The Merry Widow

1952
Approved
1h 45m

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

693

YOUR RATING

Lana Turner and Fernando Lamas in The Merry Widow (1952)

Operating under royal orders, a count must woo a young and wealthy widow in order to save a kingdom from bankruptcy.

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1 Video

49 Photos

Musical Mystery Romance

Operating under royal orders, a count must woo a young and wealthy widow in order to save a kingdom from bankruptcy.Operating under royal orders, a count must woo a young and wealthy widow in order to save a kingdom from bankruptcy.Operating under royal orders, a count must woo a young and wealthy widow in order to save a kingdom from bankruptcy.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

693

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 2 nominations total

Gypsy Girl
(as Sujata)

Lisa Ferraday

Marcella

Shepard Menken

Kunjany

Ludwig Stössel

Major Domo
(as Ludwig Stossel)

John Alban

Club Patron
(uncredited)

Erville Alderson

Cart Driver
(uncredited)

Bette Arlen

Girl at Maxim's
(uncredited)

Frank Arnold

Waiter
(uncredited)

Gertrude Astor

Reception Guest
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
After Lana Turner's millionaire husband Bob Topping left her in 1951, she slashed her wrist and had to wear a bracelet during this shoot to cover the scar.

Goofs
The statement about beginnings of decades and centuries, is absolutely not correct. :-)

Quotes
King of Marshovia: I'm not asking you to fall in love with the woman. Marriage is quite enough.

Connections
Featured in That's Entertainment, Part II (1976)

Soundtracks
Girls, Girls, Girls
(uncredited)
Music by Franz Lehár
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Sung by Fernando Lamas

User reviews15

Review

Featured review

6/10

Apart from the nice Technicolor, the 1934 version is better...

The fictional nation of Marshovia is facing bankruptcy. So, to try to improve their finances, they invite a widow (Lana Turner) to their nation in order to give her deceased husband a statue...and try to marry her off to the handsome Count Danillo (Fernando Lamas). When she learns of the scheme, the widow is naturally angry and leaves Marshovia...and the Count soon follows her to Paris. Can the scheme STILL work in spite of all this?

The 1934 version of "The Merry Widow" was a marvelous old film for several important reasons. The Franz Lehár operetta (based on Henri Meilhac's play) was given the special Ernst Lubitsch touch and it happened to star one of the most charming actors of its day, Maurice Chevalier. But, when MGM wanted to remake the film in 1952, it lacked this same marvelous direction and starred the handsome but much blander Fernando Lamas. Apart from the nice Technicolor, it really is inferior to the earlier version...though it still is watchable and pleasant...but nothing more.