The Cat and the Fiddle *** (1934, Jeanette MacDonald, Ramon Novarro, Charles Butterworth, Frank Morgan, Jean Hersholt) – Classic Movie Review 13,464

Hey diddle diddle, a musical about bohemians in Belgium! MGM’s tuneful 1934 film The Cat and the Fiddle stars Jeanette MacDonald and Ramon Novarro.

Director William K Howard’s 1934 MGM musical film The Cat and the Fiddle stars Jeanette MacDonald and Ramon Novarro, along with Frank Morgan, Charles Butterworth, Jean Hersholt, and Vivienne Segal. It is MacDonald’s greatly promising MGM debut, and earned $1,099,000 worldwide on a budget of $843,000, but nevertheless still lost $142,00 for MGM.

A Broadway singing star called Shirley (Jeanette MacDonald), now studying music, is targeted by a struggling European composer called Victor (Ramon Novarro), now running a Brussels restaurant, in this sweet MGM movie of the Jerome Kern / Otto Harbach 1931 hit Broadway stage musical about bohemians in Belgium.

Victor’s vamp leading lady (Vivienne Segal) and male lead both quit, and Victor steps in as male star and he calls on old love Shirley to be his ingénue, but she is too busy marrying rich though unfaithful fiancé Jules (Frank Morgan).

Feathery as air, but MacDonald shows her star quality, Novarro is an appealing foil, and the tune show-stopppers are ‘The Night Was Made for Love’ and ‘She Didn’t Say Yes’.

As usual, the film plot is much changed from the stage musical.

It is shot in black and white but the final reel was filmed in the new three-strip Technicolor process, restored to its original hues when the film was shown by Turner Classic Movies on TNT in the late 1980s. It is apparently its first use in a live-action sequence, after animated shorts.

Sam Wood later shot retakes as uncredited director.

MacDonald’s costume in the finale was previously used by Joan Crawford in Dancing Lady (1933).

MacDonald allegedly plotted with producer Louis B Mayer to have soprano operetta star Vivienne Segal’s role cut to shreds and have her look plain, though this story came from Segal.

The film was later rejected by the Production Code for re-release because the leading characters are in an illicit sexual relationship without compensating moral values!

The stage show ran for 395 performances in New York City from 15 October 1931 to 24 September 1932. The film retains all its songs, at least in part.

The song ‘Don’t Ask Me Not to Sing’ is from the 1933 Jerome Kern Broadway musical Roberta, which was filmed as Roberta (1935)), but the song cut. But it appears in the 1952 Technicolor remake of Roberta, Lovely to Look At (1952).

The cast

The cast are Ramon Novarro as Victor Florescu, Jeanette MacDonald as Shirley Sheridan, Frank Morgan as Jules Daudet, Charles Butterworth as Charles, Jean Hersholt as Professor Bertier, Vivienne Segal as Odette Brieux, Frank Conroy as Theatre Owner, Henry Armetta as Taxi Driver, Adrienne D’Ambricourt as Concierge, Joseph Cawthorn as ‘Rudy’ Brieux, and Sterling Holloway as Flower Messenger.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,464

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com