The Love Parade
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Year Released: 1929
Rating: 3.5
There's an old saying - and I believe it has its origins in Ancient Rome - about how thou cannot turn a ho into a housewife. In this particular case, the "ho" in question is Maurice Chevalier. After being kicked out of Paris for being a cad, Chevalier is returned to his native kingdom of Sylvania where the presiding princess (Jeannette MacDonald) forces him to marry her and make him a stay-at-home husband (which, naturally, emasculates him). Pleasant, intelligent and fun - and a clever look at gender roles - it features several wonderful song numbers and has two amazing dance routines by side characters Lupino Lane and Lillian Roth (not to mention plenty of sexual innuendo). They quite literally don't make them like this anymore ... so it's wise to cherish the ones they did.