This movie was a very entertaining film. I would love to have it on DVD and incidentally, why isn't it on DVD? The romantic situation between Walter Pigeon and Ginger Rogers is enough to make you want to own it. Also, the film has several small stories that give it an extra appeal. An added tidbit is Robert Benchley's dog having puppies while he nervously reacts to the event as would an expectant father. Van Johnson is superb as a Army pilot whose fate is in the balance because of some previous injury. The film industry of today should recognize Van Johnson's contributions to films in the 1940's and 1950's. The character actors are as ever perfect in their roles.
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sonny-miller27 November 2006
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This is my favorite wartime satire-comedy for three reasons. One is the towering performance by Walter Pigeon as the war correspondent Chip Collyer who falls in love with a lovely actress; the second is the setting in the world's first self-contained hotel-residence center, the twin-towered Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, known all over the world by its single initial "W"; the third is because it is a very United States' adaptation of Vicki Baum's "Grand Hotel", and as a writer, its adaptation problem has always interested me. The second film is related to the film much as "Marlowe" is related to the novel "The Little Sister". Angst, heavy drama and most of the shadows were removed; what was left was a genial, sometimes thoughtful and I assert an interesting set of four major inter-twined story-lines. They have, I suggest, a common theme, namely "one must find a reason to enjoy life, even if it takes risks, honesty and perseverance." One story line involved a war correspondent and an actress who mistakes him for the Jewel thief she has been expecting, her maid's errant boyfriend; a second focused on a soldier facing a 50-50 life-death operation and the pretty secretary he meets who is looking for a rich husband, not him; third there was the young reporter seeking an interviews with a visiting sheik who is shunted by the war correspondent into exposing a fraudulent entrepreneur; and fourth there was the shady entrepreneur trying to steal millions from the sheik, and hire the secretary. All four main protagonists of the story lines were missing something in their lives, and trying to understand how to deal with what they lacked--by denial, action, indirect efforts, etc. Within their stories, there move two rich about-to-be-marrieds, the actress's maid and her boyfriend (whom we never meet), band-leader Xavier Cugat who is appearing at the hotel and agrees to play a song written by the soldier's dead comrade, the war correspondent's boss, a man from a State Department office also wooing the sheik, and the hotel staff--especially the banks of human female telephone operators and the stenographers. The B/W cinematography by Robert H. Planck is very good, and nearly all shot indoors; music was provided by Johnny Green and the Cugat band. Veteran Robert Z. Leonard directed, and somehow managed to give the film a consistent and lucid style all its own, no mean feat by my standards. The script altering the much darker play "Grand Hotel" was adapted by Guy Bolton and written by Sam and Sella Spewack. The sound by Douglas Shearer is remarkably adroit at all points. Art direction was performed by Daniel B. Cathcart and legendary Cedric Gibbons, with set decorations by Edwin B. Willis and Jack Bonar. Irene and Marion Herwood Keyes provided the many costumes. In the cast, Pigeon deserved an award for his work as the war correspondent, and Edward Arnold did a solid job as the shady promoter. Van Johnson played the soldier opposite Lana Turner, both being adequately cast; the Shiekh was George Zucco, the actress attractive Ginger Rogers, the maid Rosemary De Camp with a German accent. Keenan Wynn was lively as the young reporter, Robert Benchley provided low-key comedy and a narration here and there, Phyllis Thaxter was the nervous bride, Leon Ames was the actress's manager, with Jacqueline De Witt, Warner Anderson and Miles Mander in good roles also, along with the volatile Cugat. The film cannot really be compared to its illustrious half-brother; this narrative in my view was supposed to be and is a genial, only-slightly-cynical wartime film that extracted some people from the recent war and showed them trying to find a strong personal reason for living--whether as in the solider's case for great reasons or in the actress's case because she had put off thinking of herself for far too long. It is a charming, discursive and attractive project, in my estimation; and it could be remade very well, if the right leads could perhaps be found and the project given a third life in another great hostelry.
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This film is a reworking of the plot from the magnificent GRAND HOTEL (1932). While both films were made by MGM, it really isn't fair to compare them, as there were many differences between them (all the many plots were changed or enormously reworked). Plus, GRAND HOTEL was so perfect that any film compared to it will no doubt be seen as a disappointment--but WEEKEND AT THE WALDORF was anything but a disappointment. There was enough fresh and new plot as well as excellence all around that I strongly advise viewers to watch them both and consider each a unique viewing experience.
While Walter Pidgeon, Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner, Edward Arnold and Lana Turner (among others) can't quite compare to the cast of GRAND HOTEL, this is still an amazing lineup of stars--even for the star-laden MGM. Plus, all the stars were at their best--thanks, in part, to exceptional writing and slick production values. Each of the subplots worked very well--particularly the one with Rogers and Pidgeon, as it made me laugh out loud many times! I could explain all the plots and critique each one, but other reviewers have already done this. The bottom line is that this film exudes quality and is highly entertaining. By the time the film is completed, you will no doubt feel quite content with the resolution of the film. -
In many ways Weekend At The Waldorf as a remake for Grand Hotel simply doesn't work. It certainly couldn't have worked at all as a melodrama the way the original was. Remember Grand Hotel was set in Weimar Republic Germany, a time that was most negative, the film came out just before Hitler took power in Germany. Many of the elements of Nazism are to be found in the original, a very pessimistic work.
1945 however was one of the most optimistic times that America ever saw. When the film was released World War II was won in both theaters, the troops were coming home, the Cold War hadn't yet started. You couldn't make a film like Grand Hotel remade to that time in America without changing the plot to have the audience accept it.
So a more optimistic Grand Hotel was done with Weekend At The Waldorf and the parts played by John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Greta Garbo, Wallace Beery, and Joan Crawford were done in this version by Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, Ginger Rogers, Edward Arnold, and Lana Turner. Some of those cast names should tell you right away this will be a much lighter film.
The bittersweet interlude between John Barrymore and Greta Garbo becomes a romantic comedy between war correspondent Walter Pidgeon and movie star Ginger Rogers. She's stopping at the Waldorf on a tour and ready to start a new film, Pidgeon just back from covering the war is looking for some peace and quiet. But his reporter's instincts are aroused with the presence of crooked industrialist Edward Arnold at the hotel and trying to sneak into Arnold's room, he mistakenly is smuggled into Rogers's room in a serving cart.
Arnold is up to no good, he's about to put over a sweet deal with visiting oil sheik George Zucco. He needs a stenographer so the hotel sends up Lana Turner, but she impresses Arnold with more than her ability with shorthand.
Turner's a girl whose been done wrong in her life and she's determined to get ahead, no matter what. Even the presence of flier Van Johnson in the hotel who's about to have a delicate operation to remove some shrapnel near his heart, an operation which could kill him and whom she falls for doesn't deter her from making the play for Arnold.
That's not as gimmicky as it sounds. President Andrew Jackson carried around a bullet in his cheat because doctors would not risk an operation at first. He did it for about 20 years. So the writers were on solid ground with Johnson's plight. Zucco's casting as an oil rich Arab sheik, borrowed quite liberally from King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabis whom FDR visited on the way back from Yalta was also certainly a harbinger of things to come.
Things turn out a whole lot better for the cast members here than in Grand Hotel for the most part. Some other roles of interest are Robert Benchley as gossip columnist and Keenan Wynn as a cub reporter who is from the Lois Lane snoop and scoop journalism school. So is Pidgeon who tells Wynn to get creative in his search for a story. His methods though, not his writing.
Weekend At The Waldorf is done with typical MGM gloss and made Louis B. Mayer quite a bundle. It's not a classic like the film it was based on, but it's still a good piece of entertainment. And of course it's quite the commercial for the Waldorf Astoria hotel. It's still there in New York, not having been taken over by any of the hotel chains. At one time, Herbert Hoover, Douglas MacArthur, and Cole Porter maintained permanent residences on its premises. Two out of those three were there when the film was made.
They probably would recognize the place now. It's still an elegant place, but old fashioned, reflective of their era. But for us we have Weekend At The Waldorf to remind us. -
dougdoepke13 April 2010The movie's best part, to me, is seeing the actual army of hotel workers required to keep a high-rise like the Waldorf operating. It's impressive, and sure a lot of free advertising. Anyway, despite the attractive cast, the various light comedy threads fail to gel, making the screen time seem longer than its actual 130 minutes. The movie adds up to bland entertainment, at best. The one sparkling scene is when Johnson's flight captain and Turner's working girl meet, some winsome chemistry there.
The screenplay, however, comes across as a rather clumsy patchwork, at best. For example, shady tycoon Edward Arnold is apparently up to no good (and with oil sheiks, no less), but we never find out more. And what's with Thaxter's role. It comes across like a half-digested morsel, maybe serving as a screen test for a younger MGM performer. Nor does Robert Leonard's uninspired direction help. In fact, it seems odd that the studio didn't assign a top- flight director to what would appear a prestige project.
The biggest disappointment, however, is with the Pigeon-Rogers romance. Now they're both highly capable, charming actors. The problem again is with the screenplay. Pigeon's impersonation of a jewel thief is, I gather, supposed to be zany and out of character. Instead, it comes across as not just implausible but also downright silly despite the pair's best comedic efforts. However, there is one compensation for Rogers— she gets to model an array of 1945's best high fashion, and lovely she is.
Anyway, the script looks to me like a rush job, comparing poorly with Grand Hotel's first-rate screenplay. Unfortunately, this version amounts to a general waste of superior talent, though I must admit coming away with a new appreciation of the boyish Johnson's acting talent. Too bad, some of that didn't better inspire the writers or at least give them more time. -
dexter-1013 November 2000As in many movies made toward the end of World War Two, this film deals with some of the unpleasant effects on the personalities of those veterans who were part to the fighting. In this case, Captain James Hollis (Van Johnson) is amalgam of the troubled soldier: he needs an operation because of a fragment of shrapnel near his heart, he has no family, his friends were all killed in the war, and he is suffering from battle fatigue. This is all complicated in that he is seen as not having the "will to live." He is a hero looking for a long rest, hounded by a war correspondent. These images are quite different from those one finds in the propaganda films of 1940-1943. With victory in sight in 1945, the walking wounded needed help since battle shock was being recognized as a malady of warfare. As a film this is a fairly classy production, with good writing and a host of respectable actors in solid roles. Best of all, the film contrasts glamour on the homefront with the agony of soldiering. Week-ends may be short, but the lasting effect of this "Week-end at the Waldorf" echoes through the decades.
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MGM updated its "Grand Hotel" storyline, gave the four principal roles to Walter Pigeon, Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner and Van Johnson, set them in some plush hotel surroundings amid a not too involving weekend situation and just let things coast along merrily. When the story sags a little, they even bring in Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra for a Starlight Roof floor show. None of it seems real, not for a moment, but it's all as light as the frosting on a cake and no one expects you to shed any tears as they did with the original story.
The ladies have the camera in love with them most of the time. Rogers and Turner are both seen at their photogenic best and give assured performances in roles that require a modicum of thespian talent.
Rogers gives the more effortless portrayal, clearly having a good time when she finds herself in a situation not far removed from those she shared with Fred Astaire in many an RKO romantic comedy. Turner is there for eye candy and little else. Van Johnson is enthusiastically boyish as the Army man concerned about his health and Walter Pigeon is as debonair as always as a pipe smoking war correspondent who has marriage on his mind with Rogers as his prospective bride.
It's all photographed in dreamy MGM style, everything smoothly crisp with the story shifting back and forth between a couple of minor sub-plots involving Edward Arnold, Phyllis Thaxter and Keenan Wynn.
Ginger Rogers has never looked more glamorous as the worldly movie star who is not quite sure whether she yearns to be alone and Walter Pigeon is excellent as the man who eventually wins her heart.
Pleasant fluff, but easily forgotten. A nice cast does what it can with stock characters and that's about it.
A warning: The ending is unbelievably theatrical and corny. -
didi-510 December 2006"Week-end at the Waldorf" was MGM's attempt to cash in on its earlier success "Grand Hotel" (made in 1932) by re-using the idea of Vicki Baum's play and setting it in wartime.
So the ballerina becomes the actress (Garbo becomes Ginger Rogers), the Baron becomes the war correspondent (John Barrymore becomes Walter Pidgeon), the sick worker becomes the Captain with a heart problem (Lionel Barrymore becomes Van Johnson), and there is still a stenographer (Joan Crawford becomes Lana Turner). In support is the ever reliable Keenan Wynn as an eager-beaver cub reporter.
Where "Grand Hotel" was star-led and rather stagey, with an improbable plot and an air of glamour, "Week-end ..." is somewhat less starry, more cinematic but dull, and lacks the 30s glamour which ran through the earlier film. Rogers does well enough as the bored actress who is waiting for her next film premiere, and Johnson and Pidgeon are personable enough, but Turner doesn't seem to have enough to do and the film, although watchable, feels a little flat.
Something of a pointless exercise, really, as the original film, overall, was much better. -
edwagreen18 March 2012In my opinion, one of the best romantic comedies that ever was made is "Weekend at the Waldorf." This 1945 film has dramatic overtones and a cast worth pots of gold.
The movie is so good because the plots don't stop getting twisted. It's basically the story of 2 women finding romance and love at the famous hotel.
When stenographer, a sweet and pert Lana Turner, finds love with GI Van Johnson, who is facing an operation, she has the opportunity to break out of her 10th Avenue existence, by working for Edward Arnold, in his usual craft role; this time as the phony executive trying to pull a deal with Arabs.
Secondly, we have Hollywood star, Malvern, played to the hilt by Ginger Rogers, who is lonely. She finds romance with war correspondent, Walter Pidgeon, a great guy with some designs of his own.
Notice Rosemary De Camp's authentic European accent in the film.
An absolute gem of a film which shouldn't be missed. The film trumpets a bygone era. -
jhkp7 September 2018Grand Hotel is considered a classic, and is still well-known today. Week-End At The Waldorf, the remake, is more or less forgotten. It's a bit of a relic of its time. It seems to have been intended as a light, entertaining crowd-pleaser (with heavier moments), and, overall, it delivers on that score.
The two leading couples are played by Ginger Rogers and Walter Pigeon, and Lana Turner and Van Johnson. This being wartime (WWII) in Manhattan, Pidgeon plays a war correspondent and Johnson plays a soldier with a troubling wound - a piece of shrapnel near his heart. Rogers is a movie star and Lana, if memory serves, is a hotel stenographer. I'm not sure why, but neither of the couples has perfect chemistry. Maybe that's why the stars were never paired again. But they play out their parts with all the professionalism you're used to from them, and they're attractive people.
There are some spectacular black-and-white shots of 1945 New York City, and Robert Benchley is around to narrate. There's a big supporting cast, including many well-known faces.
If you're looking to see some glamorous stars in a glamorous setting, with the music of Xavier Cugat (whose orchestra was in residence at the hotel at the time), you should enjoy it. -
HotToastyRag24 November 2021This remake of Grand Hotel makes a valiant effort to make it lighter. The basic story is still the same, but with comedic music and less of a dark cloud hanging over every scene, the studio tries to make the audience use let Kleenexes. In fact, there's even a reference to the earlier film., after Ginger Rogers says, "That's straight out of Grand Hotel!" Walter Pidgeon confirms, "That's right. I'm the baron, you're the ballerina, and we're off to see the wizard."
Instead of the Grand Hotel in Budapest, it's the Waldorf Astoria in New York. Ginger Rogers is an actress (not a ballerina like Greta Garbo), who mistakes witty reporter Walter Pidgeon (not a fake baron like John Barrymore) for a cat burglar in her room. Lana Turner is a secretary who whistles down the hallway (not hardened and street-smart like Joan Crawford) employed by both the hotel and slimy businessman Edward Arnold (not nearly as creepy as Wallace Beery). Van Johnson is a wounded soldier about to get an operation that may or may not save his life (but he's young, attractive, and confident unlike the sickly Lionel Barrymore). Lana notarizes his Last Will, and they hit it off; he asks her out like he does it every day of the week. And if it isn't different enough, instead of Jean Hersholt worrying about his pregnant wife, Robert Benchley is worried about his pregnant puppy.
If you know the original, the remake just doesn't work. It's supposed to be a tearjerker. People checking in, people checking out, with tragedies in everyday life. But Van Johnson could pick up any girl he wants to, especially wearing a uniform during wartime. Where is the tragedy in his "last chance at love"? -
Last night my wife and I, watched this film, made towards the end of WWII. When I sat down to watch this, it was immediately captivating once I accepted that this was to be made in the idiom of the time. This was shot when we were at war, with news of the death or maiming of a loved one a fear that those who went to the movies wanted to get some relief from.
We first see Van Johnson, the decent every-guy who was facing an operation to remove shrapnel from his chest,close to his heart, that would obviously cut his life short, unless removed. The operation was scheduled for Tuesday (The Weekend is two days of real time.) The first scene is the surgeon dictating the letter to the military hospital, as we see the reaction of the stenographer, Lana Turner, as she learns he has only a fifty percent chance to survive, and that's only if he has a "will to live."
Lana Turner and Van Johnson were movie stars whose picture on the cover of fan magazine was a sure boost for sales. In this film, with the complex plot unfolding, they were true actors playing their part, conveying lines written by others that they embraced fully. Johnson become the decent pilot whose best friend he "kidded" into joining him on a mission, that he did not survive. A guilt that consumed the Pilot, making that necessary will to live something that was problematic.
For those who want a narrative of the story, it is on the Wikipedia article (with a note that it may be too detailed) but this is written on a political website, and I'm going to make detour using this film as a template for a conversation between two eras, that of when the film was written, that happens to be when I was just grasping the world as a toddler, and today, some three quarters of century of the progression of history.
One graphic illustration of the change of this time span is the scene out the window, a view South showing the Empire State Building 18 blocks to the South, with this skyscraper then the tallest building in the world since completion in 1933, , and still standing alone like the Washington Monument in D.C. There was no building done in the United States, and actually the world, as the depression started soon after the opening, and then the war. That was twelve years of two very different causes of economic paralysis.
So this contrived plot, from the view out the window to the interplay of the fictional characters had a ring of truth that is exceptional. We see Stenographer Lana Turner, with intelligence, ambition and beauty having to make a choice. Either she could become a private secretary to an amoral international con-man, allowing her to live a life that would wipe out the memory of her raw hell's kitchen childhood, or it was growing old as she worked in an office. While the lines were fiction, the choice for those times were genuine. And the film depicted this challenge, and her decision that was not sugar coated, but one that reflected perfectly what life as like for the vast majority of women.
The several shots of the bank of telephone operators, an exaggeration of the numbers for the 1500 room hotel, but not of the millions of women who spent their working life with conversations limited to responding to "number please." As far as racial issues, they were completely avoided, as there wasn't a single frame, including in the crowd shots of anyone who was other than than, on appearance, being of the "Caucasian" race. In the two reviews that are extant, Variety and the N.Y. Times, this is not noted, as this is the way things were. There were "race films" in this era --and then everything else. The division between male and female, black and white in the film were a starting point for drama or comedy.
Not a single person who viewed this film, absolutely absorbed in the humor and the drama sequestered in the darkness of their local theater could have imagined the world we live in now. -
Pleasant reworking of Grand Hotel changes most of what made that film a classic but is entertaining enough on its own. For starters, the tone to this one is far different than Grand Hotel. This is a lighter film with more focus on romance and humor. The setting is changed as well as it is updated to WW2 America. The war figures heavily into several of the story lines. As with Grand Hotel, this is about various characters staying at a plush hotel and how their stories intertwine. The hotel here is the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. Most of the plots have been altered from the original but certain characteristics remain. Ginger Rogers plays a weary actress who falls for equally weary war correspondent Walter Pidgeon, believing him to be a jewel thief. Lana Turner is a stenographer who ponders boss Edward Arnold's "indecent proposal" while falling for bomber pilot Van Johnson. Other actors include Robert Benchley, George Zucco, Keenan Wynn, Samuel S. Hinds, and Leon Ames. Xavier Cugat plays himself and provides a little music. It's all watchable enough and even enjoyable, especially if you aren't nagged by comparisons to Grand Hotel. The cast is nice (except for an overacting Rosemary DeCamp) and the MGM production is classy as you might expect. It won't change your life but I highly doubt you'll regret watching it.
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mark.waltz28 February 2013It's really all about the cast, 'cause there's not much else in this lampoon of MGM's 1932 Oscar Winning Best Picture. All of the archetypes of the Vicki Baum characters are there, but it ends up being closer to an overlong episode of Aaron Spelling's 1980's TV series "Hotel". Once Ginger Rogers, as a lonely and exhausted movie star, mentions to war correspondent Walter Pidgeon (whom she mistakenly believes is a thief) that their situation is like "Grand Hotel's" Garbo and John Barrymore, the parody falls right out of the parlor,. and it becomes very difficult to take any of it seriously anymore, even with the lavish production, all-star cast and MGM gloss.
The story lines seem far too preposterous to be believable in World War II era New York, especially that of Rogers agreeing to interview her maid's jewel thief boyfriend, Van Johnson disturbing Xavier Cugat (as himself) to search for sheet music, and Edward Arnold as a business promoter trying to finalize a big deal with Arab sheiks. Lana Turner is really wasted as a stenographer who bounces around from assignment to assignment, her sudden involvement with Johnson and being used by boss Arnold rather forced. The real problem is the transition from each sequence to another, unsuccessful in its flow. It's all professional to be sure, but ultimately, this hotel may be full on guests, but it is lacking in atmosphere.
Another problem is the film's overlength: 90 minutes of situations disguised as a plot, 10 minutes of Xavier Cugat music, and 30 minutes of the situations exploding into a supposed plot resolution. This is really a missed opportunity with all that talent in front of and behind the cameras going to waste. -
preppy-34 May 2008All star redo of "Grand Hotel". Ginger Roger plays Irene Malvern an unhappy actress; Walter Pidgeon plays Chip Collyer a war correspondent; Lana Turner plays Bunny Smith a beautiful stenographer; Van Johnson plays Captain James Hollis a dying officer; Edward Arnold plays Martin Edley a crooked businessman; Keenan Wynn plays Oliver Webson a report and Robert Benchley plays a columnist (clever). They're all working or are staying at the Waldorf--a very exclusive hotel in New York and their lives interact with each other.
I usually love all star movies like this but this one was just plain dull. It was made with the usual MGM gloss but the characters and stories were just not interesting. Scenes are dragged out to a ridiculous degree and the movie is far too long. It doesn't help that every single story is totally predictable. The acting is pretty good so that helps and there is a nice song ("And There You Are") but I was basically just bored and fast forwarded through most of the last hour. This gets a 6 for the acting and production values but I really can't recommend this. -
vert00112 August 2016As everyone agrees, WEEKEND AT THE WALDORF follows the outline of GRAND HOTEL while radically lightening its tone. It's structured by three parallel and occasionally intertwining stories connected mostly by its setting, the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. The fraudulent schemes of Edward Arnold are so woefully underwritten that they hardly count. The heart of the movie lies in the other two plot-lines, a romantic comedy verging on screwball between lonely, overworked actress Ginger Rogers and burned-out war correspondent Walter Pidgeon, and a sentimental romance between wounded war veteran Van Johnson and gold- digging stenographer Lana Turner. The former is pretty funny and the latter rather touching, but the inter-cutting between them does neither any favors. They might have done better as separate, and considerably shorter, movies in their own right. As it stands, the film is way too long. Heck, around the two hour mark we stop everything cold for a couple of mediocre musical numbers!
Which is not to say that there are not considerable virtues in WALDORF. The interior sets are amazing, you would think that you really were at the hotel, and we are given a good idea of the immense effort that goes into running such a magnificent establishment. It's the Waldorf itself that is (quite intentionally) the movie's true main character. And the human performances ain't bad, either. Walter Pidgeon, normally rather stodgy to my eyes, is charming and clever and witty to a degree that I've never seen from him elsewhere. He shows surprising chemistry with Ginger Rogers, who gives a cool and amusing performance as the kind of character she would often portray (I'm tempted to say, would be saddled with) for much of her later career, a successful yet unhappy actress. Lana Turner is okay in a role that could have used considerable expansion. Van Johnson's performance seems problematic to me. In and of himself he presents us with an immensely likable character who is a pleasure to watch, but what sense does this make of the character? He appears remarkably healthy for someone who has only a 50/50 chance of making it till next Wednesday. And why would his soldier have no friends? We see a guy who's handsome, charming, articulate, friendly, respectful, and while rather subdued does not come across as intensely shy. Actually, he comes across as pretty much perfect. It makes his story pleasant but shallow. One might say the same for the entire film. -
While I have some criticisms of this film, overall it's a pretty pleasant way in which to spend a couple of hours. But first, the criticisms. First and foremost, I think the story has too many plot lines, and as a result what could have been decent stand-alone films get short-changed. Plot line #1 -- Ginger Rogers, a glamorous actress, gets trapped in a sort-of common law marriage with war correspondent Walter Pidgeon; could have been a good film on its own. Plot line # 2 -- Correspondent Pidgeon gets hooked into a newspaper story with a cub reporter (Keenan Wynn) about fraud in a Middle Eastern oil deal with the crooked Edward Arnold; could have been a good film on its own. Plot line # 3 -- There's a mix-up with just who Ginger Rogers is in love with, and will it affect Phyllis Thaxter's marriage to a doctor; this is one of the subplots which could have most easily been dispensed with. Plot line # 4 -- Van Johnson, an alone soldier who is facing lief-threatening surgery, falls in love with stenographer Lana Turner, who wants to climb to the top by being a "special" aide to Edward Arnold; this could have really been a good romantic film on its own. And then there's Robert Benchley's participation...which was a total waste of time, other than as narrator.
My other major criticism is that -- probably because of too many story lines and a rather long run time (over 2 hours) -- the wrap up to all those story lines is way too quick. Very disappointing.
On the positive side, as indicated, most of those subplots were good story lines, and the acting is fine. I'd actually give the highest grade here to Van Johnson. Interestingly, some of the film was actually shot at the Waldorf Astoria, though most of it was shot in Hollywood.
It's entertaining. Give it a view. -
mbribel28 December 2017Sometimes you just want to watch a movie that is not too "deep" from an earlier era like the 1940's. Walter Pidgeon is the absolute stand-out here. Surprisingly funny and yet combined with a no-nonsense attitude, his performance easily stands-up to Ginger Rogers' iciness (until of course she melts). The other star of the movie is the Waldorf Hotel itself. It's absolutely fascinating to see the inner workings of what must have been state-of-the-art hospitality service. Lastly, although I'm not a big fan of either Lana Turner or Van Johnson, they're both effective and touching. If you're looking for art this is not it, however, if you're looking for something pleasant this will certainly do.
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Forget the notion of this film as a version of "Grand Hotel." The only similarity is that both films are set in a luxurious hotel with stories about different hotel guests. The 1932 classic was based on a 1929 German novel, "People at a Hotel," by Vicki Baum. The "Week-End at the Waldorf" screenwriters borrowed the idea, but the time, place, culture, people and stories all are different. "The Longest Day" and "Saving Private Ryan" are both set in World War II, but that doesn't make them similar, or one a remake of the other. "Stagecoach" and "High Noon" are both Westerns with good guys, bad guys, horses, shooting and action, but their stories are completely different.
"Grand Hotel" was a classic film of 1932. Instead of comparing apples to oranges, one can see that this film is a classic of its own. It has several very good stories. Some of them intertwine, but not all with one another. The greatest thing about this film is the humor. The earlier film had none, but this one has superb, sophisticated comedy.
The repartee in several scenes between Ginger Rogers and Walter Pidgeon is priceless. She is Irene Malvern, a prominent movie star in New York for her latest film premier and to attend the wedding of a friend. He is Chip Collyer, a renowned war correspondent on a two-week visit to the States before heading back to report on the war in Europe. But, Irene mistakes Chip for the boyfriend of her maid, Anna. Anna has told Irene that her boyfriend plans to steal Irene's jewels. Irene tells her to give him the key to her suite, as planned, and that she, Irene, will confront Anna's lover about going straight.
This is the funniest dialog in any film I know of with a theme of mistaken identity. It is riotously funny. Rogers and Pidgeon must have had a ball filming their scenes. I wonder how many takes were needed. There must have been frequent crack-ups from some of their lines. After Irene finds out who Chip is, they have even more hilarious scenes.
The film has other very good subplots. A tender romance develops between hotel stenographer Bunny Smith (Lana Turner) and Army Air Force pilot Capt. James Hollis (Van Johnson). He has no living relatives and is heading to Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC, for a serious operation to remove shrapnel from near his heart. Martin Edley (Edward Arnold) is a wheeler-dealer who plies an Arab potentate, the Bey of Aribajan (George Zucco) for a questionable oil deal at the end of WW II.
Randy Morton (Robert Benchley) is a newspaper columnist who resides at the Waldorf and writes about life there and its interesting guests. Dr. Robert Campbell is an M.D. with an office in the Waldorf. A childhood friend of Irene's, he's getting married in the hotel's grand ballroom the next day. A young newlywed couple - he a naval officer, has come to stay at the Waldorf before he ships off to war. When they find there are no rooms, a longtime resident, Mr. Jessup, lets them use his apartment while he's away on business. Bandleader Xavier Cugat plays himself in a nice subplot, and his orchestra broadcasts live at night from the Starlight Room atop the hotel.
The hotel itself takes center stage with the shining it gets by an army of employees before the morning traffic, and in the myriad services the hotel provides. Other small stories give a glimpse of the culture of the times. Banks of telephone operators busily connect guests with outside calls. Hotel room service, a barbershop, a florist and other shops are reminiscent of large hotels of the past.
It's a wonderful combination of stories, with comedy, romance, drama, music and some skullduggery. A cast of more than 160 includes a number of other well-known actors. All do a superb job in their roles. Among those not already named are Keenan Wynn, Leon Ames, Phyllis Thaxter, Samuel Hinds, Porter Hall, Frank Puglia, Miles Mander, Warner Anderson, Rosemary DeCamp and Charles Wilson.
"Week-End at the Waldorf" is a superb film that should be in any film library. Here's a sample of the funny dialog. For more, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.
Martin Edley, "You wrote a lot of lies about me. You know very well I was acquitted." Chip Collyer, "Yeah, that's because I went off to war."
Oliver Webson, "Say, could I have a drink? I've had a tough day." Chip Collyer, "You sure it won't dull the keen edge of that razor-like mind of yours?"
Irene Malvern, "You took a mean advantage of a poor, devoted soul." Chip Collyer, "Did I?"
Irene Malvern, "You just can't help taking things, can you?"
Irene Malvern, "Do you want to go to prison?" Chip Collyer, "Uh, that's uh... an experience I've never really had."
Chip Collyer, "They, uh, call me The Baron." Irene Malvern, "Who's they?" Chip Collyer, "The gang." Irene Malvern, "You mean you work with a gang?" Chip Collyer, "Well, a syndicate, if you prefer."
Irene Malvern, "Wait! Will the police know you by sight" Chip Collyer, "There isn't a cop in New York who doesn't." Irene Malvern, "Wait here, then. I'll get rid of the detective."
Chip Collyer, "Oh, you don't think any lawyer in his right mind would have me as his client, anymore than any woman in her right mind would have me as a husband?" Irene Malvern, "Oh, I wouldn't say that."
Irene Malvern, "Chip, darling?" Chip Collyer, looking up from a breakfast tray, "Huh?" Irene Malvern, "Precious. Cynthia, this is my husband. (Chip drops toast in his coffee.) Precious, this is Cynthia Drew. She's marrying Bobby Campbell this afternoon." Chip Collyer, "Huh?" -
Ed-Shullivan12 May 2022This film must have been more impressive in the 1940's when most movie goers could only dream of staying in a luxurious hotel like the Waldorf. The individuals who were staying at the Waldorf this particular weekend had interesting stories and romance was certainly in the air. It is nothing special in the 2020's compared to the travel opportunities we have today but the stories remined me of the cascading stories of the 1970's TV series Love Boat.
I give this film a ho hum 5 out of 10 IMDb rating. Worth watching for the cat and mouse game played by the stunning Ginger Rogers and her love interest Walter Pidgeon. -
jnolanx4 September 2018If you enjoy light hearted MGM movies coated with star power this film will provide plenty of enjoyment. Ginger Rogers plays (of all things) an actress taking a break from her overworked schedule. Walter Pidgeon co-starring as the exhausted war correspondent who ends up crossing paths with Ginger and hilarity ensues. A more serious sub-plot involving Van Johnson (who was unable to serve in the war due to a terrible car accident) and Lana Turner as the young ones that just want to fall in love and spend time together. Plenty of MGM contract players show up like Edward Arnold (as Lana's seedy bulldozing boss), Keenan Wynn, Robert Benchley, Leon Ames and Phyllis Thaxter with smaller roles.
I laughed at Rogers and Pidgeon's back and forth banter. I felt for Van Johnson's character in his situation. Lana Turner was probably at her most vulnerable and accessible in this role than any other one she played. It's based on the MGM triumph GRAND HOTEL but it's much more "feel good end of WWII" than the seriousness of the original. If you're a fashion maven like my wife you'll appreciate Rogers and Turner's clothes (MGM was never one to shy away from statement gowns). You'll also get a number from Xavier Cugat (he seems to pop up in all early 1940's MGM films at some point).
If you go into this film not taking it too seriously you'll really get the most satisfaction out of it. It's light hearted MGM with just enough substance to make it worth watching. -
carvalheiro22 November 2007"Week-end at the Waldorf" (1945) directed by Robert Zigler Leonard is a bit of New York City and because of that, it is also a curious movie well illuminated by light inside the shadowy rooms, the elevators, the hall, the corridors and the floors, the views from the windows, even the decoration of the doors, when a kind of candidate for a burglar of high society and a melancholic actress lodged each one there, somewhere with a common door. That is the core of the story with countless sparks and stark's episodes, also a Mexican orchestra and a visit of a business delegation of a given country from an important region from the world.
The oil affair is there as background of a trick for happiness like the loneliness of a gentle man officer remembering as the recently death of a friend in fighting on the finishing war in Europe. Even a small sequence, here and there of a kind of documentary in the middle of this fiction movie, it was very interesting from the time where "I guess he laughs" it was a line said by this Irene about him. The sensation of claustrophobia that this hotel as location in itself brings to the story is minor.
When he goes traveling abroad by plane, this one turns the wings near the skyscraper where from the other side she stays observing it through the window of her room - as in close and counter close perspectives of the shots in the last scene - saying reciprocally good bye visually each other, in spite of distances with him by the small window from the plane as in an aerodynamic view of Manhattan and its architectural modernity of the time from the sky in a competitive way with the gray building of the hotel. -
richard-178721 December 2017The movie on which this was based, Grand Hotel, is not a great film, but it has a lot of enjoyable parts, thanks to great acting and a good script.
This movie has neither of those. The script is really worthless. There is no attempt to tie all the stories together, and the stories are not interesting. There is no clever dialogue. Talented actors are left with a dull script.
There is really nothing here to watch. Even the dance numbers aren't interesting.