Good light entertainment
Following their success together in HANDS ACROSS THE TABLE, Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray team up again in this light entertainment about making it in Hollywood, solving a murder mystery, and falling in love. Lombard disguises herself as a Swedish princess, and while aboard an ocean liner she not only meets handsome bandleader MacMurray, but is blackmailed by an old acquaintance. When the guy ends up dead in Lombard's stateroom, she goes to MacMurray for help. He finds the killer and, of course, falls in love with Lombard. Her ruse is revealed by the end, which makes everything normal again. The story and direction just zip right along and whether "getting to know each other" or working on the murder mystery, the two principals are fun to watch. The whole picture is as light as a feather, but it's not a slipshod affair, and it works so well because everyone involved wants it to. Worth a watch.

Murder, Love, and a Few Laughs
The Princess Comes Across is a who-dunit on a boat headed toward America. A journalist, an average dame disguised as a Swedish princess, and a group of detectives sail together not knowing their paths will cross, but when blackmail and murder occur, they're all linked together.

This film is advertised as a comedy, but it is more of a romantic drama than anything else. There are times of wit, but the mystery of the murder and figuring out which characters are innocent and which are guilty is more dominant. There is also a decent love story between the reporter (Fred MacMurray) and the princess (Carole Lombard).

These two leading actors are good in this film, but not great. MacMurray outshines the accented Lombard who has always been slightly overrated as a comedienne, in my eyes. She is certainly beautiful and the two make a handsome couple and a fun film.

The Delightful Lombard
The 1930's gave birth to a hybrid type of film which mixed comedy and mystery with a certain type of glamour. Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray have fun in this splendid example of the genre fans will enjoy. Based on a story by Philip MacDonald adapted from a novel, there are many amusing moments as the irreverent and lovely Lombard spoofs Garbo. The versatile Fred MacMurray matches her as a smitten concertina player trying to protect her when things go south.

Lombard is Wanda Nash of Brooklyn, posing as a Swedish Princess, Olga, and heading for Hollywood by ocean liner to star in a film for Transcontinental Pictures. Alison Skipworth is her traveling companion, Lady Gertrude. A cabin mix-up has them meeting concertina player King Mantell (MacMurray) and his pal William Frawley, of I Love Lucy fame. There is an instant attraction between the two, but Lady Gertrude is afraid Wanda will slip up and ruin the charade if she and Mantell hook up. As she explains to Wanda: "No good ever comes from a concertina squeezer!"

An escaped murderer who is a master of disguise is on board the ship, but luckily for the captain, an international convention of police detectives, which includes Mischa Auer as a Russian cop, is along on the cruise as well. When a slimy blackmailer named Darcy ends up dead in Wanda's cabin, the vulnerable Princess turns to King Mantell and his pal to get her out of the jam. King, on the verge of big success but with a shady past also, throws caution to the wind and moves the body.

It isn't long, of course, until King is on to the Princess, but by this time he has fallen for her, and puts himself in danger by announcing he will reveal the killer after his concert. Can any good come from a concertina player? It's fun to find out in this somewhat tame but very entertaining film. The sets are delicious and so is Lombard. The camera shows off her beauty while the story gives her a chance to poke a little fun at the `nose up in the air' variety of prestiege star popular during the 1930's. A fun little film and a must for Lombard fans.

The Movie Doesn't Quite Come "Across"
"The Princess Comes Across", was supposedly inspired by true events, but nothing in the film seems believeable, and that's one of the biggest faults of the harmless 1930s film.

Carole Lombard plays an out of work actress who is posing as the princess of Sweden, who has signed a movie deal. Fred MacMurray plays a band leader who falls for the princess. As the plot develops a murder happens and MacMurray and Lombard are the prime suspects.

The material, at least to me, sounds like the makings for a comedy. Think along the lines of a Bob Hope film, say "The Great Lover", but no, the movie is cover to all of its bases and it a half comedy (mostly in the beginning), half suspense, half romance. Speaking of Bob Hope the film was written by Don Hartman and Frank Butler, two men who actually wrote for Hope. The movie also brings to mind Preston Sturges' "The Lady Eve". Both films have characters who are not what they appear. Barbara Stanwyck was playing a con artist who passed herself off as a good girl, and Lombard as the actress playing a princess. But at least with "The Great Lover", which also has a mystery storyline on a ocean liner, and "The Lady Eve" they played their material correctly. Each film set the correct tone. "The Princess Comes Across" could have used a few rewrites. It needed to make up its mind on what exactly it wanted to be. Since MacMurray and Lombard were so successful in "Hands Across the Table", a charming 30s screwball comedy, why not try to repeat that success?

I'm recommending the movie mostly to those who enjoy classic Hollywood films. Of course if you're a fan of the stars it doesn't hurt either. Lombard and MacMurray are fine, and can be quite funny and charming when the film allows them to be.

Bottom-line: Weak comedy\romance\suspense film that never sets the right tone. The actors do their best to keep things going, but the screenwriters sure made things difficult for them.

"She started yellin' for her Mamma and then ran out!"
"The Princess Comes Across" is definitely in the second tier of Lombard films, but well-made and worth renting for fans.

Lombard stars as ordinary showgirl Wanda, aka "Princess Olga". With a fake Swedish accent (which Lombard pulls off very nicely) and a friend and fellow thespian posing as a lady-in-waiting, Wanda gets a free crossing on an ocean liner and a film contract waiting for her in Hollywood. Unfortunately, a body turns up in her stateroom and the ruse becomes dangerous, especially when bandleader and concertina-fancier Fred McMurray gets involved.

It's all pretty silly, but harmless enough with a few snappy lines and a host of character actors brightening the mix. McMurray and Lombard don't have much chemistry, but the costumes are glamorous and we do get to hear Fred sing. Pretty much a renter, but enjoyable.

GRADE: B-