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“An All-Talking OO-La-La Romance” that was a huge flop.
The Film Daily Year Book of Motion Pictures (1930)
Date of Release: Nov 30, 1929
Studio: Paramount Famous Lasky Corp
Director: Robert Florey
Screenplay: Gene Markey
Music: Jay Gorney, Dick Howard, Cole Porter
Leading Actors: Gertrude Lawrence (Georgie), Charles Ruggles (Zizi), Walter Petrie (Tony), Gladys DuBois (Suzanne), Arthur Treacher (Harry), Joe King (Jack)
Initially titled The Gay Lady, The Battle of Paris was filmed in New York at Paramount’s studio in Astoria. Given the wealth of talent involved, it is surprising that the film was poorly received by the critics, and ignored by audiences.
The much derided screenplay, described in the various trade magazines as “hokum” and “tripe,” was written by Gene Markey. Markey was a prolific writer, and wrote popular novels about the jazz age. He was well-liked in Hollywood, and later worked as a producer. He also wrote several other musicals in 1929 including Syncopation, Mother’s Boy, Close Harmony. and Lucky in Love.
The film was edited by Emma Hill, who was one of many female editors working in Hollywood during early talkie era. An excellent history of female editors can be found here. Hill edited at least eight films in a career that spanned silent and talkie films.
The story followed Georgie (Gertrude Lawrence), an English street singer who falls in love with Tony (Walter Petrie), an American artist. Tony is sent away to war, and whilst on leave is seduced by Suzanne (Gladys DuBois). Meanwhile, Georgie becomes a nurse, and looks after three men, her “three musketeers,” Zizi (Charles Ruggles), Harry (Arthur Treacher), and Jack (Joe King). She enlists the men to help her win back Tony, but is kidnapped and led through the underground of Paris. On the last day of the war, Georgie is rescued by the three musketeers, and happily reunited with Tony.
Studio: Paramount Famous Lasky Corp
Director: Robert Florey
Screenplay: Gene Markey
Music: Jay Gorney, Dick Howard, Cole Porter
Leading Actors: Gertrude Lawrence (Georgie), Charles Ruggles (Zizi), Walter Petrie (Tony), Gladys DuBois (Suzanne), Arthur Treacher (Harry), Joe King (Jack)
Initially titled The Gay Lady, The Battle of Paris was filmed in New York at Paramount’s studio in Astoria. Given the wealth of talent involved, it is surprising that the film was poorly received by the critics, and ignored by audiences.
The much derided screenplay, described in the various trade magazines as “hokum” and “tripe,” was written by Gene Markey. Markey was a prolific writer, and wrote popular novels about the jazz age. He was well-liked in Hollywood, and later worked as a producer. He also wrote several other musicals in 1929 including Syncopation, Mother’s Boy, Close Harmony. and Lucky in Love.
The film was edited by Emma Hill, who was one of many female editors working in Hollywood during early talkie era. An excellent history of female editors can be found here. Hill edited at least eight films in a career that spanned silent and talkie films.
The story followed Georgie (Gertrude Lawrence), an English street singer who falls in love with Tony (Walter Petrie), an American artist. Tony is sent away to war, and whilst on leave is seduced by Suzanne (Gladys DuBois). Meanwhile, Georgie becomes a nurse, and looks after three men, her “three musketeers,” Zizi (Charles Ruggles), Harry (Arthur Treacher), and Jack (Joe King). She enlists the men to help her win back Tony, but is kidnapped and led through the underground of Paris. On the last day of the war, Georgie is rescued by the three musketeers, and happily reunited with Tony.
Exhibitors Herald World (Dec 14, 1929)
Advertising focused primarily on Gertrude Lawrence, Charles Ruggles, and the fact it was an all-talking romance set in France. Born into a show business family, Gertrude Lawrence started performing at a young age. She went on to become a leading lady of the stage, performing in plays and musicals in the UK and USA. Her stage credits included George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Noel Coward’s Private Lives, and Roger and Hammerstein’s The King and I. The Battle of Paris was Lawrence’s first screen credit, and she appeared in eight more films including Catherine the Great (1948) and The Glass Menagerie (1950).
Charles Ruggles was a popular comedic actor who appeared on Broadway and in over 150 films and television shows in a career spanning six decades. He won a Tony Award in 1959 for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in The Pleasure of His Company. Charles was the older brother of Wesley Ruggles, an actor and acclaimed director who directed Street Girl.
Other advertising played up the war aspect, with some theatres organizing events and tie-ins with local American Legion Units.
Even with its stars and soldiers, The Battle of Paris played to mediocre houses and received poor reviews. The Film Daily described it as “a comedy possessed of little distinction and thoroughly negligible,” while Variety stated it was “Perhaps the poorest picture to come out of a major studio this season.”
Director Robert Florey received particularly negative reviews. Robert Florey was a French writer and director who directed over 100 films and television shows in a career spanning nearly four decades. Known for his expressionist style, Florey is best remembered for his work on B-grade thrillers. He also co-directed The Cocoanuts. A biography by Brian Taves, Robert Florey: The French Expressionist was released in 2014.
Gertrude Lawrence and Charles Ruggles were adored by the critics, though some thought Ruggles' French accent was ridiculous. Motion Picture News stated Lawrence “has oodles of personality, can sing and swings through this overworked story with plenty of pep,” The Film Daily wrote “Ruggles is well-nigh perfect.”
Although not mentioned by the critics, another notable actor making his screen debut was English actor Arthur Treacher. Treacher appeared in nearly 90 films and television shows, often played stereotypical English characters. He also performed on Broadway, appearing in a wide range of shows including The School for Scandal (1931), Caesar and Cleopatra (1949) and Camelot (1960). His film credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935), Heidi (1937), The Little Princess (1939), and Mary Poppins (1964), in which he played the Constable who returns Jane and Michael Banks back to their parents.
Charles Ruggles was a popular comedic actor who appeared on Broadway and in over 150 films and television shows in a career spanning six decades. He won a Tony Award in 1959 for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in The Pleasure of His Company. Charles was the older brother of Wesley Ruggles, an actor and acclaimed director who directed Street Girl.
Other advertising played up the war aspect, with some theatres organizing events and tie-ins with local American Legion Units.
Even with its stars and soldiers, The Battle of Paris played to mediocre houses and received poor reviews. The Film Daily described it as “a comedy possessed of little distinction and thoroughly negligible,” while Variety stated it was “Perhaps the poorest picture to come out of a major studio this season.”
Director Robert Florey received particularly negative reviews. Robert Florey was a French writer and director who directed over 100 films and television shows in a career spanning nearly four decades. Known for his expressionist style, Florey is best remembered for his work on B-grade thrillers. He also co-directed The Cocoanuts. A biography by Brian Taves, Robert Florey: The French Expressionist was released in 2014.
Gertrude Lawrence and Charles Ruggles were adored by the critics, though some thought Ruggles' French accent was ridiculous. Motion Picture News stated Lawrence “has oodles of personality, can sing and swings through this overworked story with plenty of pep,” The Film Daily wrote “Ruggles is well-nigh perfect.”
Although not mentioned by the critics, another notable actor making his screen debut was English actor Arthur Treacher. Treacher appeared in nearly 90 films and television shows, often played stereotypical English characters. He also performed on Broadway, appearing in a wide range of shows including The School for Scandal (1931), Caesar and Cleopatra (1949) and Camelot (1960). His film credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935), Heidi (1937), The Little Princess (1939), and Mary Poppins (1964), in which he played the Constable who returns Jane and Michael Banks back to their parents.
A recording of "When I'm Housekeeping For You" by Dick Howard and Jay Gorney
The music was described by the National Board of Review Magazine as “very entertaining,” and featured popular songs from the Great War, such as “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” and original songs by Cole Porter, Dick Howard, and Jay Gorney.
Born to a wealthy family, Cole Porter was a talented musician and prolific composer. He wrote hundreds of songs, including “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Night and Day,” “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love),” “Be A Clown,” and “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” and dozens of Broadway musicals, including Paris, Gay Divorce, Anything Goes, Kiss, Me Kate, Can-Can and Silk Stockings. Porter was nominated four times for an Academy Award for Best Music, and twice for a Tony Award, winning for Kiss Me Kate – the first show to be awarded the Tony for Best New Musical.
Russian-born Jay Gorney was a composer and pianist who worked on Broadway and in Hollywood. His songwriting credits include “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?” “Just a Melody for a Memory,” and “Baby, Take a Bow.”
Dick Howard, better known as Howard Dietz, was a prolific composer and publicist. He wrote music for stage, screen, and radio, and designed MGM’s infamous Leo the Lion logo. In a successful partnership with Arthur Schwartz, Dietz wrote eleven Broadway shows, including The Band Wagon and Revenge with Music. His songs include “Something to Remember You By,” “The Moment I saw You,” “Dancing in the Dark,” and “That’s Entertainment.” Dietz was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, and a collection of his papers is held at the New York Public Library.
Writing for Close Up, Robert Herring described an interesting scene featuring actors of color:
Born to a wealthy family, Cole Porter was a talented musician and prolific composer. He wrote hundreds of songs, including “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Night and Day,” “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love),” “Be A Clown,” and “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” and dozens of Broadway musicals, including Paris, Gay Divorce, Anything Goes, Kiss, Me Kate, Can-Can and Silk Stockings. Porter was nominated four times for an Academy Award for Best Music, and twice for a Tony Award, winning for Kiss Me Kate – the first show to be awarded the Tony for Best New Musical.
Russian-born Jay Gorney was a composer and pianist who worked on Broadway and in Hollywood. His songwriting credits include “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?” “Just a Melody for a Memory,” and “Baby, Take a Bow.”
Dick Howard, better known as Howard Dietz, was a prolific composer and publicist. He wrote music for stage, screen, and radio, and designed MGM’s infamous Leo the Lion logo. In a successful partnership with Arthur Schwartz, Dietz wrote eleven Broadway shows, including The Band Wagon and Revenge with Music. His songs include “Something to Remember You By,” “The Moment I saw You,” “Dancing in the Dark,” and “That’s Entertainment.” Dietz was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, and a collection of his papers is held at the New York Public Library.
Writing for Close Up, Robert Herring described an interesting scene featuring actors of color:
A negro soldier in a café in Paris, sees some other negroes. Goes up to them. Hullo brother. They answer in French. The American negro shrugs his shoulders and goes off. No nearer anything, why do they talk in a different language when they are black. Isn’t it enough to be black without finding some of you putting up other barriers…”
In a time when actors of color solely portrayed characters who lived on plantations, or were maids and slaves – or more often were absent altogether – this representation and engagement with race and language barriers is a departure from the norm.
The New Movie Magazine (January or February 1930)
Perhaps The Battle of Paris was ahead of its time. While still deriding the ridiculous plot, one modern day reviewer described the film as a “refreshing treat.”
The Battle of Paris has not been re-released to the general public since 1929. Incomplete and damaged discs are held at the Film and Television Archive at UCLA, though it seems that complete copies are held by private collectors.
The Battle of Paris has not been re-released to the general public since 1929. Incomplete and damaged discs are held at the Film and Television Archive at UCLA, though it seems that complete copies are held by private collectors.
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