One Touch of Venus *** (1948, Ava Gardner, Robert Walker, Eve Arden, Dick Haymes) – Classic Movie Review 13,000

Boy (Robert Walker) loves statue of Venus (Ava Gardner), the goddess of love, statue comes to life, they sing songs. The 1948 romantic musical comedy film One Touch of Venus is based on the hit 1943 Broadway show.

Director William A Seiter’s 1948 American black-and-white romantic musical comedy film One Touch of Venus is based on the 1943 Broadway musical, and stars Ava Gardner, Robert Walker, Eve Arden, and Dick Haymes.

Boy (Robert Walker) loves statue of Venus (Ava Gardner), the goddess of love, statue comes to life, they sing Kurt Weill (music) – Ogden Nash (lyrics) songs. Imagine selling that to a Hollywood producer! But the result is great fun, a comedy musical that scores on both counts, with joyful performances from the gorgeous Gardner, Arden and Haymes. Only Walker, as the department store window dresser who talks to the statue of the goddess of love, seems uncomfortable.

Songs include: ‘Speak Low’ (sung by Ava Gardner dubbed by Eileen Wilson and Dick Haymes), ‘The Trouble with Women’, and ‘That’s Him’ sung by Ava Gardner dubbed by Eileen Wilson, Olga San Juan and Eve Arden).

The actors did their own singing, except for Ava Gardner, who could really sing, but her voice was dubbed by Eileen Wilson.

The plot bears a resemblance to the later Mannequin (1987).

It is released by Universal-International.

The book of the 1943 Broadway musical is written by S J Perelman and Ogden Nash, based on a 1885 novella by Thomas Anstey Guthrie. The film dumps most of Weill’s music from the show.

Mary Pickford planned a Technicolor film version of the musical with the Broadway cast, but its star Mary Martin became pregnant and Pickford sold the rights to Lester Cowan at Universal in August 1947. Cowan’s wife Ann Ronell wrote the additional music that replaced much of Weill’s music.

Universal sent Ava Gardner to sculptor Joseph Nicolosi to achieve a realistic-looking living statue. Gardner removed her bikini top but the sculpture was supposed to resemble a Venus in Grecian robes and Nicolosi was forced to change it.

The movie changes Hatch’s first name from Rodney to Eddie.

The original Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on 7 October 1943 and closed on 10 February 1945 after 567 performances. It was directed by Elia Kazan and choreographed by Agnes de Mille,

The cast are Robert Walker as Eddie Hatch, Ava Gardner as Venus/ Venus Jones, Dick Haymes as Joe Grant. Eve Arden as Molly Stewart, Olga San Juan as Gloria, Tom Conway as Whitfield Savory, James Flavin as Kerrigan, Sara Allgood as Landlady, George J Lewis as Detective #2, Hugh Herbert, Arthur O’Connell, Kenneth Patterson, Anne Nagel, Ralph Peters, George Meeker, and Dick Gordon.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,000

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