On Frank Morgan’s birthday (June 1), TCM showed Cat and the Fiddle with Jeanette MacDonald and Ramon Novarro. I saved it for today to watch for Jeanette MacDonald‘s birthday, and boy am I glad I did. I am not an opera fan and but I like musicals. This film was great. The title is a name of the opera that Ramon writes. I have seen a few films with Jeanette MacDonald. She has a great voice, timing and film presence but I don’t think she has a sense of humor. That she takes life very seriously and does not have a lot of fun. I was not impressed with the first film I saw of Ramon Navarro (The Student Prince of Heidelberg) but every film I have seen of him since has been fantastic.
Ramon plays a composer/pianist/singer in Brussels. He plays for his dinner, but the dinner did not include wine. He won’t pay for the wine stating it is an even trade. He leaves the restaurant and in the street he leads a marching band in a fast paced run. When he gets away he goes into a taxi, already occupied by Jeanette. She moves into a building next to him, their windows face each other. When he sees and hears her play he climbs the outside of the building in her room. She is also a composer/pianist/singer. He rewrites some of her music and she is not happy about that. He kisses her. She pushes him away and slaps him. He holds out his arms and says “Darling”. He has to leave and Jeanette all but pushes him out the door.
On the way to his audition for a music/operatic producer (Frank Morgan) he interrupts a funeral procession. A man comes up to him to ask him to move and talks and talks. “what were we talking about, my late uncle. I became rich in a single stroke. My uncle had the stroke 2 days ago.”
Frank listens to Ramon play and agrees to produce his opera. Jeanette comes to play for the professor who is sponsoring Ramon with Frank. She stands on a chair looking through the window when Ramon is playing with a group of musicians. The professor opens the door. The others grab the chair, leave and Jeanette is left to hang off the door frame. Frank helps her down and likes what he sees. She then plays with Frank watching her intently. The professor is not interested and leaves. Ramon tries to convince him to stay “you can’t leave. It will kill her”. “You can’t kill American’s” the professor states. The music stops. There is a slap and out comes Jeanette with Frank following behind her adjusting his collar.
Later that night it is raining and there are leaks in Jeanette’s apartment. Ramon comes in with his umbrella still up. He brings in bowls. “I lived in this room once.” He places the bowls underneath the dripping water. “I slept in your bed” he states as he looks at her (Jeanette has no reaction, nothing). She agrees to let him stay to look for more leaks he sings and plays a new arrangement of her music, which she likes, but asks him to leave. There is a roll of thunder and she jumps in his arms. He is still holding the umbrella and kisses her. “Live, love, laugh, sing, eat, starve” he says to her. There is a knock and a group of musicians come in to party.
Frank comes in then and then tells Jeanette that Ramon would leave her if he had a good opportunity on his opera. Frank offers Ramon an opera if he comes to Paris with him. He refuses, but Jeanette and Ramon both go to Paris. Her song with Ramon’s changes are printed. They share an apartment. He goes into her bedroom and sits on the bed when she is in her nightgown and no ring on her finger (1933 is when the film was made). He feels like a kept man and thinks about going back to Brussels to work on his music. Frank convinces Ramon that Jeanette is better off by his leaving her so she can focus on her career. He lies to Jeanette. He cries as he sings good bye. Jeanette runs after him, but he has already left.
Ramon stays in Paris and has his opera produced by someone else. The leading lady is interested in Ramon. She makes a play for him, which he refuses, but the husband who is a producer sees this and pulls his money and the leading lady from the role. Jeanette is going to marry Frank. When she is moving out of her apartment the day before her wedding which is the day of the premier of Ramon’s operetta, Ramon’s friend comes to talk with her. To convince her to play the role. She knows all the songs, but one, which she sings on the freight elevator. The elevator operator looks like Nelson Eddy, but I can’t be sure. Jeanette plays the role and Ramon is once again happy. He tries to convince her that he lied that he really does love her and that he was thinking of her when he said goodbye. During the finale it became Technicolor. They sing and when she looks offstage she sees Frank, Ramon pulls her back. Frank is handed his hat and cane and leaves.
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