''Paradise for Three'', titled ''Romance for Three'' in the United Kingdom, is a 1938 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film starring

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...

as a wealthy industrialist who learns about his Austrian workers by surreptitiously living among them. It was adapted from

Erich Kästner Emil Erich Kästner (; 23 February 1899 – 29 July 1974) was a German writer, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poems and for children's books including ''Emil and the Detectives'' and '' Lisa an ...

's novel '' Three Men in the Snow'', published in 1934. ''Paradise for Three'' is the third of several film adaptations of Kästner's novel. It was preceded by the French film ''

A Rare Bird ''A Rare Bird'' (French: ''Un oiseau rare'') is a 1935 French comedy film directed by Richard Pottier and starring Pierre Brasseur, Max Dearly and Monique Rolland. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Robert Hubert and Jacques K ...

'' in 1935. Other films bearing the title of the novel were released in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

and

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

Cast

as Rudolph Tobler / "Edward Schultz", industrialist * Robert Young as Fritz Hagedorn, contest winner *

Mary Astor Mary Astor (born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress. Although her career spanned several decades, she may be best remembered for her performance as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in '' The Maltese ...

as Irene Mallebre, gold-digging divorcee *

Florence Rice Florence Davenport Rice (February 14, 1907 – February 23, 1974) was an American film actress. Early years Florence Davenport Rice was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the only child of the noted sportswriter Grantland Rice and Fannie Katherine ...

as Hilde Tobler / "Hilde Schultz", Rudolph's daughter *

Edna May Oliver Edna May Oliver (born Edna May Nutter, November 9, 1883 – November 9, 1942) was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the better-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters. ...

as Julia Kunkel, Tobler's housekeeper *

Reginald Owen John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was a British actor, known for his many roles in British and American films and television programmes. Career Owen was born to Joseph and Frances Owen in Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, En ...

as Johann Kesselhut, Tobler's butler *

Herman Bing Herman Bing (March 30, 1889 – January 9, 1947) was a German-American character actor. He acted in more than 120 films and many of his parts were uncredited. Biography Bing was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bing began his career ...

as Mr. Polter, bell captain *

Henry Hull Henry Watterson Hull (October 3, 1890 – March 8, 1977) was an American character actor who played the lead in Universal Pictures's ''Werewolf of London'' (1935). For most of his career, he was a lead actor on stage and a character actor on scr ...

as Sepp, kitchen worker *

Sig Ruman Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann (October 11, 1884 – February 14, 1967), billed as Sig Ruman and Sig Rumann, was a German-American character actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypically Teutonic officials or villains in ...

as Karl Bold (as Sig Rumann), hotel manager *

Walter Kingsford Walter Kingsford (born Walter Pearce; 20 September 1881 – 7 February 1958) was an English stage, film, and television actor. Early years Kingsford was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. Career Kingsford began his acting career on the L ...

as William Reichenbach, Tobler's assistant

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', critic Frank S. Nugent called ''Paradise for Three'' "a light, slight and agile farce, something in the nature of a dividend from a Metro preferred stock company" and "a genial show." According to MGM records, the film earned $421,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $330,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $118,000.

References

External links

* * 1938 films American black-and-white films Films based on Three Men in the Snow (novel) 1938 romantic comedy films Films directed by Edward Buzzell Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American romantic comedy films American remakes of French films Films set in hotels Films set in the Alps American skiing films 1930s English-language films Films scored by Edward Ward (composer) 1930s American films English-language romantic comedy films {{1930s-romantic-comedy-film-stub