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      The Merry Widow

      Released Sep 5, 1952 1 hr. 45 min. Musical Comedy List
      Reviews 56% 100+ Ratings Audience Score The nation of Marshovia finds itself in dire financial straits, so when wealthy widow Crystal Radek (Lana Turner) comes to visit, the King of Marshovia (Thomas Gomez) convinces dapper Count Danilo (Fernando Lamas) to win her heart and marry her, thus making sure that her fortune will continue to bolster the tiny country's ailing economy. It's a fine plan. The only problem is that Crystal seems to be the only woman alive capable of resisting the count's considerable charms. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Tedious Technicolor remake of the old chestnut; the waltz is a letdown, but Gwen Verdon has a nice (unbilled) can-can dance number. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Good but lacking ... Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member one of the best old musicals Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member A good remake from the original. Lana Turner and Fernando Lamas both are very good in this movie and look great!!! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member That man, the one who was singing. What's his name? <p> All righty, friends, I think almost all of us would agree that musicals are a bit removed from the "real" world. Because lots of us understand this, we venture wisely in to the experience of a musical ready to deploy a healthy dose of the good old willing suspension of disbelief. And if we play our part this way, we manage, with a good musical, to get caught up in the possibility that we are watching a "real" event, despite the fact that the cast may break into song and even into dance. <p> So when we're playing our part, the last thing we need are what I will call "meta" musical lines of dialog, such as the lines I've quoted above. The conscious pointing out of the fact that people are singing and/or dancing tends to break the illusion in which we're participating. Agreed? I mean, would it have changed much to have Lana Turner simply say: "That man. What's his name?" <p> Anywho, this is not what I would call a top drawer favorite musical of mine, but it is a musical nonetheless, and for that alone: plus one star. The music is mostly beautiful music: plus one star. We get Lana Turner, and lots of her, if you know what I mean : ) Plus one star. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0580916/"> Una Merkel</a> always makes me smile, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0370821/">Richard Haydn</a> is his usual idiosyncratically brilliant self: plus 1/2 star each. <p> So that's four stars so far. <p> Ah, hmmmmm, I wonder who decided to cast Fernando Lamas in this one. Yikes! Minus one star for that brilliant idea. He is not so good normally, but singing? Auwe . . . . <p> Total: three stars. For me that means average, and this is definitely a wee cut above average. So because of <b>all</b> that great Lana Turner exposure, plus 1/2 star more : ) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Merry Widow

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis The nation of Marshovia finds itself in dire financial straits, so when wealthy widow Crystal Radek (Lana Turner) comes to visit, the King of Marshovia (Thomas Gomez) convinces dapper Count Danilo (Fernando Lamas) to win her heart and marry her, thus making sure that her fortune will continue to bolster the tiny country's ailing economy. It's a fine plan. The only problem is that Crystal seems to be the only woman alive capable of resisting the count's considerable charms.
      Director
      Curtis Bernhardt
      Screenwriter
      Sonya Levien, William Ludwig
      Distributor
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Production Co
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Genre
      Musical, Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Sep 5, 1952, Original