The Great Victor Herbert (1939): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1939, The Great Victor Herbert is a romance and music film directed by Andrew L. Stone, running about 91 minutes. “Hear 28 Victor Herbert Melodies” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. In his last film assignment, portly Walter Connolly fills the title role (in more ways than one) in The Great Victor Herbert. Very little of Herbert's life story is incorporated in the screenplay (a closing title actually apologizes for the film's paucity of cold hard facts); instead, the writers allow the famed composer's works to speak for themselves. In the tradition of one of his own operettas, Herbert spends most of his time patching up the shaky marriage between tenor John Ramsey (Allan Jones) and Louise Hall (Mary Martin). Many of Herbert's most famous compositions are well in evidence, including "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life", "March of the Toys" and "Kiss Me Again", the latter performed con brio by teenaged coloratura Susanna Foster. Evidently, the producers were able to secure the film rights for the Herbert songs, but not for the stage productions in which they appeared, which may explain such bizarre interpolations as having a song from Naughty Marietta.

Who’s in it. The Great Victor Herbert stars Allan Jones as John Ramsey, Mary Martin as Louise Hall, Walter Connolly as Victor Herbert and Lee Bowman as Dr. Richard Moore, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.0/10, The Great Victor Herbert has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Great Victor Herbert page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Great Victor Herbert tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Your Name., Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Cinema Paradiso.