2nd Rate Musical/Romance
The Cat and the Fiddle is the story of a musical couple. They meet when Victor (Ramon Novarro) slips into a taxi being used by Shirley (Jeanette MacDonald). Although she rejects him at first, the two become live-in companions, both struggling to achieve fame as composers. When her song becomes a hit, Victor feels the itch to succeed even more. Shirley is aware of this feeling and plans to leave the city to accompany Victor to the town where they met, hoping to spark inspiration. However, he knows that this will jeopardize her career, so he stages a change of heart and leaves her to compose an operetta.

Novarro is slightly creepy in his love scenes as he seems more like an obsessive stalker than an amorous man. His voice is not great, but he is certainly passionate and attractive. MacDonald has a soft, operatic voice which is not my favorite, but she shows vocal ability. Her acting is not wonderful.

The music is not very memorable, nor is the story or the chemistry between the actors.

A PLEASANTLY CHARMING SURPRISE.
Although mostly forgotten, this is a really fun excursion back into 1934. In Brussels, failed composer Victor (Silent star Ramon Navarro, in a finely etched performance) is running from a restaurateur when he hops into a taxi occupied by Shirley (Jeanette). [That's what they used to call "cute-meet" in screenwriter parlance]. She haughtily asks him to find his own cab but he turns on the charm. They find they are living next door to each other in matching 'pensions'...The Kern-Harbach score is lovely: the most memorable tune being ONE MOMENT ALONE. There is also an eclectic ditty entitled IMPRESSIONS IN A HARLEM FLAT...While not considered a completely successful transfer of the orignal Broadway show - which ran 395 performances - it's more than pleasant enough. Also worth noting is the rare screen appearance of Vivienne Segal as the vampish leading lady Odette. Novarro, whom I've never seen sans in the Garbo flick MATA HARI does a really admirable job here. This would be his last part of any consequence in films. Some trivia: Jeanette's costume in the finale was worn by Joan Crawford in the LET'S GO BAVARIAN number in her 1933 hit DANCING LADY.

Pleasant Musical with Pre-Code Innuendos
Besides "Mata-Hari" this is the only talkie starring Ramon Novarro, available, in vhs or dvd format, on the market, and thus one of the only chances to hear his pleasant voice and to check what a fine actor he was . Personally, I'd only seen previously, the aforementioned "Mata Hari" and the blockbuster silent "Ben-Hur" (1926). Here Novarro plays Victor, a young struggling composer who lives in Brussels, where he meets and falls in love with american Shirley, played by Jeanette MacDonald, in her first feature at new home MGM, singing along the way (both), some nice Jerome Kern songs, most notably "The Night was made for Love" and "She didn't say Yes".

Fine character actors Frank Morgan (as MacDonald's powerful and rich suitor), Charles Butterworth (playing an absent minded friend of Novarro), Jean Hersholt (as Novarro's music professor) and Henry Armetta (extremely funny as a bad-tempered cab driver- he's named his taxi "Teresa"!), add charm to this lovely musical with the "european" flavour, and the technicolored ending was a nice surprise.

Ramon Novarro delightful as ever
This film tends to be a bit forgotten nowadays and seems to get lost in the light of all the sumptous McDonald/Eddy vechicles that followed. But it must be remembered that Janette McDonald started off her illustrious MGM career as Ramon Novarro's leading lady in "The Cat and the Fiddle"
At the time of release, because it was a very expensive production the film actually lost money at the box office but time has quite rightly redeemed it and it's a most enjoyable film full of great music,lavish sets, both leads singing with Ramon's voice once again wonderful.
Ramon Novarro was still a highly successful MGM star at this time (1934) He had just completed the successful "The Barbarian" (a great film which should be on video!!) with the lovely Myrna Loy. It is such a shame that in his last MGM years often he was put into films that weren't suited to his great talents. In "Fiddle' he looks absolutely great and holds his own against the power house McDonald. There is alot of comedy in his role and Ramon as always proves himself to be an excellent comedy actor.
The film has the usual MGM polish about it, has a superb supporting cast and has a storyline which in some ways was amazingly daring for 1934 as it is obvious that the two leads in the story are actually living together out of wedlock in the second half of the film!! This from the great MGM? A place full of happy endings and family values!!
I think you will enjoy this film and if you admire Ramon Novarro as much as I do (he seems to be undergoing a revival in popularity of late thank god!!) it is a wonderful couple of hours of entertainment to see him in one of his last great roles before he left MGM. Enjoy!

classic movie
A great 'relaxing in the afternoon' movie. Jeanette McDonald is as delightful as ever. Frank Morgan adds great character depth. But Ramon Novarro, the (other) latin lover of silent movies, shows just how he can still win it all in this 'talkie' Still looking every inch the romantic lead, he reveals a great comedic ability here. The movie had some troubles with the censors in the 30's, they objected to Ramon's and Jeanette's characters being shown 'cohabiting' without getting married. Naughty Naughty Its a fun movie, you'll like it