I Married an Angel (film)

I Married an Angel
I Married an Angel
	Theatrical poster
Directed by	W. S. Van Dyke
Screenplay by	Anita Loos
Based on	I Married an Angel; 1938 musical; by Richard Rodgers; Lorenz Hart; from 1938 play Angyalt Vettem Felesegul by Vaszary Janos
Produced by	Hunt Stromberg
Starring	Jeanette MacDonald; Nelson Eddy;
Cinematography	Ray June
Edited by	Conrad A. Nervig
Music by	Richard Rodgers; Lorenz Hart; Herbert Stothart; George Forrest; Robert Wright;
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	July 9, 1942 (U.S.);
Running time	84 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1,492,000
Box office	$1,236,000

I Married an Angel is a 1942 American musical film based on the 1938 musical comedy of the same name by Rodgers and Hart. The film was directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starred Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, who were then a popular onscreen couple. Supporting cast members included Edward Everett Horton, Binnie Barnes, Reginald Owen, Douglass Dumbrille, Mona Maris, and Odette Myrtil.

Plot

Popular among the ladies of Budapest, banker Count Willie Palaffi (Nelson Eddy) seeks true love as he approaches his 35th birthday.

At the last minute, "Whiskers," his kindly mentor, invites a junior secretary, Anna Zador (Jeanette MacDonald) to the lavish party. The Count's senior secretary is jealous and arranges for a simple foil and wire angel costume, expecting Anna to be ridiculed.

Anna arrives to laughter and snickers, except from the Count who seems enthralled by her simple beauty and kindness.

Tired of the party, the Count retires to his room to sleep. Brigitta, an angel (again, Jeanette MacDonald), soon flies into his dream life.

During his sleep, he discovers what he really desires, and that is Anna (Brigitta from his dreams) to be his wife.

Cast

Jeanette MacDonald as Anna / Brigitta
Nelson Eddy as Count Palaffi
Edward Everett Horton as Peter
Binnie Barnes as Peggy
Reginald Owen as 'Whiskers'
Douglass Dumbrille as Baron Szigethy
Mona Maris as Marika
Janis Carter as Sufi
Inez Cooper as Iren
Leonid Kinskey as Zinski
Anne Jeffreys as Polly
Marion Rosamond as Dolly
Odette Myrtil as The Modiste (uncredited)

Music

It featured several additional songs not written by Rodgers and Hart. Romantic composer Eva Dell'Acqua's song "Villanelle" for coloratura soprano appeared on the soundtrack of the film.^[3]

"But What of Truth?" (written for the 1942 film with music by Herbert Stothart and lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright)
"Hey Butcher" (written for the 1942 film with music by Herbert Stothart and lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright)
"May I Present the Girl" (written for the 1942 film with music by Herbert Stothart and lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright)
"There Comes a Time" (written for the 1942 film with music by Herbert Stothart and lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright)
"Tira Lira La" (written for the 1942 film with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright)
"To Count Palaffi" (written for the 1942 film with music by Herbert Stothart and lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright)

Reception

According to MGM records, the film earned $664,000 at the United States and Canadian box office and $572,000 elsewhere, costing the studio a loss of $725,000 - the studio's least successful film of 1942.^[2] It was the last of the MacDonald-Eddy films.

References

^ "Angyalt vettem feleségül 1938".
^ ^a ^b ^c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ IMDB listing

External links

I Married an Angel at IMDb
I Married an Angel at the TCM Movie Database
I Married an Angel at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

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[1] "Angyalt vettem feleségül 1938".

[Mannix-2] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[3] IMDB listing

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