''Paris in Spring'' (also released as ''Paris Love Song'') is a 1935

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone (born Leib Milstein (Russian: Лейб Мильштейн); September 30, 1895 – September 25, 1980) was an American film director. Milestone directed '' Two Arabian Knights'' (1927) and '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1 ...

for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. It is based on a play by Dwight Taylor, with a screen play by Samuel Hoffenstein and Franz Schulz.

Plot

Afraid of marriage, Simone ( Mary Ellis) ends her long term engagement with her fiancé Paul de Lille ( Tullio Carminati). Paul heads to the top of The

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

with thoughts of suicide. In another part of Paris, and also afraid of marriage, Mignon ( Ida Lupino) decides to separate from her young lover (James Blakely). Despairing, Mignon also climbs to the top of The Eiffel Tower intending to leap to her death. There she meets Paul and the two compare stories. After discussion, Paul dissuades her from leaping and the two conspire to make their respective partners jealous by pretending to have an affair with each other.

Cast

* Mary Ellis as Simone * Tullio Carminati as Paul de Lille * Ida Lupino as Mignon de Charelle * Lynne Overman as DuPont * Jessie Ralph as Grandma Leger * Dorothea Wolbert as Francine *

Akim Tamiroff Akim Mikhailovich Tamiroff (born Hovakim Tamiryants; October 29, 1899 – September 17, 1972) was an Armenian-American actor of film, stage, and television. One of the premier character actors of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tamiroff developed a pr ...

as Cafe Manager *

Jack Raymond Jack Raymond (1886–1953) was an English people, English actor and film director. Born in Wimborne, Dorset in 1886, he began acting before the First World War in ''A Detective for a Day''. In 1921, he directed his first film and gradually he wo ...

as Elevator Man * Arnold Korff as Doctor *

Rolfe Sedan Rolfe Sedan (born Edward Sedan; January 20, 1896 – September 15, 1982) was an American character actor, best known for appearing in bit parts, often uncredited, usually portraying clerks, train conductors, postmen, cooks, waiters, etc. Ea ...

as Modiste *

Arthur Housman Arthur Housman (October 10, 1889 – April 8, 1942) was an American actor in films during both the silent film era and the Golden Age of Hollywood. Career Arthur Housman was one of the first screen comedians known to the public by name, and on ...

as Interviewer *

Jack Mulhall John Joseph Francis Mulhall (October 7, 1887 – June 1, 1979) was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years. Early years Mu ...

as George, Cafe Simone Doorman * Elsa Peterson as Hairdresser * Michael Mark as Bartender *

Billy Gilbert William Gilbert Barron (September 12, 1894 – September 23, 1971), known professionally as Billy Gilbert, was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects a ...

as First Chef * William Irving as Second Chef * Francis Ford as Drunken Peasant * James Blakeley as Albert de Charelle * Craig Reynolds as Alphonse * Joseph North as Etienne * Harold Entwistle as Charles The Butler * Sam Ash as Clerk

Soundtrack

* "Paris in Spring" by Harry Revel and Mack Gordon, sung by Mary Ellis and Tullio Carminati * "Jealousy", sung by Mary Ellis * "Bonjour et Bonsoir", sung by Mary Ellis and Tullio Carminati

Reception and release

The film was first released in US theaters on 28 May 1935. ''

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 ...

'' reviewer wrote that while Mary Ellis offered a degree of entertainment with her singing, Tullio Carminati did not help the film by treating the film in a burlesque style. The newspaper was of the opinion Ida Lupino and James Blakeley were moderately good in their roles, but any merited praise for acting was to the credit of Lynne Overman, Jessie Ralph, and to the actor in the lesser role of the Chez Simone manager. Reviewer

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

praised Milestone's emulation of

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; ; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; a ...

in his ability to create a film that was a "silly, charming tale", and make something "light, enchanting, and genuinely fantastic" out of a nonsense plot device. (reprinted in: ; reprinted in ) Lupino's role in ''Paris in Spring'' has been described as "dull", a view she shared.

References

External links

''Paris in Spring''
at

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

''Paris in Spring''
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Film Poster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris in Spring 1935 films Paramount Pictures films 1935 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by Lewis Milestone Films set in Paris Films with screenplays by Franz Schulz 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language romantic comedy films