''Week-End at the Waldorf'', an American

comedy drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by

Robert Z. Leonard Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to silent star Mae Murray with the two formin ...

and starring

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized pe ...

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) and ''Madame Curie'' (1943). Pidgeon also starred in ...

, and

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment ...

. It premiered in Los Angeles on 17 October 1945. The screenplay by Samuel and Bella Spewack is based on playwright

Guy Bolton Guy Reginald Bolton (23 November 1884 – 4 September 1979) was an Anglo-American playwright and writer of musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the US, he trained as an architect but turned to writing. Bolton preferred ...

's stage adaptation of the 1929

Vicki Baum Hedwig "Vicki" Baum (; he, ויקי באום; January 24, 1888 – August 29, 1960) was an Austrian writer. She is known for the novel ''Menschen im Hotel'' ("People at a Hotel", 1929 — published in English as '' Grand Hotel''), one of h ...

novel '' Grand Hotel'', which had been filmed as '' Grand Hotel'' in 1932.

Plot

The film focuses on guests staying at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

's famed

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schult ...

. Among them are lonely screen star Irene Malvern, in town with her maid Anna for a childhood friend's wedding and the premiere of her latest movie; war correspondent Chip Collyer, mistaken for a jewel thief by Irene, but playing along to catch her attention; flyer Capt. James Hollis, wounded in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and facing perilous surgery in three days; wealthy shyster Martin X. Edley, who is trying to sign the Bey of Aribajan to a shady oil deal; Oliver Webson, a cub

reporter A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

for ''

Collier's Weekly ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...

'' hoping to expose Edley; and bride-to-be Cynthia Drew, whose upcoming wedding is endangered by her belief her fiancé Bob is in love with Irene Malvern. Also on the scene are Bunny Smith, the hotel's stenographer/ notary public, who hopes to escape her low-income roots by marrying Edley; and reporter Randy Morton, who loiters in the lobby hoping to stumble upon a

scoop Scoop, Scoops or The scoop may refer to: Objects * Scoop (tool), a shovel-like tool, particularly one deep and curved, used in digging * Scoop (machine part), a component of machinery to carry things * Scoop stretcher, a device used for casualt ...

for his newspaper. In the opening scene, Randy Morton describes a typical Friday afternoon at the Waldorf. A newly-wed couple discover there are no rooms available and are given use of an apartment by Mr. Jesup, who is going away for the weekend. Edley tries to involve Jesup in a deal with the Bey of Aribajan, a wealthy oil sheik. Jesup refuses, but Edley knows that Jesup will be gone all weekend and has until Monday morning to get the Bey to sign a contract based on Jesup's presumed involvement. Chip Collyer, a war correspondent, arrives for several days of rest. Before the war, Collyer had foiled one of Edley's schemes; Edley sees him, and is sure that Collyer is there to stop the deal with the Bey. Irene Malvern, a film star, is tired of constantly working, and is unhappy that after this weekend she will immediately start on her next picture. Edley, Collyer, Malvern, and the Bey of Aribajan are staying on the 39th Floor of the Waldorf Towers, in large apartments with terraces. Hotel stenographer Bunny Smith is called to the suite of Dr. Robert Campbell, who has just examined Captain James Hollis, an airman with a piece of shrapnel dangerously close to his heart. Dr. Campbell dictates a letter to a doctor at Walter Reed, saying that Hollis has an even chance at surviving an operation, but he needs the will to live. Hollis drops sheet music written by a fellow crew member who was killed on the mission. A waiter delivers it to house band leader

Xavier Cugat Xavier Cugat (; 1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was a Spanish musician and bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. In New York City ...

, who suggests that he perform it on his radio show the following night at the Starlight Roof, the nightclub of the hotel. Hollis visits the hotel stenographer's office, and asks Bunny to type up his will. He asks her to join him at dinner at the Starlight Roof to hear his friend's song performed. Chip Collyer is approached by Webson hoping for help on the Edley story. Collyer suggests talking to the Bey of Aribajan regarding the proposed deal, and demonstrates how to sneak into the Bey's apartment by hiding in a maid's cart. Collyer is trapped in the cart when the maid returns and enters Irene Malvern's apartment to avoid being seen by Edley. Irene Malvern's door was open because she had requested security take her jewelry to the hotel safe and station a guard outside. Earlier, her maid had admitted becoming involved with a man who intended to steal Irene's jewelry. The maid insisted that he was a good man in a difficult situation, so Irene agreed to meet him and see if this was true. When she discovers Collyer hiding in the room, she assumes he is the jewel thief; he tries to deny it. She catches him pocketing a lighter, and he recites a line from ''Grand Hotel'' in which the Baron returns the ballerina's jewels. Irene takes pity on him and allows him to sleep in the living room. The next morning, Malvern looks in Collyer's billfold at his military identification, then confronts him. He insists that she created the misunderstanding and encouraged him to stay. Cynthia Drew, an heiress marrying Dr. Campbell, and childhood friend of Malvern's, comes to her apartment and tells her the wedding will be cancelled, she is sure that Malvern still has feelings for her fiancé. Irene convinces Cynthia that this is not true by introducing her "husband", Chip Collyer. Cynthia tells her mother about the "secret" marriage between the film star and the war correspondent. Mrs. Drew tells Randy Morton, the newspaper columnist. Edley has Bunny come to his apartment to dictate a contract for his deal with the Bey. He tells her that if the deal goes through, he will be moving to New York and wants to hire her as his private secretary. He tells her to attend dinner at the Starlight Roof with himself and the Bey. Hollis is at the Starlight Roof. A note is delivered from Bunny, giving her regrets. After a performance by Xavier Cugat, he sees Bunny enter with the Bey's party. Cugat then introduces singer Bob Graham, who performs Hollis' friend's song. Bunny goes to Hollis to apologize for accepting Edley's invitation. They kiss, but Edley is looking for her. Irene Malvern and her manager leave to go to the premiere of her new film. Afterward, Collyer has let himself into Malvern's room; Morton broke the story in the paper, and no one doubts that they are married. He presents her with law books to verify his claim that being introduced as one's spouse creates a common-law marriage. Malvern's manager persuades Collyer to sign a statement denying the existence of the marriage, but Malvern realizes that being alone is a miserable existence. Collyer comes to see her, and they make up. Monday morning, the various parties prepare to leave the hotel. The main headline on the newspaper is Webson's story about Edley's fraudulent oil deal. Edley rushes to the Bey's apartment. Jesup has returned, and has spoken to the Bey, clarifying the situation. The Bey is revealed to speak perfect English. Bunny Smith looks for Captain Hollis before he leaves for his surgery. She finds him, and says that she wants to come with him. Irene Malvern is about to take a four-day train ride to California. She receives a call from Collyer at the airport. She takes the call, then rushes to the roof to wave a handkerchief at Collyer's passing plane. We last see Collyer lighting a cigarette with Malvern's monogrammed lighter. A minor plot line concerns Randy Morton's pregnant Scottish Terrier, Suzie. During the opening scene, he struggles to find
Bide-a-Wee
to take her in; in the final scene, Morton returns with Suzie and three puppies.

Cast

as Irene Malvern *

as Chip Collyer *

as Capt. James Hollis *

as Bunny Smith * Edward Arnold as Martin X. Edley *

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in most ...

as Oliver Webson *

Robert Benchley Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. From his beginnings at '' The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, thr ...

as Randy Morton *

Leon Ames Leon Ames (born Harry L. Wycoff;U.S. Federal Census for 1910 for Fowler, Center Township, Benton County, State of Indiana, access via Ancestry.com January 20, 1902 – October 12, 1993) was an American film and television actor. He is best rememb ...

as Henry Burton *

Phyllis Thaxter Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter (November 20, 1919 – August 14, 2012) was an American actress. She is best known for portraying Ellen Lawson in ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) and Martha Kent in ''Superman'' (1978). She also appeared in ''Bewi ...

as Cynthia Drew *

Warner Anderson Warner Anderson (March 10, 1911 – August 26, 1976) was an American actor. Early years Anderson was born to "a theatrical family" in Brooklyn, New York, March 10, 1911.Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. ...

as Dr. Bob Campbell *

Rosemary DeCamp Rosemary Shirley DeCamp (November 14, 1910 – February 20, 2001) was an American radio, film, and television actress. Life and career Early life Rosemary Shirley DeCamp was born in Prescott, Yavapai, Arizona on November 14, 1910 to William ...

as Anna *

Porter Hall Clifford Porter Hall (September 19, 1888 – October 6, 1953) was an American character actor known for appearing in a number of films in the 1930s and 1940s. Hall typically played villains or comedic incompetent characters. Early years Hall wa ...

as Stevens *

George Zucco George Zucco (11 January 1886 – 27 May 1960) was a British character actor who appeared in plays and 96 films, mostly American-made, during a career spanning over two decades, from the 1920s to 1951. In his films, he often played a suave ...

as Bey of Aribajan *

Miles Mander Miles Mander (born Lionel Henry Mander; 14 May 1888 – 8 February 1946), was an English character actor of the early Hollywood cinema, also a film director and producer, and a playwright and novelist. He was sometimes credited as Luther Mile ...

as British Secretary *

as Himself *

Byron Foulger Byron Kay Foulger (August 27, 1898 – April 4, 1970) was an American character actor who over a 50-year career performed in hundreds of stage, film, and television productions. Early years Born in Ogden, Utah, Byron was the second of four ...

as Joe (uncredited) * Gordon Richards as Headwaiter (uncredited)

Production

The film pays homage to its source by including a scene in which Chip Collyer recreates a scene from the 1930 play based on the

novel, and Irene Malvern identifies it as an excerpt from ''Grand Hotel''. Waldorf-Astoria management wanted the film shot in color in order to show the hotel at its best advantage, a demand that almost led MGM executives to switch the locale to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

and change the title to ''Palace in the Sky''. Mrs. Lucius Boomer, wife of the president of the Waldorf-Astoria Corporation, served as a technical advisor on the film, as did Ted Saucier, who handled

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...

for the property. Some interiors and exteriors of the hotel were filmed on location, but the lobby, Starlight Roof, guest rooms, and other public spaces were recreated on the backlot of the MGM Studios in

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

. The film's theme song, "And There You Are", was written by

Sammy Fain Sammy Fain (born Samuel E. Feinberg; June 17, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American composer of popular music. In the 1920s and early 1930s, he contributed numerous songs that form part of The Great American Songbook, and to Broadway theatre ...

and Ted Koehler.

Box office

According to MGM records, the film earned $4,364,000 in the US and Canada, and $1.8 million elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $1,474,000.

Critical reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' noted there is "never a dull moment in this weekend".''Variety'' review
/ref>

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control 1945 films 1945 comedy-drama films American black-and-white films Films based on Austrian novels Films set in New York City War romance films Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard Films scored by Johnny Green Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films set in hotels American comedy-drama films Remakes of American films 1940s American films