The Merry Widow (1952 film)

The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
Directed by	Curtis Bernhardt
Written by	Franz Lehár (operetta); Victor Léon (libretto); Leo Stein (libretto); Sonya Levien; William Ludwig
Produced by	Joe Pasternak
Starring	Lana Turner; Fernando Lamas
Cinematography	Robert Surtees
Edited by	Conrad A. Nervig
Music by	Jay Blackton (uncredited)
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	September 5, 1952
Running time	105 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$2,417,000
Box office	$4,500,000

The Merry Widow is a 1952 film adaptation of the operetta of the same name by Franz Lehár. It starred Lana Turner (singing voice was dubbed by Trudy Erwin) and Fernando Lamas.

The film received two Oscar nominations: for Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Color (Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse, Edwin B. Willis, Arthur Krams) and Best Costume Design, Color.^[3]

Synopsis

The young widow Crystal Radek is invited to Marshovia, a small European kingdom, to attend the unveiling of a statue in honour of her deceased husband. The royal coffers are seriously in need of her money so the king sends out count Danilo to seduce her.

Cast

Lana Turner as Crystal Radek
Fernando Lamas as Count Danilo
Una Merkel as Kitty Riley. Merkel played Queen Dolores in the 1934 film version.
Richard Haydn as Baron Popoff
Thomas Gomez as the King of Marshovia
John Abbott as the Marshovian ambassador
Marcel Dalio as the police sergeant
Lisa Ferraday as Marcella

Reception

According to MGM records, the film made $2,232,000 in the US and Canada and $2,268,000 overseas resulting in a profit of $27,000.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ See also 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954 and 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953
^ "NY Times: The Merry Widow". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-21.

External links

The Merry Widow at IMDb
The Merry Widow at AllMovie

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[Mannix-1] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[2] See also 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954 and 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953

[NY_Times-3] "NY Times: The Merry Widow". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-21.

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v t e Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow (1905)
Films	The Merry Widow (1918 silent Hungarian) The Merry Widow (1925 silent) The Merry Widow (1934) The Merry Widow (1952) The Merry Widow (1962 German)
Other	The Merry Widow (ballet) The Merry Widow discography