Norma Krasna has a reputation for being one of the best of Hollywood's script writers, but even he made errors. He was the co-writer, with Groucho Marx, of the tepid play TIME FOR ELIZABETH, which Groucho's fans point at as proof that Groucho had vast literary abilities that he really did not have (based on this play one might say the same about Krasna). THE AMBASSADOR'S DAUGHTER was one of Krasna's errors. It was also one of Edward Arnold's final films. One wishes that Arnold's listing of credits had a better one than this silly comedy.
Arnold is playing Ambassador William Fisk of the United States, who is stationed in Paris. He is currently being host to Senator Jonathan Cartwright (Adolph Menjou) and his wife (Myrna Loy). Cartwright is a cantankerous but smart Senator (somewhat isolationist in sentiments - he voted against the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the only country involved in that with us was Canada!). He served in World War I, and remembers how he and his fellow Doughboys had misbehaved in Paris. So he wants to make Paris off-limits to G.I.s. Ambassador Fisk and his friend General Andrew Harvey (Minor Watson) feel this is unfair, but are trying to diplomatically convince the Senator that his views are too draconian. Aiding her father in the matter is Joan Fisk (Olivia De Haviland) who is currently engaged to an older man (Prince Nicholas Obelski - Francis Lederer).
The full party are attending an upper class fashion show for charity, which is crashed by two G.I.s: Danny (John Fortsythe) and Al (Tommy Noonan). They start making themselves too visible by mildly ogling some of the young women. When Joan shows up as one of the models, they turn their attention to her. Knowing how Senator Cartwright feels, she decides to make a test of the situation using Danny and Al as guinea pigs. She manipulates Danny into inviting her out on a date (Al is to be sidelined with the assistance of General Harvey). It works too well, of course, as she and Danny fall in love, but Danny believing her to be a French model (or part-time model).
I won't go any further in the plot. It's a comedy so one can guess the eventual outcome. It is an old kind of plot, with a socially prominent person mistaken for a plebeian type. The cast does try hard to push the material. Arnold is restricted to a few scenes (his appearance shows his aging and it is just possible that his health was beginning to fail). Watson is also in only a few scenes (best with Noonan). Menjou's perfect delivery of lines remains intact. Witness the scene when he has to help keep Noonan incommunicado, and finds that Noonan is on the phone trying to "get some aspirin" (actually trying to speak to Forsythe). When Noonan hangs up and says that he had a slight headache and needed the aspirin, the smart Menjou says, "In that case, you shouldn't have the phone because it will affect your headache", and he has the phone taken out before Noonan can stop him.
Loy is good in a scene that shows her reminiscing about the courtship by Menjou when they were young. She is trying to show De Haviland that Forsythe's behavior is typical of men's behavior in general (like her husband's). It's a good scene, but it reminds one of a better, briefer scene with Fredric March and Theresa Wright in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES.
Forsythe, just starting his career (which included other films like TOPAZ but was mainly on television with DYNASTY and BACHELOR FATHER) gives a good account as a lover. But Noonan really takes acting honors here. He is tagging along with Forsythe for a good time in Paris (precisely what Menjou was warning about) and then finds his hopes for that good time screwed by the test set up by De Haviland, Menjou, and Watson. As he is not the sole target of the test, he has to be controlled, and Watson and Menjou are just the sort to do it. So as the film progresses Noonan gets more and more jittery, to the final part of his performance when he has to race up and down about eight flights of stairs at the Paris Ballet to speak to Forsythe (who took him there) and to Watson, Menjou, Loy, De Haviland, and Arnold. Even as a messenger he is screwed, as he has to report that Forsythe thinks Menjou looked like an old goat (much to Menjou's resentment).
Finally the real flaw of the film (outside of the story): De Haviland is charming in her role, but she is not a twenty year old or twenty four year old. In fact (as several have pointed out here) she and Loy look like what they really were - contemporaries. Because of his aging, Arnold does look older than De Haviland, but not older like thirty years. One can make a illogical jump (for the purpose of enjoying the film) accepting her as a younger woman. But it is very hard to do so.
Arnold is playing Ambassador William Fisk of the United States, who is stationed in Paris. He is currently being host to Senator Jonathan Cartwright (Adolph Menjou) and his wife (Myrna Loy). Cartwright is a cantankerous but smart Senator (somewhat isolationist in sentiments - he voted against the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the only country involved in that with us was Canada!). He served in World War I, and remembers how he and his fellow Doughboys had misbehaved in Paris. So he wants to make Paris off-limits to G.I.s. Ambassador Fisk and his friend General Andrew Harvey (Minor Watson) feel this is unfair, but are trying to diplomatically convince the Senator that his views are too draconian. Aiding her father in the matter is Joan Fisk (Olivia De Haviland) who is currently engaged to an older man (Prince Nicholas Obelski - Francis Lederer).
The full party are attending an upper class fashion show for charity, which is crashed by two G.I.s: Danny (John Fortsythe) and Al (Tommy Noonan). They start making themselves too visible by mildly ogling some of the young women. When Joan shows up as one of the models, they turn their attention to her. Knowing how Senator Cartwright feels, she decides to make a test of the situation using Danny and Al as guinea pigs. She manipulates Danny into inviting her out on a date (Al is to be sidelined with the assistance of General Harvey). It works too well, of course, as she and Danny fall in love, but Danny believing her to be a French model (or part-time model).
I won't go any further in the plot. It's a comedy so one can guess the eventual outcome. It is an old kind of plot, with a socially prominent person mistaken for a plebeian type. The cast does try hard to push the material. Arnold is restricted to a few scenes (his appearance shows his aging and it is just possible that his health was beginning to fail). Watson is also in only a few scenes (best with Noonan). Menjou's perfect delivery of lines remains intact. Witness the scene when he has to help keep Noonan incommunicado, and finds that Noonan is on the phone trying to "get some aspirin" (actually trying to speak to Forsythe). When Noonan hangs up and says that he had a slight headache and needed the aspirin, the smart Menjou says, "In that case, you shouldn't have the phone because it will affect your headache", and he has the phone taken out before Noonan can stop him.
Loy is good in a scene that shows her reminiscing about the courtship by Menjou when they were young. She is trying to show De Haviland that Forsythe's behavior is typical of men's behavior in general (like her husband's). It's a good scene, but it reminds one of a better, briefer scene with Fredric March and Theresa Wright in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES.
Forsythe, just starting his career (which included other films like TOPAZ but was mainly on television with DYNASTY and BACHELOR FATHER) gives a good account as a lover. But Noonan really takes acting honors here. He is tagging along with Forsythe for a good time in Paris (precisely what Menjou was warning about) and then finds his hopes for that good time screwed by the test set up by De Haviland, Menjou, and Watson. As he is not the sole target of the test, he has to be controlled, and Watson and Menjou are just the sort to do it. So as the film progresses Noonan gets more and more jittery, to the final part of his performance when he has to race up and down about eight flights of stairs at the Paris Ballet to speak to Forsythe (who took him there) and to Watson, Menjou, Loy, De Haviland, and Arnold. Even as a messenger he is screwed, as he has to report that Forsythe thinks Menjou looked like an old goat (much to Menjou's resentment).
Finally the real flaw of the film (outside of the story): De Haviland is charming in her role, but she is not a twenty year old or twenty four year old. In fact (as several have pointed out here) she and Loy look like what they really were - contemporaries. Because of his aging, Arnold does look older than De Haviland, but not older like thirty years. One can make a illogical jump (for the purpose of enjoying the film) accepting her as a younger woman. But it is very hard to do so.