STRICTLY DISHONORABLE

US, 1951, 86 minutes, Black and white.
Ezio Pinza, Janet Leigh, Millard Mitchell, Maria Palmer, Gale Robbins, Esther Minciotti, Silvio Minciotti, Arthur Franz.
Directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama.
Originally a play by Preston Sturges (The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek. It was first made as a film in 1931. It was used as a star vehicle in 1951 for opera singer Ezio Pinza, appearing on Broadway at this time with Mary Martin in South Pacific. He was to appear in only a few films including
Mr Imperium and Tonight We Sing.
He may have been a fine opera and musical comedy singer, and he has some opportunities to sing here. However, is a rather stolid screen presence, several decades older than his leading lady, Janet Leigh who was very popular during the 1940s and fifties at MGM. Millard Mitchell enjoys himself as a dubious agent, a similar kind of role to the better known agent in Singin’ in the Rain. Arthur Franz has a small role as Janet Leigh’s fiancée and Maria Palmer has a more substantial role as the Hungarian countess, Lily.
The plot is very slight. The opera star is having woman troubles, in relationship to the countess as well as the dominance of his mother. He encounters a young woman from the south, a great fan off his singing, and she gets a job as an extra in the opera. In the meantime, the singer is also a target of gossip columns in papers and photographers eager to photograph him. He is helped by his agent, Billy, Millard Mitchell.
The film is situation comedy where the young girl, with her infatuation, seems to be caught in a compromising position with the opera singer. The newspaper editor wants to make a great deal of it. The agent gets the idea that they should be married during the night and the photos will indicate the loving husband and wife.
The girl knows that it cannot last, but is in love with the singer. She goes to meet his mother and, although the mother was against her sons girlfriends, especially the countess, she becomes very friendly with the young girl, teaching her cooking, confiding secrets.
However, lawyers come up with the idea that the marriage could be annulled after 72 days. However, the young girl sees the documents, gets ready to pack and to go home, disillusioned.
Everything comes right at the end, even after the countess has been persuaded by the papers to sue for breach of promise. Despite the woes, the opera singer because his love for his young wife, mother approving, prepares to settle down and iy is happy ever after.
The film looks very dated today and Pinza’s appeal is not very strong. More interesting to see as a curiosity item from the early 1950s. It was written and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, responsible for many of the best comedies of the 1950s, especially the Danny Kaye’s vehicles Knock on Wood and The Court Jester.