Borgarkeri A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

tavm After so many years of reading about this Irving Berlin musical, I finally watched Call Me Madam twice. The first time was just the movie, the second time was with great commentary by Miles Kreuger who usually stays silent for the great songs that come in play. Anyway, seeing Ethel Merman recreate her Broadway role is such a treat since it very rarely happened to her when she did movies. And the people she was paired with for this version-George Sanders as her leading man and Donald O'Connor as her assistant-are perfect with her especially the latter when they sing the counterpoint-duet, "You're Just in Love". Also great is Vera-Ellen whenever she and O'Connor dance up a storm. In fact, when I read they almost reteamed in White Christmas and Donald couldn't do it because of illness, I felt a little sad even though Danny Kaye wasn't a bad replacement in that one. Of those leads, only Vera-Ellen's singing voice is dubbed by one Carol Richards who I previously knew sang with Bing Crosby on "Silver Bells" and now, due to Kreuger, know dubbed Cyd Charisse in many of her M-G-M musicals. Despite that, it wasn't too noticeably different from her actual voice so it was all right and a good compliment to the others especially Sanders who warbles here for the only time on film. Oh, and there are quite a few good comedy set pieces like when Ms. Merman goes to meet the king and queen of the country she's visiting. Okay, while Call Me Madam isn't a perfect movie, it's a highly enjoyable one and kudos to director Walter Lang for putting this all together. So yes, that's a recommendation. P.S. In acknowledging people native to my birthtown of Chicago, Ill., I was pleasantly surprised to find out Mr. O'Connor was from there.

silverscreen888 "Call Me Madam" (1953) possesses perhaps the most complete list of attributes that most other musicals made since the early 1970s have completely lacked of any film ever made. Its protagonist is past 40 and not particularly attractive, female. gruff, tough-minded and smart. Her romantic opposite number in the film is foreign, classically-trained as a singer, anti-United States, honest, unpopular in his own country and a nobleman. The second leads are a comic dancer and a short, skinny blonde playing a member of a foreign royal family. Veteran Walter Lang used this material to fashion a well-directed film set in a Graustarkian nation all of whose leaders want U.S. aid from the new ambassador--except for one man, the man the heroine, the new U.S. ambassador, falls for. Arthus Sheekman deserves the credit for making of Russel Crouse's and Howard Lindsay's book of the stage hit of the same name, with music by Irving Berlin, the best of his musicals and a filmic delight. Solid Sol Siegel produced and Leon Shamroy supplied vivid cinematography for this ambitious work that goes indoors, outdoors, presents at night and by day and does all with seemingly effortless ease, by my standards. With art direction by Lyle Wheeler and John De Cuir, set decorations by dependable Walter Scott and a range of colorful costumes by Irene Sharaff the movie had to be beautiful, and it is. Add in musical work by Ken Darby with the singers, Earle Hagen as orchestrator and Robert Alton as choreographer, and interesting results should have been expected. Songs such as "You're Not Sick You're Just in Love", "It's a Lovely Day Today" a folkloric showstopper, "The Hostess With the Mostess" and a dance number that rivals Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers at their best for staging and the possibilities improve even more. But the film is also one that moves well, is pleasant, intriguing, and features a large number of locales, moods and scenes, tied to a running gag about the then new female ambassador's boss, Harry Truman, who appointed her and to whom she reports by phone. Something special with these elements mixed well was bound to happen. It happened I say because of Ethel merman's very professional approach and the great singing and acting of her award-level co-star, George Sanders as the honest official who woos her. Billy de Wolfe is Merman's insufferable underling, Donal O'Connor her protégé and Vera Ellen the royal with whom O'Connor falls in love. Helmut Dantine is powerful as O'Connor's rival, Walter Slezak and Steven Geray two bumbling comic ministers. Others in the large and talented cast includes Ludwig Stossel, Lilia Skala as his wife, capable Emory Parnell, Percy Helton and Charles Dingle as well as Oscar Beregi, Olan Soule and Nestor Paiva. For an adult viewer, one willing to forego Hollywood's usual musical clichés, this amiable and memorable entertainment--based loosely on the life of real-life hostess Perle Mesta--should work satisfactorily from brassy opening to intelligent conclusion. Not to be missed, if only for Sanders' musical numbers.

moonspinner55 Ethel Merman's overly-jovial, happily impersonal, maniacally spirited stage persona didn't always translate well to the silver screen (she was accused of projecting too big, as was Carol Channing). She certainly had some worthwhile movie opportunities however, this bright musical from Fox--modeled on the career of Perle Mesta--being one of them. Merman plays a Washington, D.C. hostess who is appointed U.S. Ambassador to Lichtenberg by her good friend Harry Truman, whom she telephones once in a while to check up on. Farcical, frantic and thoroughly insincere, the picture is still a marvel to behold as seen in unreal Technicolor (looking like 20 different flavors of Jell-O). Finger-snapping Merman is a hoot in her duet with lackey Donald O'Connor ("Your heart goes pitter-patter/I know just what's the matter..."), although Ethel never really adjoins herself to anybody else: she's intent on towing this ship fully on her own steam. It's a snug, entertaining concoction, though one which is apt to amusingly perplex and frazzle those unfamiliar with Merman's impertinent charm and gimme-some-elbow-room gusto. **1/2 from ****

funkyfry Let's talk about Broadway entertainment at its best. Let's talk about Ethel Merman. Let's talk about Irving Berlin. It's all one and the same. And pretty much all of it is here in this exceptional film version of Berlin's Broadway play "Call Me Madam" (the original play's book was written by Russell Crouse and Howard Lindsay). This is the best performance I've seen so far from Merman on film. It's not a groundbreaking film and it wasn't really a groundbreaking play either, but it is very true to the spirit and tone of the original play (whose original cast record I have listened to hundreds of times) and therefore provides the modern viewer with a window into the last days of the late lamented glory days of American musical comedy.The play's plot is thin and might seem outdated today because it refers to post-WWII Europe and U.S. loans for rebuilding war-torn countries. In that respect it's always reminded me of the Jack Arnold/Peter Sellars film "The Mouse that Roared". It focuses on the small fictional country of "Lichtenberg" and the chaos that ensues when socialite party-giver Sally Adams (Merman) is sent by Harry Truman (who she often engages in long-distance small-talk with) as an ambassador to that country. She falls hard for what seems to be the only man in the country who doesn't want a U.S. loan for millions of dollars, Cosmo Constantine (George Sanders). Her oily career-diplomat assistant with the hilariously improbable name of Pemberton Maxwell (Billy De Wolfe) however convinces her that Constantine has ulterior motives, so complications ensue. Adams' press attaché Kenneth (Donald O'Connor) is introduced in a very amusing way as he tries to secure a press position with Merman and fails, but then comes to her rescue while she's cornered by reporters and so she announces she's taking him to Lichtenberg. There he too finds romance, in the person of a lovely and talented princess (Vera-Ellen).All of the characters are appealing and the romantic chemistry is fine, particularly between Merman and Sanders. When Sanders begins singing in a duet with Merman, I was totally astounded. Just one of the many pleasant surprises this film has to offer. O'Connor comes as close as humanly possible to stealing the show from La Merm. His solo number "What Chance Have I With Love?" is almost the equal to his famous turn in "Singin' in the Rain", and he's given much more opportunity to build his character in this film. What could have been a dull "juvenile lead" role is spiced up considerably by the humorous introduction mentioned above (an innovation missing from the play) and by his almost cocky self-assurance, made all the more humorous when love brings him down low. Vera-Ellen doesn't have much screen presence but she does provide some great dance moves, and I thought her scene with O'Connor in the wine cellars was quite romantic.As many other posters have noted, it's not Irving Berlin's best score. But other than "Annie Get Your Gun" it's definitely the highest quality show he ever wrote in the "integrated" style (songs designed to further the characters and/or story), far surpassing the later "Mr. President" (which starred Robert Ryan and Nannette Fabray but was never filmed to my knowledge). Most of the highly hummable Irving Berlin movies of the 30s and 40s (like "Blue Skies" and "Easter Parade") were compilations of his hit songs from previous Broadway shows going back to the teens. Other than 2 songs (one of which, "International Rag" sung by Merman, goes back to 1913) interpolated into "Madam", the entire score is straight from the Broadway show that it was written for. Considering the fact that much of the score is preserved and this version stars Merman from the original show, "Madam" is a better film in many ways than the more famous "Annie Get Your Gun" done by MGM with Betty Hutton.Fox did a very good job on this film. It should be treasured by classic Broadway fans and it gives those unfamiliar with musical history a chance to discover one of its greatest gems, the incomparable Merman. We could pine away all afternoon that this show was done instead of "Annie" or "Gypsy", but instead we should count our blessings (we got the sun in the morning and the moon at night and we're all right, folks). The show might be dated politically but it's one of those classic musicals that knew not to take itself too seriously while at the same time respecting the taste and intelligence of its audience.