Golden Earrings *** (1947, Ray Milland, Marlene Dietrich, Murvyn Vye, Reinhold Schünzel) – Classic Movie Review 5522

Director Mitchell Leisen’s 1947 wartime romantic musical adventure Golden Earrings is a fun folly, written on an off day by Abraham Polonsky, Frank Butler and Helen Deutsch, and based on the novel by Yolanda Foldes.

Though not a patch on the star Marlene Dietrich’s heyday vehicles, it is still an engagingly preposterous, quality-free romp. As Lydia, Dietrich is painted up to look like musical comedy’s idea of a gypsy, whose caravan becomes the safe house for a British Intelligence agent, English officer Colonel Ralph Denistoun (Ray Milland).

He is in Nazi Germany on an espionage mission after Hitler’s poison gas formula, of course, seeking to recover it from Professor Otto Krosigk (Reinhold Schünzel).

It is enormous credit to the supreme professionalism of Dietrich, Milland and director Leisen that the daft thing is as winsome as it is. Dietrich and Milland show a good lightness of touch, and sparkle. As Zoltan, Murvyn Vye vies with Dietrich in the camp gyspy stakes and sings the title song.

Despite the title, Golden Earrings is shot by Daniel L Fapp in black and white, unfortunately, when it is surely crying out for colour.

Also in the cast are Bruce Lester, Dennis Hoey, Ivan Triesault, Quentin Reynolds, Hermine Sterler, Eric Feldary, Gisela Werbiseck, Larry Simms, Jack Wilson, Frank Johnson and Maynard Holmes.

Golden Earrings is directed by Mitchell Leisen, runs 95 minutes, is released by Paramount, is written by Abraham Polonsky, Frank Butler and Helen Deutsch, based on the novel by Yolanda Foldes, is shot in black and white by Daniel L Fapp, is produced by Harry Tugend, is scored by Victor Young, and designed by Hans Dreier and John Meehan.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5522

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