User reviews

True, even for the breezy 1950s, the plot for this musical is as light as a feather--but if you are a DORIS DAY fan, as I certainly was during these early Day films at Warner Bros., you'll be enchanted by her way with a song--particularly "I'm Gonna Ring the Bell Tonight", "April in Paris" and "That's What Makes Paris Par-ee". And on top of that, she excels in all of her dance routines, even those in which RAY BOLGER clearly has the spotlight to himself.

It's one of those mistaken identity plots that Warners used extensively throughout the '40s and '50s, something about a showgirl being mistaken for a diplomat and mistakenly invited to represent the U.S. at a French festival. Naturally, all is straightened out in time for a happy ending although I can't say I detected any real chemistry between Bolger and Day--even in a musical where logic doesn't really matter.

The dances staged by LeRoy Prinz are not the best, but there are some cheerful, well staged moments when Bolger gets to do his tap routines and limber legged dancing. All in all, it passes the time pleasantly if you have a weakness for musicals the way they were in the '50s. And Doris proves that singing wasn't her only asset. Her dancing is also very professional (and not surprisingly, she intended to become a dancer before an accident ruined her plans and she switched to singing).

Doris Day as Ethel 'Dynamite' Jackson gets a letter from the State Department saying that she's been chosen to be an American representative at an Arts Festival in Paris. The letter was supposed to go to Ethel Barrymore instead. Doris had written the State Department about a work permit visa to work at a nightclub in Montreal.

It's a faux pas of the highest order that State Department bureaucrat Ray Bolger has committed and he tries to rectify the situation. But when the press gets a hold of it, the thing becomes a popular move. So Bolger's boss Paul Harvey puts him in charge of getting Doris's diplomatic etiquette up to speed. For better or worse Bolger and Day are going to spend April In Paris together.

The popular Vernon Duke-E.Y. Harburg standard serves as the title for this film and Warner Brothers got Vernon Duke to write the balance of the score with Sammy Cahn's lyrics. Nothing really outstanding here, but the score fits well with styles of the two leads.

Doris is great as always, the problem here is Bolger and the part he plays. Ray Bolger was a great personality on stage who but for two roles never quite was able to translate the same popularity to the big screen. One role was of course the Scarecrow in The Wizard Of Oz and the other was the lead in Charley's Aunt. And both of those were comic parts.

As a traditional screen lead Ray never quite made it. In fact in watching April In Paris I couldn't quite see what Doris saw in him. Of course with her attraction it was obvious as Bolger so succinctly put it, 'What a Built'. Ray plays a traditional WASP stuffed shirt diplomat who is engaged to the demanding daughter of Harvey, Eve Miller. Getting involved with Day was not an upward career move.

Of course Doris sparks the attention of Claude Dauphin who's working his way back to France on the same ship that Bolger and Day and company are traveling. She has a nice number with Dauphin in a Parisian nightclub.

Bolger's big moment on the screen is a very nicely staged fantasy number where portraits of Lincoln and Washington come alive and dance with him as Bolger dreams about his future. It was as creative as something Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire might have done.

Still Ray is not quite leading man material and the film can't overcome that. Fans of Doris and Ray will like it though, but I fear it's not one of Doris Day's best films.

A late-night viewing of this period piece shows it to be a charming and amusing glimpse into an earlier time. Doris Day holds up well, brightly singing, dancing, and portraying the all-American girl with gumption. Bolger's dancing is phenomenal, but the chemistry between them is not really there; it's hard to believe they really like each other very much. The costumes are outrageous in a campy way - almost Busby Berkley level synchronized dance scenes. A fashion-show scene shows overdone eccentric outfits in various colors, with French poodles dyed to match. In the last musical scene, Doris starts out with a floor-length gold cape with mini-pleats radiating from her shoulders; and then takes it off to show a bare midriff any current teenager would be proud of. The movie opens with some vintage scenes (current to the time of the film) of Washington DC, complete with streetcars. But the most anachronistic element is the main theme of the plot, which revolves around Bolger and Day coming close to sleeping together, thinking they are legally married, when in fact (horrors!!) they're not. In summary, it's a great combination of lightweight plot, eye candy, good music and a few laugh-out-loud lines, wrapped in the relative innocence of the fifties.

This picture was made when Doris Day was "Doris Day", that fresh-faced, delightful blond singer who lit up the screen with her beautiful smile and glorious singing.

"April in Paris", directed by David Butler was a colorful, joyous romp for Doris Day and Ray Bolger. Mr. Bolger has been criticized for not being a suitable co-star for Miss Day, but I felt he did a credible job in the picture. No, he was not handsome, like Rock Hudson, but Rock couldn't DANCE like Bolger!

And dance up a storm, he does! I enjoyed his acrobatic dance routines in "I'm Gonna Ring the Bell Tonight" and the political-themed dance with former Presidents' portraits, coming to life to dance with Bolger.

Doris Day, as Ethel "Dynamite" Jackson, a chorus girl, who is mistakenly chosen, instead of Ethel Barrymore, to represent America at a Paris Festival, is energetic and bouncy and mostly delightful. Her rendition of "April in Paris" was hauntingly beautiful and the highlight of the film.

The nicely staged, "It Must Be Him" also showcased Miss Day's glorious voice and dancing skills as did "That's What Makes Paris Paree".

Claude Dauphin lugubriously reprises the title tune in a side-walk cafe with the wind blowing bitterly while he sings the song to Doris Day.

To my knowledge, this is the only occasion in which Doris Day has a fist fight on the screen! If you can believe it, she was battling over Ray Bolger with Eve Miller, who also had the illusion that Bolger was "Clark Gable".

In the aforementioned, "I'm Gonna Ring the Bell Tonight", Doris Day opens the number with some rousing singing and later joins Bolger for some fancy footwork.

If you love Doris Day, you'll like this picture. As usual, there was able support by veteran actors like Paul Harvey, who later played "Henry Miller", proprietor of the Golden Garter in "Calamity Jane".

Before seeing April in Paris I saw a fair few bad things written about it, about Ray Bolger being miscast, the story being disposable and the songs being weak. As someone who liked Doris Day, I went ahead and watched it anyhow. The criticisms are understandable actually, but April in Paris is not as bad as it has been made out to be and is hardly a film without redeeming qualities. Ray Bolger is not really the ideal lead role for Day, he was a likable comic actor when his skills were used well but he is too old here and is more supporting comic role actor than leading man. He and Day don't have very much chemistry either, or one that is completely natural. The story is toilet-paper-thin and contrived- true that not many musicals of that particular time had particularly great stories, but there are not many that are as redundant as the story here- and while there are nice snappy moments the wit and satire in the script isn't sharp enough. April in Paris doesn't look too bad though, one does wish that real Parisian locations and more Parisian fashions were seen and some of the sets are on the garish side but the photography is still attractive and Day's dresses are lovely. The songs are definitely not weak either, "I'm Gonna Ring the Bell Tonight", "April in Paris" and "That's What Makes Paris Par-ee" are simply beautiful songs and while not quite as great the other songs work. While Bolger is not leading man material and his strengths are not really used, his dancing is very light-as-a-feather and he looks very comfortable doing it. Charles Dauphin is charming too, while the choreography and dance routines are at least well-staged and put you in a good mood. Day is the best thing about the film, her singing is just enchantingly beautiful, she's completely at ease and she lights up the screen in everything she does from smiling, dancing, singing and acting. Overall, not a great film but while the criticisms are valid it is better than given credit for and Day is fabulous. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Of all the major Hollywood studios, Warner Brothers were always the most cheese-paring. All of their musicals -- except the wonderful 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' and some later adaptations of Broadway musicals -- are marred by extremely low budgets and obvious economy measures. 'April in Paris' is one of several Warners musicals featuring an established popular ditty (with a stiff price-tag for performance rights) as the movie's title song, buttressed by some very forgettable songs by resident Warners tunesmiths. Except for one high-spirited and high-kicking number called 'Ring the Bell Tonight', only the E.Y. Harburg/Vernon Duke title song is memorable here.

Doris Day amazes me, not only for her unearthly beauty and her quiet sex appeal, and for her underrated acting ability, but also for her musical talents. I've read that Day originally trained as a dancer, but switched to a career as a vocalist after she was injured in a car accident. Her singing voice is so clear and beautiful, I've difficulty believing that singing was her second choice of career. And, as she proves here, she has no physical handicap as a dancer ... unless you count the dull choreography of LeRoy Prinz.

Ray Bolger is an interesting choice of romantic leads for Day, but the two of them don't really team very well. Here, he plays a character very similar to the one played by Donald O'Connor in 'Are You with It?': a repressed wonk who turns out to be a superb dancer. Bolger (an underrated actor) is quite good in his straight scenes here as a harried bureaucrat, a less nelly version of Edward Everett Horton ... but that character just doesn't match up with Bolger's dazzling dance numbers. Bolger's Massachusetts accent is much more obvious here than in any of his other films. Bolger was sometimes required to play epicene men, as in the Broadway musical 'By Jupiter'. Here, he's impressively virile, as he strips off his dinner jacket and lights into some rapid-fire nerve taps far more proficient than Ann Miller's.

I always enjoy watching Bolger dance. Here, regrettably -- blame it on LeRoy Prinz -- Bolger doesn't do anything he hasn't done better in several better musicals, except for a brief trick shot in which he dances between two full-length portraits of Washington and Lincoln (also played by Bolger) who dance along with him. I was impressed with a brief pas de deux between Bolger and Day, in which she dances conventionally but manages to keep up with Bolger while he does his usual "Where's Charley?" moves.

The contrived plot line requires Bolger and Day to mistakenly believe they're married to each other. Two Frenchmen perform the wedding service without actually being qualified for that job. This being a Hollywood film of the 1950s, it's imperative that the fake marriage remain unconsummated, so the two Frenchmen then have conscience pangs and sabotage the marital bed so that no sex can take place ... instead of simply admitting their deception. Speaking of 1950s morals: this movie's dialogue features several occurrences of the word 'gay' in its innocent sense.

Two of my least favourite movie clichés are: every building in Washington DC is directly across the street from the Capitol, and every location in Paris has a clear view of the Eiffel Tower. We get both of those clichés in this movie. On the positive side, we get a brief appearance by character actor Shepard Menken as a Parisian waiter. Actress Eve Miller does her best in an unplayable role as Day's rival. Eve Miller's acting career never quite caught on; she suicided shortly after her fiftieth birthday.

The movie's weird plot gives us Claude Dauphin as an omniscient Frenchman. A gag sequence requires that Ray Bolger's hat be several sizes too large ... but later the same chapeau fits him perfectly, and later still it's too large again when the scriptwriter recycles the gag. This movie is more than competently directed by the underrated David Butler, but matters are not helped by a script which requires Day's and Bolger's characters to be unable to make up their minds about deeply important issues such as love and career. Still, as enjoyable froth, I'll rate 'April in Paris' 7 out of 10.

Doris Day is fun in this movie. Her smile lights up the screen, her rendition of the title song is not corny- it is terrific. Her dancing is vivacious and guaranteed to brighten up your day.

Bolger's dancing is a bit vaudevillian but has a happy uniqueness that is very watchable. Many of his moves are like a series of "controlled falls" that require tremendous balance- this is harder than it looks. On the other hand some of his dance is very above-average tap or two-step. Overall he seems to combine a lot into his different routines. As a bonus, his acting is not bad and better than you might expect.

This film suffers from cheapness and a nothing plot, but is overcome by exceptional talent and charm by all the cast. Who cares if it is cheap and set-bound? The results are entertaining and that's the true bottom line.

Exceedingly thin Warner Bros. musical, blanketed in tacky lustre and stock footage, involves an inept assistant's assistant in Washington, D.C. who is in charge of sending out the invites to attend a Theatre Arts Festival in Paris, France; somehow, an invitation meant for Ethel Barrymore is sent instead to a chorus girl named Ethel Jackson (nicknamed "Dynamite", though we are never told why). The dancer is promptly uninvited, and then re-invited, by the assistant, who falls in love with her on the ship sailing to Europe. Doris Day, perky as ever, is delightful in her early scenes celebrating with her chorus friends and with the shipboard kitchen crew ("Don't stop!" she tells the fellas, "I'm tickin'!"). Unfortunately, she has to contend with rubber-faced, bug-eyed Ray Bolger in the romance department, and it's all Miss Day can do to keep her spirits up. Bolger never found stardom in the movies sans his Scarecrow character; he does a very fine solo dance routine early on, but otherwise comes across as a joyless sourpuss, snapping at underlings and mugging at the camera (no gentleman would ever try to upstage Doris Day!). Doris sings the title song very prettily, but the other tunes are fairly forgettable. As for the happy ending, I can only hope the filmmakers were joking and that Day's "Dynamite" Jackson lures a replacement suitor aboard the ship heading back to the U.S.A. ** from ****

Sorry folks, I love Ray Bolger's work but the one thing he ain't is a leading man. Maybe if you pretend he's the last man on earth, this romantic plot might work but come'on now !

Here's a movie that exists simply to showcase the title song which was a big hit for the Basie Band the year before (1951). And some pretty nifty singing and dancing save it from being a total disaster.

However, the story line is pathetic, even by 1952 musical comedy standards. And the other songs are equally as forgettable as Evening In Paris cologne. The dialogue embarrasses the stars, Day & Bolger. Only Claude Dauphin's Boyeresque charms keep his character three dimensional.

So, how to enjoy this movie on video ?

A.) Fast forward through all the dialogue...

B.) Surrender yourself to Doris Day's vocals and Ray Bolger's loose-limbed footwork. And don't miss Dauphin's hilarious take on a rain-soaked, windswept reprise of "April In Paris"...

C.) Finally, keep a couple of bottles of Cabernet chilled and handy.

Bob Raymond

I watched this movie last night for the first time and really liked it. It is a wholesome movie with song and dancing and wonderful costumes. I thought the comedy was great and could be enjoyed by the entire family. The movie had good values. I absolutely loved the dress Doris Day had on in scene on the ship, the color, fabrics, and style were magnificent. I never really watched many Doris Day movies, but I have to say she really comes off as "the girl next door" in this movie. I was reminded in many scenes of Ray Bolgers previous acting in the Wizard of Oz, and that would be the only negative I could find for the movie. Not sure why this movie has such a low rating, but I would recommend this movie to everyone.

Colorful, tuneful, witty, utterly charming bit of fluff. Ray Bolger may not be the most romantic of leading men, but his rubber legged dancing is a wonder. Claude Dauphin is marvelous as the Frenchiest of Frenchman. But the real treat is Doris Day - how can anyone help falling in love? She is laugh out loud funny one moment, then the next moment treats us to a stunning version of the title song. A movie well worth seeking out.

Doris Day is adorable perky-chaste with a lousy script and songs with goofy lyrics in a fake studio Paris.

Ray Bolger, fine dancer, is grotesquely miscast as a diplomat.

The gags are unusually lame, even for this kind of comedy. I kept imagining any number of other male leads like Astaire or Kelly or O'Connor.

This movie has not aged well in 60 years. Very disappointing, especially when compared with some of Day's finest work such as "Love Me or Leave Me" made only three years later.

And contrast "April in Paris" with "Singin' in the Rain" from the SAME YEAR. Sigh.

This is a pleasant but basically forgettable musical from a decade that produced far better. The performers are all talented and have done much better elsewhere; they are not to blame. The script is basically boring, and the title very misleading: only the last 15 minutes or so of the movie takes place in Paris. And when it does, it's all painted backdrops. We never really get to Paris.

What I found interesting was the post-WW II notion that Americans are very up-tight, especially sexually, and that a trip to Paris could do wonders to loosen them up. (This idea is well presented in the great 1948 Billy Wilder movie, "A Foreign Affair," though there Paris is not the answer, it's just getting out of the American mindset and encountering Europeans.) One of the bright spots of the movie is Doris Day's dance-and-sing number on the ship, "I'm gonna ring the bell tonight," when she encounters the "joie de vivre" of the French crew on the ocean liner and starts to loosen up herself.

For what it's worth, the setting for this number seems to have been taken from a Jane Powell movie from four years before, *Luxury Liner*. Jane's character does an interesting - but not as interesting - number in the kitchen of the title's luxury liner with the kitchen staff early in the movie.

Later, there is a decent number with Day and the Frenchman, Philippe Fouquet (Claude Dauphin, playing the role that Georges Guétary had played so much better the year before in "An American in Paris") in which the appeal and disappointments of Paris are sketched out.

In sum, this is a pretty forgettable movie: forgettable music, certainly, forgettable dialog mostly (though there are a few nasty lines between Day and her female rival), unremarkable story - you never believe there is any real feeling between Ray Bolger and Day - forgettable if energetic dancing. Coming a year after "An American in Paris" - and no doubt meant to play off the success of that movie - this is pretty much a letdown. Even the scenes of Paris are fake.

"April in Paris" is one of several musical comedies and romance films Warner Brothers made for its budding new talent, Doris Day. But this is not among the best of those films. It fares just fair. That's due mostly to the screenplay, not the cast. Day and Ray Bolger are fine in the leads, but there are only a few numbers in the whole film in which Bolger shows his dancing talent, and Day and he sing. The screenplay is very weak, and this film is more silliness than comedy. It does have two very funny scenes that, along with the song and dance numbers earn it six stars.

This isn't anything along the lines of very good or great musical productions. The numbers are all single or duet performances. There are no dazzling choreographed dance numbers, and no memorable tunes beyond the title song that was somewhat popular for a time. The romance too is more silly than romance, or comedy.

This film would probably be enjoyed just by fans of the players, movies buffs who like musicals overall, and any newer aficionados who are interested in seeing Doris Day in her early film career.

Here are the best lines in the film.

Marcia Sherman, "There's going to be a vacancy on the Labor Relations Board." Assistant to the Undersecretary, Robert Sherman, "One of the labor members is going back to work."

Assistant to the Under Secretary, Robert Sherman, "Never doubt the power of a woman .. who wants to be first lady."

Marcia Sherman, "All right, father. You're a pretty shrewd operator." Assistant to the Undersecretary, Robert Sherman, "I take after my daughter."

Sam Winthrop Putnam, "Do you know what my title is?" Ethel Jackson, "No." Sam Putnam, "Assistant Secretary to the Assistant to the Under Secretary of State. It's taken me 10 years to get this far. If this falls through, I'll be right back where I started - Assistant Assistant Secretary to the Assistant to the Under Secretary of State."

Sam Winthrop Putnam, to Marcia Sherman, "You never loved me. You only wanted to marry me to try to get to the White House where you could remodel that too."

Ethel Jackson (Day) a chorus girl who is accidentally appointed as a cultural representative by State Dept

Ethel Jackson (Doris Day) is a common chorus girl. Accidentally, she's appointed a cultural ambassador by an idiotic representative of the State Department (Ray Bolger). I say idiotic because he's supposed to offer this to Ethel Barrymore...and mixed the letter up with another-- and thus Ms. Jackson is going to Europe to represent the United States.

The film's idea isn't bad and Miss Day is pretty good. So why the low score? Two problems: Ray Bolger is rather obnoxious in the lead and wanted him to just go away and the other is that the film simply wasn't very entertaining. This film clearly is a very minor effort by Warner Brothers. Had it been written better, had less dance numbers and Bolger's character been less abrasive and annoying, I could have recommended it.

Well, "built" Doris Day (as Ethel S. "Dynamite" Jackson) is mistaken for thespian Ethel Barrymore, and falls in love with dancer Ray Bolger (as S. "Sam" Winthrop Putnam). Older Frenchman Claude Dauphin (as Philippe Fouquet) also digs Doris. Honestly… What were they thinking? - This wildly inappropriate musical does feature Ms. Day prettily singing the standard "April in Paris", and others. Certainly, there nothing as good as her Columbia recordings from the time; and, nothing approaches Day's stunning and forthcoming "Secret Love". Although the material does not serve him well, it's nice to see Mr. Bolger performing. Some of the musical numbers are obnoxious.

**** April in Paris (12/24/52) David Butler ~ Doris Day, Ray Bolger, Claude Dauphin

Sam (Ray Bolger) works for the State Department and has made a major mistake. Having worked his way up, he is aghast to find that he has sent an invitation for a diplomatic event in Paris to a chorus gal, Ethel "Dynamite" Jackson (Doris Day). One supposes that in the Thirties, Ethel Jackson is a rather common name. But, when Sam goes to "un- invite" Ethel, he arrives just as her fellow chorus girls are throwing a Bon Voyage party. It's awkward to say the least. Nevertheless, when the party finishes, Sam breaks the news. As can be expected, this Dynamite explodes and cries. Sam leaves. The next day, the State Department superior says it was a stroke of genius that Sam invited Ethel as a common citizen and a beauty to be part of the event. Horrors! Now, Sam has to go and persuade a still upset Ethel to go with the group. He succeeds. As the snooty uppercrust officials try to "reform" Ethel's demeanor, way of speaking, and table etiquette, she rebels. Not only that, Sam, an engaged gentleman with his fiancée on board, starts to fall for Ethel hard and visa versa. Yet, this would probably spell trouble for his future diplomatic career. Will love bloom in an April in Paris? This lovely musical is a winning combination of song, dance, and fun. Day and Bolger are a terrific couple and, wow, can they hoof it and dazzle in song. Some of the numbers are so imaginative, too, with Bolger performing a fun scene with President Washington's portrait! Day, too, dances it up in the ship's galley with pots, pans, and cooks. Viewers will also admire the supporting cast, costumes, scenery, script and direction. Don't wait until April, musical fans, to watch this film. It's a winner twelve months of the year!

First off, I am a huge Doris fan and I thought this movie was not one of her best (her own autobiography said she wanted someone different for the choreography...but I thought that was the best part). Doris is always good but the movie might have looked better if we saw some of the real Paris and why not show off some of the fashions sung about and actually see real settings.

Ray Bolger was NOT Fred Astaire but he sure is energetic. There was no real spark between Ray and Doris (who is excellent in the "Rock the Boat" number in the Cruiseliner's kitchen).

I bought this inexpensively from Ken Cranes on Laserdisc and Doris looks terrific as always. From what I've read Ray had some trouble with the director who accused him of trying to upstage Doris on camera - as if that were ever possible.

My advice...rent TEA FOR TWO instead.

Moderately entertaining moments. Might be worth watching for big Doris Day fan but nothing clicks -- certainly not Day and Bolger despite their individual talents. No chemistry or believable appeal. Script seems too weak for acting to save (which it doesn't). Not terrible but not worth it except for a few die-hard fans.

Miss Ethel "Dynamite" Jackson is a chorus girl who accidentally receives an invitation from the State Department to represent American theater at an art exhibit in Paris, France. There's just one problem: the invitation was for Miss Ethel Barrymore. Meanwhile, S. Winthrop Putnam, the bureaucrat who made the mistake, tries in vain to correct his mistake. It's too late, because Dynamite Jackson goes to Paris, where the two meet and get married, or so they think...