Rose Marie is a 1954 musical adaptation of the 1924 operetta of the same name, the third by MGM, following a 1928 silent movie and the best-known of the three, the 1936 Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy version. It is directed by Mervyn LeRoy and stars Ann Blyth, Howard Keel and Fernando Lamas. The story adheres closely to that of the original libretto, unlike the 1936 version. It is somewhat altered by a tomboy to lady conversion for the title character. Only 3 numbers are retained: "Rose Marie", "Indian Love Call, and "The Mounties". Five new songs were written for the film: "The Right Place For A Girl", "Free To Be Free", "The Mountie Who Never Got His Man", "I Have The Love", and "Love And Kisses". The latter was filmed, but deleted from the release print (it is included on the DVD version of the film). An Indian totem dance with choreography by Busby Berkeley (his last) takes the place of the original number "Totem Tom Tom". This new number does not make use of that song's music or lyric, despite a claim on the DVD cover. This version is filmed in the Canadian Rockies in CinemaScope. It was MGM's first film in the new widescreen medium and the first movie musical of any studio to be released in this format.
| Rose Marie | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mervyn LeRoy |
| Produced by | Mervyn LeRoy (uncredited) |
| Written by | Otto A. Harbach (operetta) Oscar Hammerstein II (operetta) Ronald Millar George Froeschel |
| Starring | Ann Blyth Howard Keel Fernando Lamas |
| Studio | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Running time | 103-115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.6 million (US)[1] |
Rose Marie is a 1954 musical adaptation of the 1924 operetta of the same name, the third by MGM, following a 1928 silent movie and the best-known of the three, the 1936 Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy version. It is directed by Mervyn LeRoy and stars Ann Blyth, Howard Keel and Fernando Lamas. The story adheres closely to that of the original libretto, unlike the 1936 version. It is somewhat altered by a tomboy to lady conversion for the title character. Only 3 numbers are retained: "Rose Marie", "Indian Love Call, and "The Mounties". Five new songs were written for the film: "The Right Place For A Girl", "Free To Be Free", "The Mountie Who Never Got His Man", "I Have The Love", and "Love And Kisses". The latter was filmed, but deleted from the release print (it is included on the DVD version of the film). An Indian totem dance with choreography by Busby Berkeley (his last) takes the place of the original number "Totem Tom Tom". This new number does not make use of that song's music or lyric, despite a claim on the DVD cover. This version is filmed in the Canadian Rockies in CinemaScope. It was MGM's first film in the new widescreen medium and the first movie musical of any studio to be released in this format.
Cast[edit]
- Ann Blyth as Rose Marie Lemaitre
- Howard Keel as Captain Mike Malone
- Fernando Lamas as James Severn Duval
- Bert Lahr as Barney McCorkle
- Marjorie Main as Lady Jane Dunstock
- Joan Taylor as Wanda
- Ray Collins as Inspector Appleby
- Chief Yowlachie as Black Eagle
References[edit]
- ^ 'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1954', Variety Weekly, January 5, 1955
External links[edit]
- Rose Marie at the Internet Movie Database
- Rose Marie at the TCM Movie Database
- Rose Marie at AllRovi
