The Great Victor Herbert 84 years old
Hear 28 Victor Herbert Melodies
In his last film assignment, portly Walter Connolly fills the title role (in more ways than one) in The Great Victor Herbert. Very little of Herbert's life story is incorporated in the screenplay (a closing title actually apologizes for the film's paucity of cold hard facts); instead, the writers allow the famed composer's works to speak for themselves. In the tradition of one of his own operettas, Herbert spends most of his time patching up the shaky marriage between tenor John Ramsey (Allan Jones) and Louise Hall (Mary Martin). Many of Herbert's most famous compositions are well in evidence, including "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life", "March of the Toys" and "Kiss Me Again", the latter performed con brio by teenaged coloratura Susanna Foster. Evidently, the producers were able to secure the film rights for the Herbert songs, but not for the stage productions in which they appeared, which may explain such bizarre interpolations as having a song from Naughty Marietta.
Credits
The Great Victor Herbert Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Jerome Cowan He was 42, 74 years old when he died | as Barney Harris |
| Lee Bowman He was 25, 64 years old when he died | as Dr. Richard Moore |
| Emmett Vogan He was 46, 76 years old when he died | as Forbes |
| Hal K. Dawson He was 43, 90 years old when he died | as George Faller |
| Allan Jones He was 32, 84 years old when he died | as John Ramsey |
| Walter Connolly He was 52, 53 years old when he died | as Victor Herbert |
| Susanna Foster She was 15, 84 years old when she died | as Peggy |
| James Finlayson He was 52, 66 years old when he died | as Lamplighter |
| Richard Tucker He was 26, 61 years old when he died | as Michael Brown |
| Pierre Watkin He was 50, 70 years old when he died | as Albert Martin |
| Mary Currier She was 35, 92 years old when she died | as Mrs. Victor Herbert |
| Judith Barrett She was 30, 91 years old when she died | as Marie Clark |
| Mary Martin She was 26, 76 years old when she died | as Louise Hall |
| John Garrick He was 37, 64 years old when he died | as Warner Bryant |
The Great Victor Herbert Crew
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Hans Dreier as Art Direction. He was 54 (81) years old when He died | Art |
| Phil Boutelje as Music. He was 44 (83) years old when He died | Sound |
| Victor Milner as Director of Photography. He was 46 (78) years old when He died | Camera |
| Andrew L. Stone as Director. He was 37 (96) years old when He died | Directing |
| Andrew L. Stone as Producer. He was 37 (96) years old when He died | Production |
| Andrew L. Stone as Story. He was 37 (96) years old when He died | Writing |
| James Smith as Editor. He was 47 (83) years old when He died | Editing |
| William LeBaron as Executive Producer. He was 56 (74) years old when He died | Production |
| Ernst Fegté as Art Direction. He was 39 (76) years old when He died | Art |
| Arthur Lange as Music. He was 50 (67) years old when He died | Sound |
| Robert Lively as Screenplay. | Writing |
| Robert Lively as Story. | Writing |
The Great Victor Herbert (84 years)
Hear 28 Victor Herbert Melodies
- Release day: Friday, December 29, 1939
- Runtime: 91 minutes