ΤHE LOTTERY BRIDE

The Lottery Bride
Artcinema Associates / United Artists, 1930, B/W and Color, 65 minutes, **½
Released November, 1930

An enchanted operetta set in the remote Norwegian Alps, The Lottery Bride evokes the storybook romances of Ernst Lubitsch and Rouben Mamoulian. It weaves the tale of a young tavern hostess (Jeanette MacDonald) who finds herself torn between a young student (John Garrick), a dashing Italian aviator (Joseph Macaulay) and a rugged miner (Robert Chisholm).

Through these complicated romantic maneuverings are woven a series of lively songs by Rudolf Friml and J. Kiern Brennan, including the rhapsodic "My Northern Lights." Spectacular visual effects devised by William Cameron Menzies (including a zeppelin crash in the arctic wasteland) and splashes of comedy by Joe E. Brown and Zasu Pitts help make The Lottery Bride a deliriously far-fetched melodrama that could only have emerged from the fearless early years of the Hollywood musical.
The original print was approximately 80 minutes in length, and the ending with the Northern Lights was in two-strip Technicolor. The print used to make this DVD was a 35mm print from the estate of Joseph M. Schenck, and is a trimmed version of about 65 minutes with no color. Among the missing scenes is the musical number "Two Strong Men." The picture quality is good.

All things considered, this is an enjoyable film. The acting is in the style of the silent era (exaggerated gestures and movements, irregular pauses in the dialogue, etc.), as was typical of many of the early talkies. The "spectacular" special effects are all quite good, thought the zeppelin crash is not very impressive. But the sets, models and mattes are great. And the music is quite good (as one would expect from Friml and Brennan); the singing is excellent. Even so, this has to be Jeanette MacDonald's weakest film.
Joseph M. Schenck Presents
An Arthur Hammerstein Operetta
Producer: Arthur Hammerstein
Directed by: Paul L. Stein
Assistant Directors: Lonnie D'Orsa, Walter Mayo
Original Story by: Henry Stothart ("Bride 66")
Continuity and Dialogue: Howard Emmett Rogers
Adaptation: Horace Jackson
Music by: Rudolf Friml
Lyrics: J. Keirn Brennan
Musical Arrangement: Hugo Riesenfeld
Settings and Effects: William Cameron Menzies
Production Manager: O. O. Dull
Sets Executed by: Park French
Costumes: Alice O'Neil
Chief Sound Recorder: J. T. Reed
Sound Technician: Frank Maher
Photography: Ray June
Editorial Adviser: Hal C. Kern
Film Editor: Robert J. Kern

Cast: Jeanette MacDonald [Jenny], John Garrick [Chris], Joe E. Brown [Hoke], ZaSu Pitts [Hilda], Robert Chisholm [Olaf], Joseph Macaulay [Alberto], Harry Gribbon [Boris], Carroll Nye [Nels], Additional Cast: Max Davidson [Marriage Broker], Frank Brownlee [Guard], Paul Hurst [Lottery Agent], Robert E. Homans [Miner]

Musical Program: [0:00] Main Title (played by Orchestra behind titles); [0:01] Come Drink to the Girl that You Love (Drinking Song) (sung by Chorus); [0:03] Yubla (sung and danced by Jeanette MacDonald and Chorus); [0:07] My Northern Light (sung by John Garrick and Jeanette MacDonald); [0:11] My Northern Light (reprised by John Garrick and Jeanette MacDonald); [0:14] Marathon Dance (danced by guests); [0:23] Round She Whirls (short ditty sung by Chorus as lottery wheel spins); [0:28] Round She Whirls (reprised by Chorus); [0:30] Shoulder to Shoulder (sung by Robert Chisholm, John Garrick and Chorus); [0:39] High and Low (sung by Chorus); [0:43] Napoli (excerpt sung by Joseph Macauley); [0:47] You're an Angel (sung by Robert Chisholm); [0:51] dialogue on end of previous song by John Garrick; [0:53] High and Low (reprised by Chorus); [0:55] I'll Follow the Trail (sung by Robert Chisholm); [not in this print] Two Strong Men (sung by Harry Gribbon and Joe E. Brown)