"Thirty Day Princess" is one of those movies that used the same actress to play two different identical roles. "Strangers in Love" (1932), "Twin Husbands" (1933), as well as a couple of other movies did the same thing in the early-thirties. You know that it will lead to some sort of mix up or confusion.
In "Thirty Day Princess," the small country of Taronia was in need of a loan to build affordable housing and provide hot water to many of its citizens. An American banker named Richard M. Gresham (Edward Arnold) had the idea of selling bonds in America to fund the Taronian project, but Taronia was such an unknown country that selling bonds for them would prove nearly impossible. Taronia would need a spokesperson to go on an American tour to garner the interest of the American people. That job would go to Princess Catterina Theodora Margarita aka Zizzi (Sylvia Sidney). She had the looks to interest the simpleminded Americans.
Zizzi got sick with the mumps upon her first day in America. It seemed as though all hope was lost until Gresham (the banker) came up with another idea. He had private investigators scour New York City to find Zizzi's doppelganger, and they came back with an identical woman named Nancy Lane (also Sylvia Sidney). Nancy Lane was already an actress which made her doubly perfect. With a little coaching she could master the Taronian accent, culture, and history all for the nice sum of $10,000. And there was an additional $5,000 in it for her if she could schmooze Porter Madison III (Cary Grant), a newspaper owner who mercilessly attacked Gresham whenever he could. You knew that Nancy (acting as the princess) and Porter would fall in love. You also knew that her true identity would eventually be revealed.
I liked "Thirty Day Princess" for the most part, although I was waiting for the moment it would be revealed that Nancy was an imposter. How would they reveal it? How badly would Porter (Cary Grant) be hurt since he fell in love with the princess (really Nancy), etc.?
Her revelation was standard fare. It went about as I expected, yet the movie still hit a major pothole that made me give it a mandatory demerit.
After Nancy's identity was revealed and she was paid for her performance, the only thing left was the happily ever after between her and Porter. Porter would have to get over his anger and humiliation and realize he loved her.
He did just that, then Nancy did the irksome thing. She ripped up her check. She tore up her payment for pretending to be the princess because she never meant to fall in love and she never meant to hurt Porter.
Why o why do people do that? Why do people tear up, burn, or otherwise destroy the money they earned for doing what they promised they'd do? Sure, you may have a change of heart, but don't tear up the money!! Donate it if you must, but you earned it!! It's yours!!! I'd rather be morally embattled with money in my pocket rather than morally embattled and broke. Ugh that grinds my gears so much.
Besides that utterly bewildering and objectionable move by Nancy Lane, I had no real qualms with "Thirty Day Princess."
Free on Odnoklassniki.
In "Thirty Day Princess," the small country of Taronia was in need of a loan to build affordable housing and provide hot water to many of its citizens. An American banker named Richard M. Gresham (Edward Arnold) had the idea of selling bonds in America to fund the Taronian project, but Taronia was such an unknown country that selling bonds for them would prove nearly impossible. Taronia would need a spokesperson to go on an American tour to garner the interest of the American people. That job would go to Princess Catterina Theodora Margarita aka Zizzi (Sylvia Sidney). She had the looks to interest the simpleminded Americans.
Zizzi got sick with the mumps upon her first day in America. It seemed as though all hope was lost until Gresham (the banker) came up with another idea. He had private investigators scour New York City to find Zizzi's doppelganger, and they came back with an identical woman named Nancy Lane (also Sylvia Sidney). Nancy Lane was already an actress which made her doubly perfect. With a little coaching she could master the Taronian accent, culture, and history all for the nice sum of $10,000. And there was an additional $5,000 in it for her if she could schmooze Porter Madison III (Cary Grant), a newspaper owner who mercilessly attacked Gresham whenever he could. You knew that Nancy (acting as the princess) and Porter would fall in love. You also knew that her true identity would eventually be revealed.
I liked "Thirty Day Princess" for the most part, although I was waiting for the moment it would be revealed that Nancy was an imposter. How would they reveal it? How badly would Porter (Cary Grant) be hurt since he fell in love with the princess (really Nancy), etc.?
Her revelation was standard fare. It went about as I expected, yet the movie still hit a major pothole that made me give it a mandatory demerit.
After Nancy's identity was revealed and she was paid for her performance, the only thing left was the happily ever after between her and Porter. Porter would have to get over his anger and humiliation and realize he loved her.
He did just that, then Nancy did the irksome thing. She ripped up her check. She tore up her payment for pretending to be the princess because she never meant to fall in love and she never meant to hurt Porter.
Why o why do people do that? Why do people tear up, burn, or otherwise destroy the money they earned for doing what they promised they'd do? Sure, you may have a change of heart, but don't tear up the money!! Donate it if you must, but you earned it!! It's yours!!! I'd rather be morally embattled with money in my pocket rather than morally embattled and broke. Ugh that grinds my gears so much.
Besides that utterly bewildering and objectionable move by Nancy Lane, I had no real qualms with "Thirty Day Princess."
Free on Odnoklassniki.