Dinner at the Ritz
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Harold D. Schuster
Annabella
David Niven
Paul Lukas
Romney Brent
Francis L. Sullivan
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In Paris, the beautiful Ranie Racine, daughter of noted investment banker Henri Racine, has just become engaged to the wealthy Baron Philip de Beaufort. Though she does not love Philip, Ranie agrees to the marriage at the behest of her beloved father. Racine discovers that his fortune has been embezzled, and he suspects six men. Meanwhile, while Ranie attempts to go shopping, she has an auto accident with suave Carl-Paul de Brack, who is immediately attracted to her. That night, a masked ball is held, and Paul crashes the party. In a side room, Racine tells Philip about the embezzlement and that he suspects fellow businessman Brogard, prompting Philip to implicate himself in the conspiracy and suggests that Racine join their side by letting his fellow investors absorb the loss. Racine refuses, and adds Philip's name to a letter he sends to the Regent of France. Shortly thereafter, Racine is murdered. With all her father's money gone, Ranie breaks her engagement to Philip, and auctions off all the family possessions. Ranie so impresses diamond merchant J. R. Devine at the auction that he hires her to help him sell his wares. Ranie then dyes her blonde hair black and pretends to be a Spanish refugee, forced to sell her jewels to cover her gambling debts in the south of France. On a train, Ranie meets American detective Jimmy Raine, who immediately recognizes her true identity and tells her that he is interested in finding her father's murderer. The group arrives in Monte Carlo, where Philip is also meeting with his fellow conspirators, who are being blackmailed by Duval, the Regent's secretary, who, in turn, has Racine's letter implicating them. Paul, who turns out to be a French government agent, is also in Monte Carlo. Not knowing Paul's true profession, both Ranie and Jimmy suspect him of the murder, though he proclaims to Ranie that he is on her side. Aboard Brogard's yacht in Cannes, Philip presents Duval's blackmail letter, demanding 5,000,000 francs. The group then travels to England, where Philip is to pay off the blackmailer. Ranie travels in the disguise of an Indian princess, and Paul once again recognizes her. Ranie searches Paul's room, where she finds a case of jewels, which she thinks are fakes stolen from her room. Paul arrives, and she learns that he had re-purchased for her the real jewels she had sold in Monte Carlo. Ranie breaks down, and confesses all to Paul. He tells her that he understands, and they kiss. Jimmy arrives and tells them that Philip is meeting with Duval aboard the "Sweet Lucy" houseboat. On the houseboat, Paul attempts to capture Duval, only to have Philip arrive and capture him. Philip admits that he killed Racine, then proceeds to kill Duval and burn the incriminating letter. Jimmy and Ranie arrive, and in the ensuing shootout, Philip is killed. Paul and Ranie then arrange a dinner at the Ritz with Brogard, where they re-acquire her father's bonds from the embezzler by pretending they have the incriminating letter. With her father's murder solved and his fortune restored, Paul and Ranie plan their upcoming wedding.
Director
Harold D. Schuster
Cast
Annabella
David Niven
Paul Lukas
Romney Brent
Francis L. Sullivan
Stewart Rome
Frederick Leister
William Dewhurst
Tyrrell Davis
Vivienne Chatterton
Ronald Shiner
Nora Swinburne
Raymond Huntley
Ralph Truman
Crew
Leslie F. Baker
Romney Brent
James B. Clark
J. C. Cook
W. Cooper
Renè Hubert
Frederick James
Robert T. Kane
Ned Mann
Muir Mathieson
Roland Pertwee
Roland Pertwee
Lee Sims
Philip Tannura
A. W. Watkins
Frank Wells
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working titles for this film were Riviera and Follow the Sun. Information found in the Twentieth Century-Fox Legal Files at the UCLA Theater Arts Libarary indicate that Flossie Freedman was hired to help actress Annabella perfect her English and diction for this film. While the onscreen credits list Denvonshire Films as the production company, most contemporary sources credit New World Picture, Ltd. in its place. According to Motion Picture Herald, this was the third film by New World in which Annabella starred. Modern sources indictate that actor David Niven was loaned to New World by Samuel Goldwyn, to whom he was under contract. The film was re-issued in Great Britain in 1948, and in the United States in 1953.
