Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945)

You won't be disappointed!

I'll tell you why so serious

Good concept, poorly executed.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Hedy Lamarr plays a foreign princess who travels with her entourage to New York City in the hopes of meeting up again with a former flame who writes a daily newspaper column (and detests royalty!); while staying in a swank hotel, the princess is befriended by a boyish, charming bellhop who develops a crush on her, despite the fact he's also playing big brother/boyfriend to a bed-ridden girl who lives in his walk-up. Very odd romantic comedy seems to lay the character eccentricities on a bit heavily...but once the mechanisms of the plot take hold, the players seem more at home within this scenario, which is jaunty and friendly more than funny. As the bellboy, Robert Walker doesn't seem to know whether to play his role like a grown-up or a klutzy kid--so he does both; he's very ingratiating with his double-takes and exasperated looks (he gives the hotel receptionist a beaut!), and a lengthy scene early on--with Walker reading a fairy tale out loud to his girl, and indeed the neighborhood--is very tricky yet easily pulled off by the actor. Lamarr is less successful; her royal visitor doesn't require a lot of joy or spontaneity, and she isn't reluctant to show her emotions, but still she's an awfully grim beauty, harboring love's disappointments. June Allyson has the strangest role, that of an invalid girl who can walk but chooses not to (?), but she beams like Judy Garland and her smile is a welcome relief after too much of Lamarr's scowling. There's a nice musical dream sequence that seems a little padded, yet the hotel staff, Agnes Moorehead's Countess, and Walker's cohorts are all a very likable bunch. Not a completely successful fantasy, but a well-produced, well-paced one with lots of happiness to go around. *** from ****

(Poss Spoilers) Rags Ragland steals the show as the comedic sidekick working in a New York hotel. Too bad they didn't give Agnes Moorehead a bigger part..has a smallish speaking part as Lady in Waiting. "Her Highness" has some elements of Queen Christina from 1933, and maybe even Sullivan's Travels '41. Seems to have been remade as Roman Holiday 1953, with a few changes. Weird dream sequence by Leslie (June Allyson), which didn't really add anything to the already long plot. Leslie is unable to walk, and works from her apartment, and may require more than medications to be able to walk again. This is a love triangle (rectangle ?) story involving a Princess from a foreign land who falls for Jimmy the bellboy (Robert Walker) . Of course, both Jimmy and the Princess (Hedy Lamarr) already have admirers in their lives, so things get complicated. Also a running gag where Jimmy spouts the names of cities in rapid mumble, which gets them out of a couple jams. And I SWEAR that's Shemp Howard that brings them to their table when they go back to Jake's for a night on the town, although he's not mentioned in the cast list. They look at each other and the Maitre D' keeps doing double takes. Lots of fun stuff going on. The drunk in the bar was Jack Norton, who made a career by playing the drunk in Bank Dick, Day at the Races, and Jezebel, and so many more. The only really serious side of the plot is how Albert (Ragland) gets mixed up with a bad gang, and Jimmy keeps trying to get him to keep better company.... this part of the plot is never really resolved, but the princess seems to learn a lesson in love right at the last minute. Like Rags says, "they all lived happily ever after", although its ironic that he says this, since he is the only one sitting down while everyone else is up dancing. A good MGM show directed by Richard Thorpe, who had just directed Lamarr in White Cargo. Both films play now & then on Turner Classic Movies.

I saw This 1945 Movie on TCM and loved it. If it was available on DVD I would own it. It's a heartfelt story with June Allyson "Leslie O'Dell" as an invalid that lives in the same apartment building and is secretly in love with Robert Walker "Jimmy Dobson" who works as a clumsy bellboy in a posh hotel. Hedy Lamarr "Princess Veronica" is a beautiful princess that is staying at the hotel where he works as the bellhop. This cute fantasy thickens as he is assigned to take care of the princess's needs, and develops a crush on the princess. Agnes Moorehead "Countess Zoe", is the princess's watchdog who is very protective of her. The Princess is really in love with a columnist. This is where a little light situation comedy occurs, but, the real true love wins out with June Allyson, at the end.This picture also features a song "Honey" which back in 1928, Rudy Vallee had a hit with. I wish I could get a copy of June Allyson's rendition of it, she did in the flick, no soundtrack is available.

Hedy Lamarr is a princess in love with a commoner - and Robert Walker thinks he's the commoner - in "Her Highness and the Bellboy," a delightful 1945 movie that costars June Allyson and Rags Ragland. Walker is one of Hollywood's most tragic stories - a talented actor whose personal problems led to a year-long institutionalization and later, his sudden death shortly after his brilliant work in "Strangers on a Train." Here, he is energetic, fast-talking, and adorable as Jimmy, a clumsy bellhop assigned to Princess Hedy while she's in New York with her aunt (Agnes Moorhead). Hedy is fantastically beautiful, as always, though her part isn't very showy compared to the others. June Allyson plays an invalid who lives upstairs from Jimmy and his buddy, played by Rags Ragland. She's very young, pretty, and sweet as a lonely young woman whose life is brightened by the constant entertainment of these two men. She's in love with Walker, and when he develops a crush on Lamarr, her heart breaks. Lamarr is in love with a columnist, (a wooden Warner Anderson).This movie seemed on the long side, but it's very warm and entertaining fare. Six years later, Walker will look as if he's aged 20 years. He's a light that went out too soon, and it's nice to remember him at his most vibrant.