New Moon (1940)

Director:

Robert Z. Leonard

Writers:

Robert Arthur (screenplay)
Jacques Deval (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 July 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Romance | Adventure

Tagline:

THEIR GREATEST TRIUMPH! YOUR GREATEST MUSICAL THRILL!

Plot:

Marianne de Beaumaniour is on her way to New Orleans from Paris to inspect the plantation she inherited from her uncle...

Plot Keywords:

Deceit | Escape | Ship Wreck | Duke | Love

Cast

Jeanette MacDonald	...	Marianne de Beaumanoir
Nelson Eddy	...	Charles (Henri), Duc de Villiers
Mary Boland	...	Valerie de Rossac
George Zucco	...	Vicomte Ribaud
H.B. Warner	...	Father Michel
Grant Mitchell	...	Governor of New Orleans
Stanley Fields	...	Tambour
Dick Purcell	...	Alexander
John Miljan	...	Pierre Brugnon
Ivan F. Simpson	...	Guizot
William Tannen	...	Pierre
Bunty Cutler	...	Julie
Claude King	...	Monsieur Dubois
Cecil Cunningham	...	Governor's Wife
Joe Yule	...	Maurice

Also Known As:

Lover Come Back

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

New Moon opened at the Imperial Theatre on September 19, 1928 and ran for 509 performances.

Quotes:

[stranded on a desert island]
Marianne de Beaumanoir: Shall I cook, or do you prefer I milk a goat?
Charles Duc de Villiers: Try cooking! Men are more lenient than goats.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Flawless (1999)

Soundtrack:

SHOES

creaky curio

One of the more risible romantic musicals, this effort teamed Nelson Eddy and Jeanette Macdonald for the fifth time and gave them the creaky score by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II to sing. The good news is that this included songs such as ‘Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise', and ‘Lover, Come Back To Me', and the overblown 'Stout Hearted Men'. The bad news is that the story is absolute rubbish – Jeanette is a singer captured by mutineers (yes, Nelson as the ringleader and not exactly convincing), forced to settle with the other passengers and crew on a distant island.

Departing somewhat from the original stage production in its story, ‘New Moon' is not quite camp enough to compare with the best of the Singing Sweethearts classics. Both of them too are looking their age and beginning to tire in their ever-innocent personas. However, they are in good voice, and this film is bearable if you are looking for undemanding musical fare.