Call Me Madam

"You are the most American American I have ever met."

"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

Sally Adams (Merman), a wealthy Washington socialite, is named the ambassador to Lichtenburg.  At the farewell party, she hires reporter Kenneth Gibson (O'Connor) as her assistant.  At the Lichtenburg embassy, they meet Pemberton Maxwell (De Wolf), who is the third member of their team and a stickler for the rules and protocol.

Lichtenburg is ruled by Grand Duke Otto (Stossel) and Grand Duchess Sophia (Skala), who are brokering a marriage between their niece Princess Maria (Ellen) and Prine Hugo (Dantine).  Their advisors see Sally as the answer to all their financial issues, and a ensure that the marriage takes place.  However, Kenneth falls for the Princess, who returns his affection.  Sally is wooed by General Cosmo Constantine (Sanders), who claims that he does not want any of her money.  Pemberton warns that it is all a political ploy.  Can Sally sort out the politics and romances so that everyone gets what they want?



In 1950, composer Irving Berlin teamed up with Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse for a musical based on Perle Mesta.  Mesta was a hostess and political fundraiser who was named as ambassador of Luxembourg 1949-1953 by Harry Truman.  They thought it would make a great show and envisioned Ethel Merman in the lead role.  The show was a hit and Merman remained the star for the show's entire Broadway run of 644 performances, from 1950-1952.

Merman is the perfect choice for this role.  She has excellent comedic timing, along with a boisterous personality that work well on stage, but sometimes feel a little too big for film.  I love Merman, but her voice is huge and can be overwhelming.

Donald O'Connor is an incredible dancer.  His "Make 'Em Laugh" scene from Singin' in the Rain is my favorite moment / song from the film.  In this film he gets another chance to have a big, iconic dance that steals the show (the song starts around the 1 minute mark, he starts dancing at 1:13)

His dancing is matched by Vera-Ellen, who is a beautiful and graceful dancer.  Her songs were dubbed by someone else, but her dancing is unparalleled.  O'Connor and Ellen are a great dancing match-up, with complimentary styles.  Unfortunately, this film is the only time they appear together. This is George Sanders only musical, but he holds his own.  The rest of the cast is good as well.

This isn't a great musical.  It is fun to watch, but none of the songs are particularly memorable.  "It's a Lovely Day Today" and "You're Just in Love" are good songs, but not as good as other Berlin songs.  It is ok, but probably better on stage or live.

Call Me Madam (1953) 114 minutes
Director: Walter Lang
Starring: Ethel Merman as Sally Adams
Donald O'Connor as Kenneth Gibson
Vera-Ellen as Princess Maria
George Sanders as General Cosmo Constantine
Billy De Wolf as Pemberton Maxwell
Helmut Dantine as Prince Hugo
Walter Slezak as August Tantinnin
Steven Geray as Prime Minister Sebastian
Ludwig Stossel as Grand Duke Otto
Lilia Skala as Grand Duchess Sophie