The plot of Gold Diggers in Paris takes the dance troupe from Rudy Vallee's nightclub to the City of Light to take part in a ballet contest at the Paris Exposition, a world's fair "dedicated to Art and Technology in Modern Life" that actually took place from May through November of 1937 in the area around the Eiffel Tower. The film begins with footage of the real Exposition's elegant, Deco-style buildings. In the movie, it turns out that inviting the dancers to take part in the competition is a case of mistaken identity, but the Gold Diggers, with their Yankee charm and hoofing skills, naturally triumph over the snooty classical ballet artistes.
Adding to the fun is the Schnickelfritz Orchestra, a comic band from Minnesota whose wild slapstick musical antics apparently inspired the Spike Jones band of the 1940s and '50s. Strong comedy support is also provided by Hugh Herbert as the befuddled competition envoy, Fritz Feld as a fussy ballet teacher, and Curt Bois, a recent refugee from Nazi Germany, as the conceited "serious" ballet dancer for whom the invitation was actually intended. Even crooner Rudy Vallee, who plays the romantic lead opposite Rosemary Lane, got a chance to show off his comic chops, doing imitations of French singing star Maurice Chevalier and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. After his pop singer days were over, it was Vallee's talent for comedy that brought him new success in films and theater, starting in the 1940s.
For the only time in a Gold Diggers film, the seven Gold Diggers who have speaking roles in the movie were listed by name in the opening credits. All of them went on to have minor acting careers. Several retired after marrying well and successfully, including Diana Lewis, who married actor William Powell, and Peggy Moran, who wed director Henry Koster. Only Carole Landis became notorious for her turbulent private life, including multiple marriages and an affair with the married actor Rex Harrison which ended when she took her own life at age 29.
By Margarita Landazuri
