Café Metropole (1937)

Having embezzled money from the night club he manages, Adolph Menjou must now replace the money before the auditors arrive or face prison. He sees the opportunity with handsome Tyrone Power, a broke American whom he makes pose as a Russian prince in order to bilk American millionaires Charles Winninger, Loretta Young, and Helen Westley. However, the real Russian prince he has Power impersonating is there, under the guise of one of his own waiters (Gregory Ratoff). Related to the czars of Russia 25 times (5 times illegitimately), Ratoff is indignant over the use of Power with his identity. When asked by Winninger if Ratoff is a real Russian, Menjou says he is. Winninger's feisty sister, Westley, retorts, "Then how come he isn't driving a cab?" That's the type of humor to expect from this very enjoyable non-sensical screwball comedy the year of "The Awful Truth", "Topper" and "Nothing Sacred" (all-time classics), as well as duds like "True Confession" and "Double Wedding". "Cafe Metropole" falls closer to the classic mark. Looking at Tyrone Power and Loretta Young (here before she became Attila the Nun), it's impossible not to see why they were a popular screen couple. William Powell and Myrna Loy were sophisticated and witty, but Power and Young are downright beautiful to look at together. You can't help but wonder what their children would look like. Young is great when she's sinning a little; A few years down the road, she'd be a lot more difficult to watch. Power always remained easy on the eye, even if by the mid 40's he looked like a man-boy that resented his own prettiness and yet unable to face the on-coming middle age.There's also some rather humorous gay moments, particularly with an obviously gay hat seller who sells Power his own hat, and is then told by Power to throw the other one out. Adolph Menjou makes a wonderful scoundrel. You want to see him get his come-uppance, even if it's just the leads conning him on his own con. Winninger and Westley, as usual, are great scene-stealers. Westley gets the last word, and is so amusing. What would we do without those salty character people like Jessie Ralph, May Robson, Marie Dressler, Alison Skipworth and Ms. Westley? They are like the grandmothers we'd love to have---filled with both love and discipline, yet bubbling with an earthiness that makes us want to see them a bit under the influence to reveal what they are really like. Predictable, but lots of fun!

This is a harmless though brainless film. However, due to the many logical errors in the film, I can't recommend it as anything other than a time-passer--and only if you can manage to turn off your brain for a while while you watch. Otherwise, what happens in the last portion of the film might make you either throw something at the TV or curse yourself for investing this much time in a dopey film. Now I know that there are many Loretta Young and probably more Tyrone Power fans out there and I don't mean to offend them. Heck, I usually love these actors, too, but I also can't lie and say it's one of their better films.The film starts off well enough and I really liked the first half. Adolph Menjou is the co-owner of this restaurant but he needs to pay off a "loan" FAST or lost his restaurant. So, on a lark, he gambles and actually earns enough to pay off the money he lent himself (illegally) and save his butt. However, it turns out that the young guy (Tyrone Power) who he won the money from is broke. Instead of sending Power to jail for writing a bad check to cover his losses, Menjou decides to force Power into becoming his slave. And, as his slave, he has Power pose as a Russian prince so they can both bilk a rich young lady (Young) of the money to save the restaurant. So far so good.Now the fact that Power didn't do so well with impersonating a Russian wasn't a problem--after all, he wasn't supposed to be perfect and she was supposed to eventually figure out that he was a phony. However, and here's where the film gets dumb, although she knows he's a criminal, she falls in love with him(????) and insists she must marry him. Now we could assume that either Miss Young's character is schizophrenic or suffered a massive brain injury, but when her aunt agrees with her and they work hard to get Power (even after he's robbed them), this strains common sense way beyond the breaking point. She barely knew the guy and most of what she knew about him was terrible---yet she insisted on marrying him and having everyone live happily ever after. And on top of this, Ms. Young yells and bellows and over-emotes like mad when she argues with her father about this. Oh, brother, give me a barf bag!! The only reason I even gave the film a score this high is that despite being brainless, the film had some nice moments and the actors seemed to try hard with material that was simply beneath them. Also, the film deserves no better than a 4 because some excellent dance scenes with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson were in the film but they were cut before it was released!! Fortunately, they are included on the new DVD version of this film. You'll find the first one simply brilliant--and probably better than anything Fred Astaire ever did. The second cut scene is less brilliant and rather politically incorrect, but it's still a shame it was eliminated.

A broke American is forced to pose as a Russian prince in order to pay a gambling debt in "Cafe Metropole," a film written by the multi-talented Gregory Ratoff, who also plays a role in the movie. This is a funny, light, romantic comedy where the best scenes are saved for the character actors Charles Winninger and Helen Westley, who have great banter. Menjou is a duplicitous restaurateur who blackmails Tyrone Power into going along with his scheme; Loretta Young, romanced by Power, is the beautiful daughter of Charles Winninger.If you're a shallow person, this is the movie for you because it's Eye Candy City. Power and Young, two people very, very high on any "most beautiful" list, are so ethereally, incalculably gorgeous that it's hard to listen to a word they're saying while they're on screen. And Young's fashions are divine '30s couturier. This is one of Power's very early films; he was only 22 when it was made, and though only a year older than he was, Young had been around since silent film days. For me, Power's looks reached their full dazzle about two to three years later but if you only saw him in Cafe Metropole, you'd have a hard time believing there could be any improvement in that face. And in a tuxedo for so much of the movie. Almost too much of a good thing.Anyway, if you can concentrate, Cafe Metropole is a delightful film.As a bit of trivia, Power and Young made several films together in Power's early days at Fox. They remained friends, and in 1958, Young showed up for Power's funeral straight from filming her TV show, decked out and unrecognizable in Oriental garb and makeup to match. In the late '70s, she was photographed with Power's son, Ty, Jr., and you would swear you'd gone back in time. His resemblance to his father was so striking, and she was still so very beautiful.

The character players are the best here. Adolph Menjou was generally reliable and here he is plausible as a shady restaurateur. Charles Winninger and Helen Westley are somewhat amusing as Americans. (This takes place in Paris.) Gregory Ratoff is less interesting. He was Russian but if his Russian dialogue is legitimate, I must have misheard my Russian grandparents and wasted four years in Russian class at an Ivy league school. (And both are possible. The point is, he is not well directed.) Tyrone Power seems uncomfortable as the male lead. Loretta Young's character is written well. It is probably the most complex in the movie. And she was almost always good.Somehow she doesn't seem to have filmed well, albeit often in soft focus. She was one of the greatest beauties in Hollywood history and had a long, illustrious career. Here, though, her overbite is very noticeable and she seems unnecessarily thin.Nothing about the movie is offensive but it never really convinces.