When a royal princess is betrothed to a dispassionate prince, she reminds the kingdom that she's far more eligible than he is. To make him a more desirable catch and to ensure that she does decide to marry him, the royal advisors send the prince to a university so he can learn to be more human. Such is the story of The Student Prince, a delightful operetta by Sigmund Romberg and Dorothy Donnelly.
Mario Lanza was originally cast in the title role, but a disagreement led to his being fired from the studio after he'd recorded all the songs. MGM decided to keep their goldmine and use his singing voice in the film anyway, so he gets the "and" in the opening credits. Edmund Purdom says the spoken lines and gives the audience a visual, but every time he sings and Mario's voice comes out, it's a little jarring.
Ann Blyth is the leading lady, a beautiful barmaid at the university who helps Edmund discover his heart. The non-singing supporting cast of Edmund Gwenn, S.Z. Sakall, and Louis Calhern, are equally delightful, with quick banter firing off in every scene, and enough jokes to make audiences alongside their beers as they toast along with the famous "Drinking Song." All in all, this is a very cute musical, so if you like the genre and haven't seen it yet, rent it and make sure you have plenty of alcohol on hand.
Mario Lanza was originally cast in the title role, but a disagreement led to his being fired from the studio after he'd recorded all the songs. MGM decided to keep their goldmine and use his singing voice in the film anyway, so he gets the "and" in the opening credits. Edmund Purdom says the spoken lines and gives the audience a visual, but every time he sings and Mario's voice comes out, it's a little jarring.
Ann Blyth is the leading lady, a beautiful barmaid at the university who helps Edmund discover his heart. The non-singing supporting cast of Edmund Gwenn, S.Z. Sakall, and Louis Calhern, are equally delightful, with quick banter firing off in every scene, and enough jokes to make audiences alongside their beers as they toast along with the famous "Drinking Song." All in all, this is a very cute musical, so if you like the genre and haven't seen it yet, rent it and make sure you have plenty of alcohol on hand.