This film is truly a classic, directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Nella Vago(Gloria Swanson),a young singer, performs an operatic debut in Venice but discovers her reception disappointing. She is critized by her instructor (Ferdinand Gottschalk) claiming her voice lacks warmth and feeling. A mysterious young man stalks her everywhere, (Melvyn Douglas) who is really a talent scout for the Met. The cast with Gloria Swanson("Sunset Blvd." with Wm. Holden) and Melvyn Douglas and Boris Karloff who had gained famed as being the Frankenstein Monster made this film a great success during the early 1930's. Karloff gave a very good performance as a high classed waiter with no horror expressions on his face. It was a great picture during that period of time and is worth viewing.

Gloria Swanson proves easily here what a good talkie actress she could have been. She is funny and charming, and dressed superbly by Coco Chanel. Melvyn Douglas works well with her, but there is way too much chatter in this adaptation from a hit stage play. The screen-writers didn't seem to realise the kind of expansion they needed to give the piece to make it cinema rather than a filmed stage play. Still, in the lovingly restored print from UCLA that is on the DVD, the film looks great - as does glorious Gloria!

This may be the only time Boris Karloff appeared in a sophisticated romantic comedy albeit as a waiter and trivia buffs will also note the uncredited J. Carroll Naish, already polished, as a radio announcer in an early scene. Melvyn Douglas had appeared in the play on Broadway and on the strength of its hit status was signed up for the film adaptation. It's interesting that his role - at least for four fifths of the running time - is a gigolo being 'kept' by an elderly titled lady, something to which he would return, albeit with more success, in Ninotchka at the end of the decade. It's also a revelation to see Gloria Swanson at very near her peak - strangely she made only three more 'talkies' between this and Sunset Boulevard some nineteen years later. The storyline is the usual froth that sustained numerous musical comedies but all hands weigh in with sound performances and a good time is had by all.