Una notte al castello

Paris IN SPRING is a frothy delight, a story about two squabbling pairs of lovers who end up with the wrong partners thru a series of misunderstandings. The plot is not a new one but the actors have fun with it. Film starts out with Tullio Carminati threatening to jump from the Eiffel Tower if Simone (Mary Ellis) won't marry him. She dares him to jump and even hands him his overcoat so he won't get a chill high up on the tower. A younger couple is also squabbling and Carminati stops the girl (Ida Lupino) from taking a plunge while her boyfriend (James Blakeley) searches for her. They all end up at a swank nightclub where Simone is the sensational singing star. With rather spectacular sets as a backdrop, she sings "Paris in the Spring" and "Jealousy" to great effect. Later on they all end up, mistakenly assumed to be married, at a villa in Dijon where the aged countess (Jessie Ralph) eventually straightens everyone out.

Mary Ellis is just terrific in this film, shimmering in sequined outfits as she sings. In the "Jealousy" number, she's slowly lifted on a section of floor staging that is supported by a bunch of chorus girls. The sets are equally impressive at the villa where circular staircases seem to litter the place, almost looking like something out of Escher. Carminati is charming, Lupino is very pretty and blonde, Blakeley makes for a pleasing goof, and Ralph is good as always as the gruff granny. Lynne Overman plays a cop, and Akim Tamiroff runs the nightclub. A trifle to be sure, but a delightful one.

It's hard to understand why Mary Ellis wasn't a hit in pictures.