MGM bought a seventeen song musical comedy, threw out thirteen songs ("It Ain't Etiquette", "Well, Did You Evah", and "But In The Morning, No" can still be heard as backg round music) and had five studio composers take care of the rest of the score ("Salome" is their best contribution).The plot--Film takes place in a nightclub. Louis (Skelton) is in love with May (Lucille Ball). After he accidentally drinks a Mickey, he dreams he's back in 1743 France, where he is Louis XV, and May is Madame DuBarry.To me, Skelton is unbearable when he plays stupid; here, he takes forever to get the idea he's back in France, and tramples jokes into the ground. I don't know if that's his fault or the fault of director Del Ruth.Ball is good as May/Madame DuBarry. She saves the second half of the film with her comedy skills where she makes a fool out of Louis XV. She is dubbed for most of her songs, but her real voice can be heard in the song "Friendship".Gene Kelly is good as Alec/The Black Arrow. He has the best song ("Do I Love You") and an excellent dance number on the nightclub stage.Virginia O'Brien makes "Salome" a memorable song. Look for Marilyn Maxwell in a bit , and Lana Turner in an uncredited bit.

Absolutely LOVE this movie!!!They definitely don't make wonderful movies like DuBarry anymore. So creative. Lucille Ball so young and beautiful! I could watch this movie every day! Red Skelton whom I loved as a child. Virginia O' Brien is funny and beautiful as well. Bears a striking resemblance to Heddy Lamar. Great acting throughout. This movie is fantastic. Why is it just showing up? So many wonderful movies I'm just discovering,!

It's a glossy MGM Technicolor dream and one critic admitted that might be the best part of it. A curiously bland musical with a sterling cast and a surprisingly tiresome Zero Mostel as the "Swami"(?) The Du Barry opening number is a beauty with Miss Ball wearing a gorgeously stunning costume gown, but the song is quite unmemorable and is only there to support the fantasy sequence later. They replaced half the Broadway Songbook of Cole Porter with fluff and toned down both the story and the cast. Lucile Ball is not a true redhead and it's dyed so bright it would make "Rudolph" wince! Everybody's songs are dubbed. Several highlights make it worthwhile: Tommy Dorsey and several famous singing groups give great performances on an oversized nightclub stage the size of a football field, as in "White Christmas". The Esquire Magazine calendar girl number is a knockout pinup piece with another forgettable non-Cole Porter tune. The 40 minute "Mickey Finn" fantasy with Red as Louis 15th is fun, but in order to see it, you have to sit through the rest of the movie (Alas, this was before discs.) Red Skelton is in fine form and Miss Ball never looked lovelier. Gene Kelley seems to be best on stage and but not worthwhile swashbuckling around! The studio's "French" segments are gloriously staged. Finally, a finish with a Cole Porter classic song. You will agree with me that the whole thing should have been better!

Most people who know of Lucille Ball's career arc are aware that this was one of her higher-profile films, with a large budget, vibrant color, and A-list co-stars. What could go wrong? Well, nothing at the time. But with the passage of time the movie has gotten a bit stale, and drags in several parts. Ball's materialistic character is not very likable from the start, and she's introduced in a ghastly musical number with very conspicuously dubbed vocals. Couldn't they have found someone who's voice actually sounded like it could possibly be coming out of Lucille Ball? They should have cast Ethel Merman, who played May Daly on Broadway. After all, the character didn't HAVE to be drop dead gorgeous. But it does help explain why two men would continue to pursue such an obviously shallow diva, even if she can't really sing.The main event of this film is a dream sequence, but the setup to that point seems interminable! And all we have to keep us watching in between is one outstanding dance number by a game Gene Kelly and mildly witty banter between Red Skelton and an underused Virginia O'Brien. Skelton would be much better later in his career by toning down the Vaudevillesque physical comedy, which only appears more cloyingly corny with age. (Bert Lahr, who played the stage role was the same way.) There is also a musical interlude with three gentlemen who do vocal impressions that will definitely have you pushing the fast-forward button on your remote.If you have the patience, there are some enjoyable musical numbers and just a few genuine laughs to keep you amused. The funniest line by far in the film is delivered by uncredited old lady Clara Blandick (Auntie Em from "The Wizard of Oz") in one of the Cleanest Subway Cars Ever to be used as a movie setting. That says it all about the dialogue between the leads. (The reason being is the good stuff from the Broadway show was deemed too lewd for the film.) Obviously a lot went into the costumes and scenery for this film, and that alone makes it worth watching, as well as for the cast members who are always worth watching even if this isn't their best by any stretch.