After the success of “The Love Parade,” Jeanette MacDonald was signed to a Paramount contract. In her second film at Paramount “The Vagabond King” (1930) she appeared with Dennis King and introduced the song, “Only a Rose,” by Rudolf Friml. The film was shot in two-color Technicolor. That same year she appeared in “Monte Carlo” (1930) with Jack Buchanan, and directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Jeanette introduced the song, “Beyond the Blue Horizon.” Next Jeanette found herself in “Paramount on Parade” (1930) a multi-star revue, where she served as Mistress of Ceremonies for the Spanish version since she was fluent in Spanish as well as French. She was loaned out to United Artists for “The Lottery Bride,” (1930) with Joe E. Brown and Zasu Pitts. At this point Jeanette signed with Fox Films for three films in a row, “Oh, For a Man (1930) with Reginald Denny, “Don’t Bet on Women” (1931) with Edmund Lowe, and “Annabelle’s Affairs” (1931) with Victor McLaglen. None of the three films did too well at the box office. Back at Paramount, MacDonald was re-teamed with Chevalier in two more films, “One Hour With You” (1932) co-directed by Ernst Lubitsch and George Cukor. It did nicely at the box office. Her final film for Paramount was “Love Me Tonight” (1932) directed by Rouben Mamoulian; it has become a film classic with Jeanette singing “Lover” and Chevalier singing “Mimi.” Music was by Richard Rodgers and lyrics were by Lorenz Hart. Unfortunately after this film Jeanette MacDonald was fired from Paramount. She had become a difficult star for the studio. She never liked working with Chevalier, and film musicals were now out of favor with the public. Jeanette MacDonald found herself with no work in Hollywood. So in 1933 she took a long vacation in Europe for concert tours with her manager and lover Bob Richie. She previously had done a short tour of Europe, visiting England and France, back in 1931.
The Vagabond King (1930)
Paramount
Director: Ludwig Berger
Cast: Dennis King, Jeanette MacDonald, Lillian Roth, Warner Oland, Arthur Stone
Songs: “Love for Sale,” “Only a Rose,” “Song of the Vagabonds,” and “If I Were King”
Music and lyrics by Rudolf Friml, Brian Hooker, Leo Robin, and Sam Coslow
Jeanette MacDonald & Dennis King
MacDonald
Paramount on Parade (1930)
Paramount
Directors: Dorothy Arzner, Otto Brower, Edmund Goulding, Victor Heerman, Rowland V. Lee, Ernst Lubitsch, and Victor Schertzinger
Cast: Jeanette MacDonald served as the Mistress of Ceremonies in the Spanish language version
MacDonald emceed Spanish version
MacDonald
Let's Go Native (1930)
Paramount
Director: Leo McCarey
Cast: Jeanette MacDonald, Jack Oakie, James Hall, Skeets Gallagher, Kay Francis
Songs: “I’ve Got a Yen for You,” “It Seems to Be Spring,” and “Lets Go Native”
Music and lyrics by George Marion, Jr. and Richard Whiting
Jeanette MacDonald & Jack Oakie
Francis, Oakie & MacDonald
The Lottery Bride (1930)
United Artists
Director: Paul Stein
Cast: Jeanette MacDonald, John Garrick, Joe E. Brown, ZaSu Pitts
Songs: “You’re an Angel,” “I’ll Follow the Trail, “ and “My Northern Light”
Music by Rudolf Friml. Lyrics by J. Kerin Brennan.
Jeanette MacDonald
MacDonald, ZaSu Pitts, Joe E. Brown
Monte Carlo (1930)
Paramount
Directors: Ernst Lubitsch
Cast: Jack Buchanan, Jeanette MacDonald, ZaSu Pitts, Tyler Brook, Claude Allister
Songs: “Beyond the Blue Horizon,” “Give Me a Moment Please,” “This is Something New to Me.”
Music by Richard Whiting and Frank Harling. Lyrics by Leo Robin.
Jeanette MacDonald
MacDonald & Buchanan
Oh, For a Man (1930)
Fox Pictures
Director: Hamilton McFadden
Cast: Jeanette MacDonald, Reginald Denny, Marjorie White, Alison Skipworth
Songs: “I’m Just Nuts About You”
Music and lyrics by William Kernell
MacDonald & Reginald Denny
MacDonald & Denny
Don't Bet On Women (1931)
Fox
Director: William K. Howland
Cast: Jeanette MacDonald, Edmund Lowe, Roland Young, Una Merkel
MacDonald & Lowe
MacDonald & Lowe
MacDonald & Lowe
Annabelle's Affairs (1931)
Fox Films
Director: Alfred Werker
Cast: Victor McLaglen, Jeanette MacDonald, Roland Young, Sam Hardy
Songs: “If Someone Should Kiss You”
Music and lyrics by James Hanley
MacDonald & Victor McLaglen
MacDonald & Victor McLaglen
One Hour With You (1932)
Paramount
Directors: Ernst Lubitsch and George Cukor
Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Genevieve Tobin, Charles Ruggles
Songs: “One Hour With You,” “Oh, That Mitzi!,” “We Will Always Be Sweethearts,” “What Would You Do?”
Music by Oscar Straus. Lyrics by Leo Robin.
MacDonald & Chevalier
MacDonald, Chevalier and Tobin
Love Me Tonight (1932)
Paramount
Directors: Rouben Mamoulian
Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Charles Ruggles, C. Aubrey Smith, Myrna Loy
Songs: “Isn’t It Romantic,” “Mimi,” “Love Me Tonight, “ “Poor Apache,” “Lover”
Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Lorenz Hart.
MacDonald & Chevalier
Loy, Chevalier and MacDonald
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