Based upon Victor Herbert's most famous operetta, which tells the story of a French princess(Maria), disguised as her maid(Marietta) for the purpose of escaping an imminent marriage arranged by her uncle, to dowdy Spanish nobleman Don Carlos, boarding a ship filled with French women, as potential wives for the colonials in and around New Orleans. She, however, falls in love with the leader(Captain Warrington) of a band of American frontiersmen, who have been hired by the governor to protect them from hostile Indians and pirates, and who rescue the women from a band of pirates, who captured the ship, and killed all the crew. In addition, she's not impressed with the quality of the colonists as potential husbands. Thus, she feigns being of disputable moral history, in order to dissuade marriage proposals by colonials. Supposedly, only casquette girls were brought on this ship. In contrast to most women sent as potential wives, because of their status as 'undesirables', casquette girls; mostly poor orphans, care for by church-supported charitable organizations, such as orphanages and convents, were often sought by the more discriminating colonials, because most were virgins. Thus, for Maria to admit that she was not a legitimate casquette girl was shocking.The screenplay simplifies Herbert's more complex plot, which includes the son of the governor of Louisiana, also being an infamous pirate leader, and with the ambition of making Louisiana an independent nation, with himself as king. He competes with Captain Warrington for Maria, who vacillates between the two. In this film, the arrival of Don Carlos and her uncle(as her dictatorial guardian) in New Orleans provides the equivalent conflict.In this initial pairing of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy as the singing leads, many of Herbert's songs are retained, often with additional lyrics by Gus Kahn. While still in France, Jeanette displays her pipes with "Chansonette", with chorus. As the ship is being prepared to sail, Charles Bruins, along with a chorus, sing "Antoinette and Anatole", which apparently is immediately followed by "Live for Today"(lyrics indistinct to me), by Jeanette and chorus, as the ship sets sail....As the ship nears the Louisiana shore, Eddy leads his men in "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp", as his frontiersmen make their way through the forest, presumably looking for trouble, which they find in the form of the pirates plus women. After the pirates are run off, the women's virtue intact, Eddy leads his men in "The Owl and the Polecat", to pass the time.Although Marie claims she's just a poor milkmaid, the (rather unlikely) aristocratic Warrington soon points out several reasons to doubt her claim, probably suspecting her of being a runaway from an affluent family. He soon sings the romantic "Neath the Southern Moon", to impress her with his singing talent. However, she is put off by his negative remarks relating to the desirability of marriage, in general. Thus, their relationship vacillates throughout the film. Yes, "Love is Like a Firefly", as Jeanette sings in a later film. Some humor is supplied in the exchanges between Eddy's and Jeanette's characters, as he continues to pursue an interest in her, and she continues to be put off by his negative comments about the desirability of marriage. Later, after Marie has been assigned to work for the Italian puppeteer Rudolpho, this Italian family initiates the familiar "Italian Street Song", which Eddy picks up on, then challenges Marie to sing it at well as Rudolpho's daughter. He's astonished that she sings it even better. Later, Marie takes part as the face and voice of a puppet, in a puppet show, as they sing "Ship Ahoy". Later, Eddy convinces Marie to take a ride in a row boat with him, as he again questions her who she really is. she responds "just someone". Eddy then sings "I'm Falling in Love with Someone".Unfortunately for the pair, Maria's uncle soon learned from Marietta where Maria had gone, and commissioned a ship to take him and jilted groom Don Carlos to New Orleans. They now arrive. Uncle is very angry and very insistent that she must marry Don Carlos, as he had promised the king of France. She reluctantly agrees to accompany them back to France, while hoping there will be some opportunity to escape with Captain Warrington. As she prepares her things to board the ship, she sings the well-remembered "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life", the melody of which had been swimming in her head since before she left France. Eddy then picks it up as a solo, followed by their duet. A plan by Warrington to foil the enforced departure of Marie works, and the film ends with a brief reprise of "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp", which gradually transforms into a reprise of "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life" by the duo, as they disappear into the surrounding wilderness, accompanied by some of Warrington's men.Frank Morgan injects some light humor here and there, as the frequently befuddled Governor of Louisiana, always getting in trouble with his wife for his wandering eye, which includes Jeanette. Thus, he tries to side with Eddy in trying to prevent her removal back to France. Of course, he would gain his greatest fame as the wizard of Oz, in the '39 classic. According to Wikipedia, in the original operetta, this tale takes place in 1780. Yet, a decree by King Louis XV, who died in 1774, is shown in one film scene. Furthermore, the presence of French troops is mentioned. Presumably, the story in this film takes place before the transfer of Louisiana from French to Spanish administration, in the 1760s!As with nearly all the Eddy-MacDonald films, shot in B&W. If you must have color and can't tolerate classic operetta singing, better skip this one. Along with the very similar "New Moon", this is my favorite of the JN & NE films I have seen. Presently available as a made-on-demand DVD.

Popular music changes from one era to another. Opera and operetta were the principle forms of popular music in the first decade of the 20th Century, although there were popular tunes (like "After the Ball Was Over" or "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now") that people would sing. The leading operetta composer in America was Victor Herbert (his closest competitors were "March King" John Philip Sousa, Leo Fall, and Reginald De Koven). Of that group Herbert and Sousa survive to this day, though Herbert's music is usually for concerts (Sousa survives because of his excellent marches). De Koven is recalled only for his greatest operetta, ROBIN HOOD (wherein he has the tune "OH PROMISE ME!")and Fall did some once favorite musicals like THE DOLLAR PRINCESS and THE PRINCE OF PILSEN. Later Rudolf Friml and Sigmund Romberg would join this group. Noteworthy for being available but ignored was the one African-American composer of opera at the time (but only once), Scott Joplin.By 1935 the popularity of opera and operetta were somewhat on the wane. Popular music (especially tunes from Broadway) were more likely to be heard on radios or on phonographs. Hollywood was also pushing it's own successful music, such as tunes by Harold Arlen at Warner Brothers. Despite it's relative decline operetta still had it's aficionados. In Hollywood Laurel & Hardy did a series of film musicals based on operettas (BABES IN TOYLAND - another Herbert score - and THE BOHEMIAN GIRL, as well as the opera FRA DIAVALO). More important was film studio head Louis B. Meyer, who really liked the operettas of Herbert.In 1935 Meyer heard that his rivals at Paramount were losing their resident songbird Jeanette MacDonald. She had made several successful films (including LOVE ME TONIGHT) with Maurice Chevalier. It was her third of four films with Chevalier, and they would make one other film together afterward (THE MERRY WIDOW - based on Franz Lehar's Austrian operetta). But MacDonald and Chevalier disliked each other: Chevalier had been rebuffed by her early on when he tried to get her sexual interest (he pinched her behind), and later he felt she was a hypocrite about her high moral standards (she was having an open affair with her future husband Gene Raymond). It's incredible that their four musicals retain their popularity to this day (and that many critics feel they were more effective as a pair than she was with Nelson Eddy).After THE MERRY WIDOW, MGM put MacDonald in THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE with Ramon Navarro (with a score, including "SHE DIDN'T SAY YES", by Jerome Kern). Although the film did well it was not a world record shaker. Meyer (who, it subsequently turned out, had a personal interest in MacDonald that mirrored what Chevalier had originally wanted) pushed her into NAUGHTY MARIETTA with Nelson Eddy. And the result was musical film history.NAUGHTY MARIETTA is a costume piece, which seems like some versions of the novel (later opera) MANON LESCAUT by Abbe Prevost. Fortunately it is not as deadly serious. Like that novel, the hero and heroine meet in 18th Century France, and end up in the wilds of the French North American colony of Louisiana. But whereas Manon and her lover are buffeted by fortune to a tragic ending, Marietta and Warrington (Jeanette and Nelson) are able to succeed in coming together at the end and surviving. She is an aristocrat whose debt ridden uncle/guardian (Douglas Dumbrille, of course) is trying to get her to marry a boring Spaniard grandee (Walter Kingsford) for his money. The King of France favors the marriage for diplomatic reasons. Jeanette flees to Louisiana as an indentured servant, and the ship is seized by pirates. But subsequently they are rescued by Eddy and his men.What follows is the normal slow break-down plot between Nelson and Jeanette. He is attracted to her and vice versa, but he is too cocky, and she is not a pushover. What slowly cements the relationship is their singing, and the numbers (including Herbert's "Italian Street Song" and ending most memorably with "Sweet Mystery of Life") makes their love's success inevitable. Eddy is not a stiff tree - his acting was not of the calibers of say Paul Muni's or James Cagney's, but he obviously never took himself seriously and enjoyed playing with Jeanette (a feeling that was reciprocated: they became very close friends). Take a look at how he is surprised at her singing. Jeanette had her voice trained (Nelson does not know this) and he starts saying, "But the tones you get out of your throat" with total surprise. He can act if you watch that early sequence.The supporting cast, including Frank Morgan as the bumbling governor (but good friend of Eddy and MacDonald - look at how he shows his resentment to Dumbrille when the latter shows up), Elsa Lanchester as his wife, Akim Tamiroff as an early type of entertainment entrepreneur, and Harold Huber and Edward Brophy as Eddy's chief assistants are uniformly good. NAUGHTY MARIETTA remains, despite the decline of operetta as a well loved area of music, a wonderful film of the golden age of Hollywood.

This was a great movie. I do love operettas, and "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life," is a beautiful song. But I did not enjoy watching Nelson Eddy's wooden acting. His singing voice is good, but not spectacular, and it gets a little annoying watching his constant woodenness. Still, the musical score was spectacular. I have always loved the works of Victor Herbert. It is also very interesting to see a pre-Oz Frank Morgan, and pre-Andy Hardy Cecilia Parker, and also Elsa Lanchester, the same year she appeared as the "Bride." Jeanette McDonald's singing is at her best. This was overall a good movie, but I wish that they could have gotten someone different than Nelson Eddy.

"Naughty Marietta" is acknowledged to be the initial memorable pairing of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald in the still popular field of operetta and light opera.The terrible oppression of the Depression decade was relieved by the happy smiling Shirley Temple, the Dick Powell/Busby Berkeley musicals, and the screwball comedies of Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, William Powell, Rosalind Russell, Carole Lombard, et al.But the happy pairing of Nelson and Jeanette with their glorious duets and individual performances of the music of Victor Herbert, Rudolph Friml and Sigmund Romberg appealed to the many who found much solace in the sound of two balanced voices joined in melodic songs. Jeanette MacDonald had already made many musicals with Maurice Chevalier and Ramon Navarro but the music of Victor Herbert seemed to afford the opportunity for her to display her particular talents to advantage.While still a princess in Europe, she has a chance to sing the lilting "Chansonette". And as the boat leaves France for the new world, "Prayer" includes strains of the popular "Yesterthoughts". In the new world, Nelson Eddy has an opportunity to introduce himself with the famous "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp" rouser. Later, around the campfire, he does a marvelous job with "The Owl and the Polecat". Two lovely ballads that Victor Herbert provided are also included. " 'Neath the Southern Moon" and "I'm Falling in Love With Someone". Jeanette also has an opportunity to shine with the "Italian Street Song".But, of course, the song that everyone remembers is "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life" which develops over the life of the picture from the beginning scenes with Jeanette's teacher in Paris to the final scenes in the New World when it becomes a soaring duet.If operetta or light opera music is not your cup of tea, this movie may not have much appeal for you. Admittedly, this is the music of a century ago. But there are many movie viewers who do savor this type of music and for them, "Naughty Marietta" is a real treat. It even has delightful moments of comedy with Frank Morgan,Elsa Lanchester and Edward Brophy.Both for insight into film history, music history and just plain entertainment, this movie is an enjoyable diversion. An hour and a half or so in today's busy world is not too much to expend for a bit of nostalgia. If you do discover a 'new world' , there are many other treats awaiting you. "Naughty Marietta" was only the first in a long series of films such as Rose Marie"; "New Moon" "Maytime"; "Girl of the Golden West"; etc.