Irene (1940) Online
Sent by her employers on an errand to the home of the wealthy Mrs. Vincent, Irene O'Dare meets Don, a friend of Bob, Mrs. Vincent's son. Attracted to Irene, Don decides to invest some money in Bob's latest venture, the "Madame Lucy" dress shop, in order to give Irene a job there as a model. She is very successful and Bob also becomes attracted to her. Smith, the manager assigns Irene and other models to display gowns at Mrs. Vincent's charity ball, but Irene ruins the gown she was to wear, and appears instead in a quaint blue dress that had belonged to her mother... and it is a big hit. A guest, Princess Minetti, places her as the niece of Ireland's Lady O'Dare, and Irene does not deny the relationship. Smith decides to set her up in a Park Avenue suite as the niece of Lady O'Dare, so that she can attend socially important gatherings wearing and displaying, of course, Madame Lucy gowns. A jealous model tells the truth to a newspaper columnist who writes an expose, which somewhat ...
Complete credited cast: | |||
Anna Neagle | - | Irene O'Dare | |
Ray Milland | - | Don Marshall | |
Roland Young | - | Mr. Smith | |
Alan Marshal | - | Bob Vincent | |
May Robson | - | Granny O'Dare | |
Billie Burke | - | Mrs. Vincent | |
Arthur Treacher | - | Bretherton | |
Marsha Hunt | - | Eleanor Worth | |
Isabel Jewell | - | Jane | |
Doris Nolan | - | Lillian | |
Stuart Robertson | - | Freddie | |
Ethel Griffies | - | Princess Minetti | |
Tommy Kelly | - | Michael | |
Juliette Compton | - | Mrs. Newlands Grey | |
Roxanne Barkley | - | Helen |
About twenty-five minutes of this film are in color, from the moment that Irene (Anna Neagle) enters the ballroom dressed in her blue gown, up through the moment when she returns home and sings the song "Alice Blue Gown".
Stuart Robertson, who played 'Freddie, the Bandleader', was the brother of Anna Neagle.
During the Techicolor sequence, virtually everything aside from the blue gown is black or white. The wall decoration is a black and white mural and all of the other women wear grey, black, or white. This makes the blue gown jump out of the scene.
The "Alice Blue Gown" is a specific shade of blue named after Alice Roosevelt Longworth, the daughter of President Teddy Roosevelt. "Alice blue" became a fashion sensation and the chic color of the era.
The Radio City Rockettes wound up with most of their scenes on the cutting room floor following previews, save for a brief montage sequence in the "Alice Blue Gown" number.
This was adapted from a popular Broadway musical that originally opened at the Vanderbilt Theater on Nov. 18, 1919 and ran for 675 performances. Irene Dunne and Jeanette MacDonald were replacement cast members during its long run. The musical was later revived with Debbie Reynolds in the lead. This version opened at the Minskoff Theater in New York on March 13, 1973 and ran for 594 performances.
This was previously produced as a silent film, Irene (1926) with Colleen Moore in the title role.
Originally bought by RKO in 1937 to star Ginger Rogers in the title role.
The opening credit song "Castle of Dreams", is being played on the Mallard's jukebox just prior to and during the fight scene in "Stallion Road".
Lux Radio Theatre version starring Jeanette MacDonald and Regis Toomey aired June, 1936.
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