Duchess of Idaho
Encyclopedia
Duchess of Idaho is a musical
romantic comedy
produced in 1950 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
, it was the fourth film pairing Esther Williams
and Van Johnson
. It was shot mainly on location in Sun Valley, Idaho
.
) attempts to play matchmaker
for her lovelorn friend Ellen (Paula Raymond
) by pursuing Douglas J. Morrissen, Jr. (John Lund
), the man Ellen loves, all the way to Idaho
. There, Christine decides to play a joke on Douglas. After boarding his train to Sun Valley, Christine wins the man's affections and then shocks him with hints that she expects a commitment. Once she's in Sun Valley, however, things become problematic when Christine falls in love with hotel bandleader Dick Layne (Van Johnson
). During her time in Sun Valley, Christine wins the title of "Duchess of Idaho" in a dance contest.
Duchess of Idaho marked Eleanor Powell
's first film appearance in six years as well as her last film appearance. Williams reported that Powell had practiced her cameo's routine until her feet bled, claiming that it had to be perfect.
Lena Horne's contract with MGM also ended with this film, though she would make several more MGM musical appearances later in the decade.
These performances would later surface on a special DVD packaged in a 2004 box set of the That's Entertainment!
films.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
produced in 1950 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Zigler Leonard was an American film director, actor, producer and screenwriter.He was born in Chicago, Illinois...
, it was the fourth film pairing Esther Williams
Esther Williams
Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
and Van Johnson
Van Johnson
Van Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
. It was shot mainly on location in Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum, lying within the greater Wood River valley. Tourists from around the world enjoy its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling. The population was 1,427...
.
Plot summary
Christine Riverton Duncan (Esther WilliamsEsther Williams
Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
) attempts to play matchmaker
Matchmaking
Matchmaking is any process of matching two people for the purpose of marriage or a sporting contest.-Practice:In some cultures, the role of the matchmaker was and is quite professionalized...
for her lovelorn friend Ellen (Paula Raymond
Paula Raymond
Paula Raymond was an American model and actress.In 1950, she was put under contract by MGM, where she played opposite such leading men as Cary Grant and Dick Powell...
) by pursuing Douglas J. Morrissen, Jr. (John Lund
John Lund
John Lund was an American film actor who is probably best remembered for his role in the film A Foreign Affair , directed by Billy Wilder.-Background:...
), the man Ellen loves, all the way to Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. There, Christine decides to play a joke on Douglas. After boarding his train to Sun Valley, Christine wins the man's affections and then shocks him with hints that she expects a commitment. Once she's in Sun Valley, however, things become problematic when Christine falls in love with hotel bandleader Dick Layne (Van Johnson
Van Johnson
Van Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
). During her time in Sun Valley, Christine wins the title of "Duchess of Idaho" in a dance contest.
Cast
- Esther WilliamsEsther WilliamsEsther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
as Christine Riverton Duncan - Van JohnsonVan JohnsonVan Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
as Dick Layne - John LundJohn LundJohn Lund was an American film actor who is probably best remembered for his role in the film A Foreign Affair , directed by Billy Wilder.-Background:...
as Douglas J. Morrison Jr. - Paula RaymondPaula RaymondPaula Raymond was an American model and actress.In 1950, she was put under contract by MGM, where she played opposite such leading men as Cary Grant and Dick Powell...
as Ellen Hallit - Mel TorméMel TorméMelvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
as Cyril, the Bellhop - Lena HorneLena HorneLena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
as Herself - Cameo appearance - Eleanor PowellEleanor PowellEleanor Torrey Powell was an American film actress and dancer of the 1930s and 1940s, known for her exuberant solo tap dancing.-Early life:...
as Herself - Cameo appearance - Clinton SundbergClinton SundbergClinton Sundberg was a stage and film character actor.Sundberg was born in Appleton, Minnesota on December 7, with sources differing on his year of birth...
as Matson - Connie HainesConnie HainesConnie Haines was an American singer. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Frank Sinatra...
as Peggy Elliot - Amanda BlakeAmanda BlakeAmanda Blake was an American actress known for the role of the red-haired saloon proprietress "Miss Kitty Russell" on the television western Gunsmoke.-Early life and career:...
as Linda Kinston - Tommy FarrellTommy FarrellTommy Farrell was an American supporting actor who appeared in over 80 films between 1944 and 1979, according to the Internet Movie Database. Sometimes he is credited as Tommie Farrell or Tom Farrell.-Career:...
as Chuck - Sig ArnoSig ArnoSig Arno was a German-Jewish film actor who appeared in such films as Pardon My Sarong, and The Mummy's Tomb...
as M. Le Blanche - Dick Simmons as Alec J. Collins
- Red SkeltonRed SkeltonRichard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
as Guest Master of Ceremonies - The JubalairesThe JubalairesThe Jubalaires were an American gospel group active during the 1940s and 1950s. They were playing as the Royal Harmony Singers in Florida as far back as 1936, and under that name reached #10 on the R&B charts on November 14, 1942 with "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition", a song adapted from...
in a cameo appearance
Production
In her autobiography, Million Dollar Mermaid, Williams called this a "re-hash of the Esther Williams formula: the mismatched lovers plot. It was enough to give one a case of cinematic deja vu."Duchess of Idaho marked Eleanor Powell
Eleanor Powell
Eleanor Torrey Powell was an American film actress and dancer of the 1930s and 1940s, known for her exuberant solo tap dancing.-Early life:...
's first film appearance in six years as well as her last film appearance. Williams reported that Powell had practiced her cameo's routine until her feet bled, claiming that it had to be perfect.
Lena Horne's contract with MGM also ended with this film, though she would make several more MGM musical appearances later in the decade.
Soundtrack
- Let's Choo Choo Choo to Idaho; Written by Al Rinker and Floyd Huddleston; Sung by Van JohnsonVan JohnsonVan Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
, Connie Haines and The Jubilaires - You Can't Do Wrong Doin' Right; Written by Al Rinker and Floyd Huddleston; Sung by Van Johnson and Connie Haines
- Of All Things; Written by Al Rinker and Floyd Huddleston; Sung by Connie Haines
- Baby Come Out of the Clouds; Written by Henry Nemo and Lee Pearl; Sung by Lena HorneLena HorneLena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
Deleted performances
Several musical numbers filmed for the movie were cut from the theatrical release. The deleted songs were:- "Warm Hands, Cold Heart," sung by Mel Tormé
- "You Won't Forget Me," sung by Lena Horne
- "You Do Something to MeYou Do Something to Me"You Do Something to Me" is a song written by Cole Porter. It is notable in that it was the first number in Porter's first fully integrated-book musical Fifty Million Frenchmen...
," the Cole PorterCole PorterCole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
standard, also sung by Lena Horne
These performances would later surface on a special DVD packaged in a 2004 box set of the That's Entertainment!
That's Entertainment!
That's Entertainment! is a 1974 compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to celebrate its 50th anniversary. It was followed by two sequels and a related film called That's Dancing!....
films.