Tovarich **** (1937, Claudette Colbert, Charles Boyer, Basil Rathbone) – Classic Movie Review 11,000

Director Anatole Litvak’s 1937 Warner Bros period screwball comedy Tovarich is written by Casey Robinson, based on a play by Jacques Déval and Robert E Sherwood (English version). It stars Claudette Colbert as the Grand Duchess Tatiana Petrovna Romanov, Charles Boyer as Prince Mikail Alexandrovitch Ouratieff and Basil Rathbone as Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko.

After the Russian revolution, a Russian royal married couple in exile in Paris, grand duchess Colbert and prince Boyer, are forced by penury to become a housemaid and butler at the home of rich Fermonde Dupont (Isabel Jeans) and Charles Dupont (Melville Cooper). But they are are soon recognised as royals by their new employers’ friends and are revealed by Russian official Gorotchenko (Rathbone).

Twinkling stars close to their top form perform the witty material based on a French play to great comic effect in this polished Hollywood comedy. Co-star Basil Rathbone is especially fine as Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko.

Impeccable stars are matched by impeccable behind-the-scenes credits – especially sets, photography and score. Among a good cast, Anita Louise, Morris Carvovsky, Fritz Feld, Montagu Love, Gregory Gaye, Maurice Murphy, Victor Kilian, Heather Thatcher, Curt Bois, Doris Lloyd, Christian Rub, Renie Riano, May Boley, Ferdinand Munier, Grace Hayle, Alphonse Martell and Torben Meyer are also fine in support.

Tovarich runs 98 minutes, is shot in black and white by Charles Lang, is produced by Anatole Litvak and Robert Lord, is scored by Max Steiner (orchestral music score) and designed by Anton Grot, with gowns by Orry-Kelly.

The 1936 original Broadway production of Tovarich by Jacques Déval and Robert E Sherwood (English version) opened at the Plymouth Theatre on 15 October 1936 and closed after 356 performances in August 1937.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,000

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