April in Paris

source: April in Paris

Trailer—April in Paris

April in Paris

Doris Day is adorable perky-chaste with a lousy script and songs with goofy lyrics in a fake studio Paris. Ray Bolger, fine dancer, is grotesquely miscast as a diplomat. The gags are unusually lame, even for this kind of comedy. I kept imagining any number of other male leads like Astaire or Kelly or O'Connor. This movie has not aged well in 60 years. Very disappointing, especially when compared with some of Day's finest work such as "Love Me or Leave Me" made only three years later. And contrast "April in Paris" with "Singin' in the Rain" from the SAME YEAR. Sigh.

I don't happen to like the title song of April in Paris, but if you don't like it either, there are other songs in this screwball musical starring Doris Day, Ray Bolger, and Claude Dauphin. The best one is "I'm Gonna Ring the Bell Tonight", but if you don't feel like sitting through this rather silly flick just for that, you can watch the clip on YouTube. In this midst of Doris's silver screen heyday, she plays a chorus girl who enjoys a trip to Paris-I'm sure you can guess the month she goes-to represent the American government. But, while she's kept on a short leash and not allowed to cut loose, lest she soil the great American name, she meets Ray Bolger and they sing and dance their way into each other's hearts. This isn't my favorite Doris Day movie by far, but if you love watching all her movies, you can rent this one. It'll probably end up being a movie you remember as, "Oh yeah, I think I saw that one," but it won't hurt you to watch.

Well, "built" Doris Day (as Ethel S. "Dynamite" Jackson) is mistaken for thespian Ethel Barrymore, and falls in love with dancer Ray Bolger (as S. "Sam" Winthrop Putnam). Older Frenchman Claude Dauphin (as Philippe Fouquet) also digs Doris. Honestly… What were they thinking? - This wildly inappropriate musical does feature Ms. Day prettily singing the standard "April in Paris", and others. Certainly, there nothing as good as her Columbia recordings from the time; and, nothing approaches Day's stunning and forthcoming "Secret Love". Although the material does not serve him well, it's nice to see Mr. Bolger performing. Some of the musical numbers are obnoxious. **** April in Paris (12/24/52) David Butler ~ Doris Day, Ray Bolger, Claude Dauphin

First off, I am a huge Doris fan and I thought this movie was not one of her best (her own autobiography said she wanted someone different for the choreography...but I thought that was the best part). Doris is always good but the movie might have looked better if we saw some of the real Paris and why not show off some of the fashions sung about and actually see real settings. Ray Bolger was NOT Fred Astaire but he sure is energetic. There was no real spark between Ray and Doris (who is excellent in the "Rock the Boat" number in the Cruiseliner's kitchen). I bought this inexpensively from Ken Cranes on Laserdisc and Doris looks terrific as always. From what I've read Ray had some trouble with the director who accused him of trying to upstage Doris on camera - as if that were ever possible. My advice...rent TEA FOR TWO instead.

Doris Day is fun in this movie. Her smile lights up the screen, her rendition of the title song is not corny- it is terrific. Her dancing is vivacious and guaranteed to brighten up your day. Bolger's dancing is a bit vaudevillian but has a happy uniqueness that is very watchable. Many of his moves are like a series of "controlled falls" that require tremendous balance- this is harder than it looks. On the other hand some of his dance is very above-average tap or two-step. Overall he seems to combine a lot into his different routines. As a bonus, his acting is not bad and better than you might expect. This film suffers from cheapness and a nothing plot, but is overcome by exceptional talent and charm by all the cast. Who cares if it is cheap and set-bound? The results are entertaining and that's the true bottom line.

Ethel Jackson (Day) a chorus girl who is accidentally appointed as a cultural representative by State Dept Ethel Jackson (Doris Day) is a common chorus girl. Accidentally, she's appointed a cultural ambassador by an idiotic representative of the State Department (Ray Bolger). I say idiotic because he's supposed to offer this to Ethel Barrymore...and mixed the letter up with another-- and thus Ms. Jackson is going to Europe to represent the United States. The film's idea isn't bad and Miss Day is pretty good. So why the low score? Two problems: Ray Bolger is rather obnoxious in the lead and wanted him to just go away and the other is that the film simply wasn't very entertaining. This film clearly is a very minor effort by Warner Brothers. Had it been written better, had less dance numbers and Bolger's character been less abrasive and annoying, I could have recommended it.