Rewind, Review, and Re-rate: ‘April in Paris’ From 1952: A Fun Spring Musical

Tiffany Brannan
Updated:
PG-13 | 1h 34min | Comedy, Musical | Dec. 24, 1951

April 3 would have been the 101st birthday of beloved musical movie star Doris Day. Once dubbed “America’s Sweetheart,” the perky blonde made her start as a Big Band singer in the early 1940s before making her film debut in Warner Brothers’s “Romance on the High Seas” in 1948. The movie was a big hit, and so was Doris, so she went on to make 16 more films for the studio until her contract expired in 1954.

A lesser-known musical from Doris Day’s early years is “April in Paris” (1952). Her leading man was Ray Bolger, best remembered as the Scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz.” The title song is the only recognizable melody from the score, but it’s not the only memorable number in this fun musical comedy.

Chorus girl Ethel Jackson (Doris Day) sings her way through "April in Paris." (Warner Bros.)
Chorus girl Ethel Jackson (Doris Day) sings her way through "April in Paris." Warner Bros.

A Springtime Romance

Winthrop Putnam (Bolger) is the very efficient assistant secretary to the Assistant to the Undersecretary of State Robert Sherman (Paul Harvey). Putnam’s political ambitions are endangered when he makes a huge blunder in the preparations for a goodwill festival in Paris. By mixing up two letters, he accidentally invites chorus girl Ethel Jackson (Day) to represent the American theater, instead of Ethel Barrymore.

After Putnam informs a devastated Jackson that she won’t be going to Paris, Sherman congratulates him on the brilliance of sending an average girl to represent the American theater. Putnam is barely able to convince Ethel to forgive him in time to get her to the boat.

On the cruise’s final night, she rebels by going to the ship’s ball with Philippe Fouquet (Claude Dauphin), a French entertainer who is working his way back to Paris as a shipboard waiter. After being thrown out of the ship’s ball, Ethel and Philippe instigate a dance in the kitchen. Putnam invades this impromptu dance to relieve Ethel of her representative duties. But a few glasses of champagne and Ethel’s charm quickly breaks down his hardboiled exterior, allowing the duo to fall in love.

Can their unlikely romance survive an imposter captain, a boobytrapped stateroom, and an enraged fiancée?

Song and Dance

The title song wasn’t written for this movie. It was written 20 years earlier by Vernon Duke and Yip Harburg for the Broadway musical “Walk a Little Faster,” at which time it was a hit. In this movie, Ethel first sings the title song as a beautiful melancholy ballad after Putnam tells her she won’t be going to Paris.

Later, Philippe comically reprises the song as he and Ethel sit at a sidewalk café. Unlike the song’s romantic lyrics about a beautiful spring day, the afternoon is so cold and windy that Philippe coughs and sneezes his way through the song, while Ethel wipes dust out of her eyes.

(L–R) Winthrop Putnam (Ray Bolger), Ethel Jackson (Doris), and Philippe Fouquet (Claude Dauphin) sing and dance through the musical comedy "April in Paris." (Warner Bros.)
(L–R) Winthrop Putnam (Ray Bolger), Ethel Jackson (Doris), and Philippe Fouquet (Claude Dauphin) sing and dance through the musical comedy "April in Paris." Warner Bros.

The score includes nine original songs, all with music by Vernon Duke and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. They’re all great numbers, but the most memorable song is “I’m Gonna Ring the Bell Tonight.” Ethel sings it during the party in the shipboard kitchen, and Putnam drunkenly reprises it later in the scene. In this catchy tune, Doris shows off the peppy singing style which made her famous, accompanied by impressive high kicking which make her believable as a chorus girl.

Ray Bolger’s vaudevillian tapdancing talent gets to shine in the song and dance number he performs in Secretary Sherman’s office. Imagining himself as the President of the United States, he pretends to be giving a State of the Union address before bursting into a loose-legged dance, in which he is joined by life-sized paintings of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. As a former brainless scarecrow, Bolger may be an unlikely presidential candidate, but he and the presidents’ portraits will convince you in this number that tap dancing should be a requirement for every commander-in-chief.

A Charming Romance

“April in Paris” is a charming movie. It offers lots of musical entertainment, a sweet and funny love story, and the wholesomeness you can expect from an early 1950s Hollywood production. If you like Doris Day, you’ll love her in this movie. It’s not her most developed role, but she has plenty of opportunities to show her cute, girlish personality and winning voice.
Paris is the romantic setting for Ethel Jackson (Doris Day) and Winthrop Putnam (Ray Bolger), in "April in Paris." (Warner Bros.)
Paris is the romantic setting for Ethel Jackson (Doris Day) and Winthrop Putnam (Ray Bolger), in "April in Paris." Warner Bros.

Ray Bolger gets a rare chance to be the leading man in this film, and he proves to be a hilarious and lovable co-star as the wannabe stuffed shirt politician who becomes hopelessly smitten with the beautiful chorus girl. Claude Dauphin provides plenty of comedic support and “savoir faire” as the French Casanova Philippe.

This is a fun, lighthearted romantic comedy, but its story isn’t just silly nonsense. It’s laced with a subtle criticism of diplomatic hypocrisy and the lengths to which politicians go to reach their goals. No matter where you live, you can escape to Paris this April with this delightful movie.

‘April in Paris’ Director: David Butler Stars: Doris Day, Ray Bolger, Claude Dauphin Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes Not Rated Release Date: Dec. 24, 1952 Rating: 4 out of 5
Tiffany Brannan
Tiffany Brannan
Author
Tiffany Brannan is a 23-year-old opera singer, Hollywood historian, vintage fashion enthusiast, and journalist. Her classic film journey started in 2016 when she and her sister started the Pure Entertainment Preservation Society to reform the arts by reinstating the Motion Picture Production Code. Tiffany launched Cinballera Entertainment in June 2023 to produce original performances which combine opera, ballet, and old films in historic SoCal venues. Having written for The Epoch Times since 2019, she became the host of a YouTube channel, The Epoch Insights, in June 2024.
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