NR | 1 h 38 min | Drama, Musical | 1942
What represents spring to you? Flowers, bunnies, birds? In Holland, Michigan, an area populated by Dutch immigrants centuries ago, the season of rebirth is heralded by a celebration of tulips.
Since 1929, the city of Holland has hosted its annual Tulip Time Festival, welcoming thousands of visitors every May. This charming tradition, which continues to this day, was the subject of an equally charming film from Hollywood’s Golden Era, 1942’s “Seven Sweethearts.”
A Tale of the Dutch
A New York newspaperman, Henry Taggart (Van Heflin), goes to Little Delft (as Holland, Michigan is called in the film) to cover the Tulip Time Festival. He stays at the Inn of the Seven Tulips, which is run by the eccentric Mr. Van Maaster (S.Z. Sakall), a proud Dutchman who loves playing the oboe and badly performing a magic trick.The inn’s employees are his seven daughters, all of whom have the boys’ names he chose for them before birth. All, that is, except his oldest daughter, Regina (Marsha Hunt), the spoiled beauty who dreams of becoming an actress while her younger sisters do all the work. Regina quickly sets her sights on Taggart, since she thinks he can help her make it to Broadway.
Meanwhile, he grows very fond of Billie (Grayson), the youngest sister and the family’s star singer. The other sisters hope that Taggart will woo and marry Regina, since their father insists that they can’t get married before their older sister, according to the old tradition. Besides her love for Taggart, Billie is afraid that Regina will leave Little Delft and break their father’s heart.
Family Traditions
“Seven Sweethearts” is a lovely example of sisterly love. The story is really about the seven Van Maaster sisters. The main ones in the plot are the oldest and the youngest, who end up being rivals for the visitor from New York.Billie is very sensitive to their father’s fondness for her older sister because she looks just like his late wife, and Billie wants him to be happy. Interestingly, one of the sisters, Cornelius, was played by Kathryn Grayson’s younger sister in real life, Frances Raeburn, and their older brother, Michael Butler, played one of the daughters’ beaux.
The Van Maaster family is very musical; all the daughters play instruments and sing, except Regina. Billie is the soloist when they perform, but the others accompany her in a beautiful chorus. Randall also shares Billie’s deep love for music, which is why he has a timid infatuation for her.
This film includes some beautiful classical music as well as charming original songs. Billie sings Mozart’s “Cradle Song” in English, a beautiful rendition of “We Gather Together” in church, and the impressive French aria “Je suis Titania” from Ambroise Thomas’s opera “Mignon.”
She also sings “Little Tingle Tangle Toes,” a delightful original song supposedly written by Randall, but actually composed by Walter Jurmann and Paul Francis Webster. Another original song, “Tulip Time,” was written by Paul Lane and Burt Freed.
Old World Beauty
This is a fun, delightful springtime movie, but it also has a very poignant message. Tulip Time celebrates Holland’s unique customs, including traditional Dutch clothing, caps, and wooden shoes. The festival includes going to church as a community, washing the streets, and performing a centuries-old dance.European culture, music, traditions, faith, and family were very precious in 1942 because they were in danger of extinction by the Third Reich, a theme which was especially close to the hearts of actor S.Z. Sakall and producer Joe Pasternak, Jews who had escaped Nazi Europe.
This theme is only discussed in one scene, when Billie sings “You and the Waltz and I” late one night, accompanied by Randall on the piano. They wistfully reminisce about old Vienna, hardly deigning to mention the name of the enemy who had destroyed the old city’s romantic beauty. It’s one of the film’s most moving scenes when viewed in that historical light.
Taggart is a modern man from the big city who is grumpy and cynical when he arrives in Little Delft. However, it doesn’t take long for him to be softened by the warm, friendly town and its kind inhabitants. Soon, he has fallen in love with the community, especially one person.
You will also fall in love with Little Delft, The Inn of the Seven Tulips, and the Van Maaster family when you watch “Seven Sweethearts.” It’s the next best thing to visiting Holland, Michigan in real life.
