Thirty Day Princess (1934)

Thirty Day Princess
Directed by Marion Gering
1934/USA
B.P. Schulberg Productions for Paramount Pictures
First viewing

[box] King Anatol: It’s extraordinary how much you look like Zizi! Tell me, have you any royal blood in your veins?

Nancy Lane: I don’t think so, Your Majesty.

King Anatol: Well, my dear, one can never tell.[/box]

A banker (Edward Arnold) wants to float a bond issue for the kingdom of Tyronia and brings its princess (Sylvia Sydney) to New York to publicize the deal. During her first speech there, the princess collapses and must be quarantined for mumps. The banker finds a lookalike stand-in in the form of Nancy Allen (also Sylvia Sydney), a struggling actress. He promises her extra payment if she can vamp crusading newspaper editor Porter Madison III (Cary Grant) into not denouncing the bond issue. Naturally, Porter soon falls in love with the “princess” and the feeling is mutual.

This is standard romantic comedy fare. The story is lifted slightly above average by the performances of the two leads and a script that was co-written by Preston Sturges.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tstMdiMW1bI

Clip – at the automat (the two men are scouting for a princess stand-in)