THE MERRY WIDOW

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CREDITS

1952, 105 minutes, Technicolor.
Producer, Joe Pasternak; Director, Curtis Bernhardt; Screenplay, Sonya Levien and William Ludwig; Cinematography, Robert Surtees; Choreography, Jack Cole.

CAST

Crystal Radek, Lana Turner; Count Danilo, Fernando Lamas; Lulu, Una Merkel; Baron Popoff, Richard Haydn; King of Marshovia; Thomas Gomez; The Ambassador, John Abbott; Police Sergeant, Marcel Dalio; Nitki, King Donovan; Marquis de Crillo, Robert Coote.

SONGS

Vilia; The Merry Widow Waltz; Girls, Girls, Girls; I'm Going To Maxim's; Can-Can; Night by Franz Lehar; new lyrics by Paul Francis Webster.

PLOT SYNOPSIS

"The beautiful and rich American widow Crystal Radek (Turner) has come to the kingdom of Marshovia to honor her late husband, a native of the tiny European country. Mrs. Radek has no idea that Marshovia is seriously in debt and her invitation from the king was a clever plot to marry her off to an eligible bachelor, thus saving the country from financial ruin. The dashing Count Danilo (Lamas) is chosen to woo the widow, but she learns of the plan and turns the tables on the greedy dynasty with a scheme of her own."
- Liner Notes from Turner/MGM/UA Videotape

NOTES

"Joe Pasternak's expensive Technicolor production of Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow couldn't compare in either style or sophistication with Ernst Lubitsch's celebrated 1934 screen version for the same studio."
- Clive Hirschhorn, The Hollywood Musical

"Nothing has been omitted (except the spirit of the original)."
- MFB

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS:
Art Direction (Color)
Costume Design (Color)

HARVARD LAMPOON WORST FILM AWARD WINNER

Lana Turner's vocals were dubbed by Trudy Erwin.

This was a remake of The Merry Widow (1934).

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