Jean Pierre Carl Buron (1886-1956) was born in Denmark to a French father and Danish mother. He is known to have appeared in three short Danish films in 1906, amongst the country’s earliest cinematic works. After struggling to find acting work, he emigrated to America in 1913.
Hersholt worked steadily throughout the silent era in features and shorts, and including an uncredited role in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921). His career moved up a level when he was cast by Erich von Stroheim as the second lead in Greed (1924), the great film maudit of the 1920s. As the duplicitous Marcus, Hersholt was at the centre of the gruelling shoot in Death Valley, where the cameras had to be wrapped in iced towels to prevent them from warping. He reportedly lost 27 pounds and ended up in hospital.
The rest of Hersholt’s career was spent as a reliable supporting actor,often in character parts, in over 130 features. He was particularly effective as the cruel uncle victimizing Greta Garbo in Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931), and played opposite Shirley Temple, much more benevolently, in Heidi (1937).
During the late thirties, he played kindly Dr Christian in a radio series, and went on to recreate the character in a number of pictures and on television.
Hersholt only appeared in one MGM musical, aged up to play Professor Bertier in The Cat and the Fiddle.
Jean Hersholt’s name crops up most frequently today in relation to the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, presented by the American Academy to individuals whose actions have “brought credit to the industry”, Recent recipients have included Michael J Fox (2023) and Dolly Parton (2026).
The award was established to honour Hersholt’s own role in establishing the Motion Picture Relief Fund, money from which was used to set up the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital, where many actor have spent their final years.
Charles Edward Butterworth (1896-1946) was one of those Hollywood character actors with a very defined onscreen persona which he carried with him from picture to picture: mild-mannered, courteous and hesitant/confused.
After starting out as a journalist, Butterworth dabbled in writing humorous pieces, which ended with him performing comic monologues in vaudeville. This led, in turn, to Broadway shows.
In 1929, Butterworth performed a monologue in a Paramount short called Vital Subjects, and followed this with 47 appearances in feature films, almost always credited. He was top-billed in a handful of pictures, for example Baby Face Harrington (1935), but was usually cast in a strong supporting role.
Butterworth played the Comte de Savignac in Rouben Mamoulian’s Love Me Tonight (1932) and was Algy Longworth in Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1934). He provided comic relief in Magnificent Obsession (1935) and was the Duke of Ephesus in the, not wholly successful, screen adaptation of Rodgers and Hart’s The Boys from Syracuse (1940). Butterworth was an adept ad libber, and often improvised better dialogue than had been written for him.
Charles Butterworth featured in five MGM musicals of the 1930s: The Cat and the Fiddle, Hollywood Party, Student Tour, The Night is Young and Let Freedom Ring.
Butterworth died aged 49, when his car ran off the road in an unexplained accident.
Jeanette Anna MacDonald (1903-65) was unquestionably MGM’s most popular musical star of the 1930s. She made sixteen pictures in fourteen years, eight of them opposite Nelson Eddy. Her films were mainly operettas, with a few notable exceptions. Unlike Eddy, she was a capable actor, with a particular skill at comedy.
MacDonald had made her professional stage debut in 1920. Working steadily, she obtained her first starring role on Broadway in 1927. She was spotted by Ernst Lubitsch, who took her to Hollywood to star in his first sound picture, The Love Parade (1929). (She was first, presumably to give her some on-set experience, uncredited in Say It with Songs [1929]).
She made seven films released in 1930, some good (Monte Carlo [1930], again with Lubitsch), some bad (the execrable The Lottery Bride [(1930]).
MacDonald had a quieter year in 1932 (like every other musical performer in Hollywood), but made two outstanding pictures, Lubitsch’s One Hour With You (1932) and Love Me Tonight (1932), directed by Rouben Mamoulian. She then signed her contract with MGM.
The sixteen Metro musicals were: The Cat and the Fiddle, The Merry Widow (her final film with Lubitsch), Naughty Marietta (teaming for the first time with Eddy), Rose-Marie, San Francisco (very much a change of pace), Maytime, The Firefly, The Girl of the Golden West, Sweethearts, Broadway Serenade, New Moon, Bitter Sweet, Smilin’ Through, I Married an Angel, Cairo and Three Daring Daughters.
In the last of these, she played a divorcée with children, and her career as a film star was effectively over. She sings a few songs in The Sun Comes Up (1949), but this is a Lassie film, not a musical.
MacDonald was also by now suffering from the heart condition that ended her life so early. She spent her final decade and a half performing in concerts, stage musicals, opera and on the radio.
On the run for an unpaid cafe bill, composer Victor Florescu jumps into a taxi occupied by Shirley Sheridan, who has just arrived in Brussels. It turns out she is staying at Pension La Fitte, directly opposite Pension La Tour, where Victor lives. Victor insists on paying the fare, but has no money, so the driver keeps his bundle of music until the 12 francs are paid.
Shirley Sheridan (Jeanette MacDonald) is unenthusiastic about sharing a taxi with Victor Florescu (Ramon Novarro)
Victor finds his music teacher, Professor Bertier, waiting for him. The Professor has arranged for the French impresario Jules Daudet to listen to Victor’s music. If he likes it, Victor will be commissioned to write an operetta. But Victor does not have his music and cannot play without it.
Trying to reconstruct his composition, Victor is distracted by Shirley playing the piano in the room opposite, but forgets his anger when he sees who is playing. Victor crosses to Shirley’s room and tells her he adores her. He also gives advice on a composition she is working on. They become friends, but then Victor kisses her and Shirley slaps him. Victor remembers he must find his music and rushes out.
Victor plays his music to Jules Daudet (Frank Morgan), while Professor Bertier (Jean Hersholt) looks on
Just as he is despairing, he spots the taxi driver. While arguing, they are approached by the newly-rich Charles, who likes music and lends Victor the 12 francs.
Victor races to keep his appointment with Daudet and collides with him as he is leaving the Conservatoire. Affronted, Daudet finally agrees to go back and listen to the music after Victor makes an impassioned speech about falling in love.
Shirley arrives while the other students are listening to Victor perform [The Breeze Kissed Your Hair]. Daudet agrees to produce Victor’s operetta, but is more intent on Shirley, who performs her song for him and the Professor [The Night Was Made for Love]. Daudet offers to publish it, but Shirley is upset by his advances, slaps him and leaves. Daudet decides to stay in Brussels, rather than return to Paris.
It rains that evening, and Victor arrives at Shirley’s room with pans to catch the rain he knew would be coming through the roof. They kiss, but are interrupted by Charles, who has tracked down Victor because he wants harp lessons. Victor’s friends arrive and there is a party. Victor declares in front of everyone that he adores Shirley [She Didn’t Say Yes].
Charles (Charles Butterworth), with harp
Daudet calls and courteously offers to support Shirley financially and in other ways. She declines and he knows it is because she loves Victor. Daudet warns her that Victor is selfish. He tries to prove this by telling Victor that he must leave for Paris immediately or there will be no operetta, but Victor refuses to go.
Daudet publishes Shirley’s song and it is a great success.
Victor and Shirley are living together in Paris, where he is struggling to finish his operetta and she is a successful songwriter. He helps Shirley complete her new song for Daudet [I Watched the Love Parade]. Shirley offers to go back to Brussels if it would help Victor with his work. She also suggests Victor approach Odette Brieux, a wealthy opera singer, about appearing in his operetta. Victor visits Odette, and she is interested [A New Love is Old].
Daudet tells Victor that Shirley will be throwing away a great career if she goes back to Brussels. Victor tells Shirley that he is no longer in love with her, and that he is looking to Odette to help him stage his operetta [A New Love is Old].
Victor watches Shirley save his show
Later, Victor’s The Cat and the Fiddle is in rehearsal, with Odette in the lead. She is trying, unsuccessfully, to seduce Victor, who tells her he is in love with someone else. Odette kisses Victor and her husband walks in. He demands that Odette leave the show, which is due to open the next day.
Victor is forced to give the theatre’s owner a cheque for 10,000 francs, which he does not have the funds to cover. The leading man and the orchestra walk out, but most of the cast agree to support Victor. Charles sees in a newspaper that Shirley is about to marry Daudet.
Victor asks the Professor and the students to help him by standing in as orchestra. Charles goes to Shirley and tells her what trouble Victor is in, and how the songs in the show were inspired by her [Try to Forget].
On opening night, the Professor and his students arrive. Charles has found a very unsuitable leading lady, Lotte Lengel: “she’s old, but she’s got good references”. Charles tells Victor about Shirley’s marriage. The curtain goes up [Don’t Ask Me Not to Sing]. Victor finds Lotte drunk in her dressing room, but then hears Shirley’s voice, singing on the stage [A New Love is Old].
Between songs, Shirley tells Victor that she has delayed her wedding by one day and is only there to save him from jail. Daudet says it was his idea that Shirley perform, so that she would not reproach herself later. Victor tells her that he only pretended not to love her, but she does not appear to listen. As they perform, the show reflects their real situation and Shirley begins to waver [I Watched the Love Parade; One Moment Alone]. In the wings, Daudet realizes he is beaten. They kiss, and the curtain comes down to rapturous applause.
Florine Crawford Bale (1910-90) trained in tap and ballet as a child, equipping her for her film debut under the command of Busby Berkeley in Footlight Parade (1933).
Bale only appeared uncredited, in ten pictures, but apparently became well known in Hollywood as a commander in the women’s section Victor McLaglen’s California Light Horse Regiment, established by the actor to fight communism and play polo.
Florine Bale appeared in four Metro musicals: Dancing Lady, The Cat and the Fiddle, The Merry Widow and The Night is Young.
After leaving show business, Bale worked in the real estate business.
For those who grew up in the 60s and 70s, Sterling Price Holloway Jr (1905-92) is the voice of Winnie the Pooh; there can be no other. He was also the voice of the snake Kaa in The Jungle Book (1967) and, before that, of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland (1951), amongst other Disney performances.
After training at the American School of Dramatic Arts, Holloway toured widely with stock companies, both acting and singing. He was only 21 when he moved to Hollywood, making his debut in a Fox short called The Battling Kangaroo (1928).
Holloway appeared in over 170 pictures, mostly credited, and almost always bringing something eccentric to the role, with his very distinctive voice and physical appearance. Typical examples would be the frenzied delivery boy in Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), or ‘Chilly’ Willie Simms in Mitchell Leisen’s comedy Remember the Night (1940).
He was cast against type, and to great effect, in Lewis Milestone’s war film A Walk in the Sun (1945). He plays the medic McWilliams, whose brief lack of concentration brings about his own death.
Sterling Holloway made appearances in four Metro musicals. In Dancing Girl he plays Pinky, the scene-stealing author of the show being staged. He was uncredited in Going Hollywood and The Cat and the Fiddle, and then featured as Mishka, Danilo’s orderly, in Lubitsch’s The Merry Widow, where he was finally allowed to demonstrate his singing voice.
Holloway carried on working into his eighties, bowing out by narrating the highly-respected ‘Atomic Shakespeare’ episode of Moonlighting in 1986.
Frank Edgar Hull (1882-1968) was a film editor who spent most of his career working for MGM and, to a lesser extent, Fox. He worked on around eighty pictures in the period 1920-50.
Hull is famous to film historians for working closely with Erich von Stroheim on the editing of Greed (1924). He received no credit on the final version of the film after it had been drastically cut and re-edited by MGM. Hull also worked with von Stroheim on The Wedding March (1928), which was also subject to studio interference, this time by Paramount.
Hull’s projects were never as prestigious again, though he did work with John Ford on one of his masterpieces, They Were Expendable (1945).
Frank Hull edited six Metro musicals: Stage Mother, The Cat and the Fiddle, Student Tour, Here Comes the Band, A Day at the Races and Panama Hattie.
