Gibbons was an Irish American art director who was one of the most important and influential in the field in the history of American film. He also made a great impact on motion picture theater architecture through the 1930s to 1950s, the period considered the golden-era of theater...
, Hans Peters
Hans Peters (art director)
Hans Peters was an English art director. He was nominated for five Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:Peters was nominated for five Academy Awards for Best Art Direction:...
, Edwin B. Willis, Hugh Hunt
Hugh Hunt
Hugh Hunt was an American set decorator. He won two Academy Awards and was nominated for eleven more in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:...
).