It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Darling Lili (1970) – Musical #755

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Blake Edwards

Starring:
Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, Jeremy Kemp, Lance Percival, Michael Witney, Gloria Paul, Jacques Marin, André Maranne, Bernard Kay, Doreen Keogh, Carl Duering, Vernon Dobtcheff, Laurie Main, Louis Mercier

Plot:
Set during World War I, Lili Smith (Andrews) is a popular English singer who also happens to be a spy for Germany, providing information to Kurt von Ruger (Kemp). When Lili is to get close to American aviator Major Larrabee (Hudson) for information, she falls in love with him. As the two grow close, Lili’s emotions and jealousy conflict with her position as a spy.

Trivia:
• Filmed on location in Dublin, Brussels and Paris.
• While the film includes several World War I hits, several new songs in the film were written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer.
• The total spent on production was $25 million, which almost bankrupted Paramount Studios.
• The first film collaboration of Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards, who were later married when filming was completed.
• The goal of the film, following “Star!” was to move Julie Andrews away from being type-casted as a “virginal nanny,” according to the book, “Road Show: The Fall of Film Musicals in the 1960s.”
• While the original print was 2 hours and 14 minutes, Blake Edwards edited the film down to just under two hours for television.

Highlights:
• Vibrant cinematography

Notable Songs:
• “Whistling Away the Dark” performed by Julie Andrews
• “The Girl in No Man’s Land” performed by Julie Andrews
• “Smile Away Each Rainy Day” performed by Julie Andrews
• “I’ll Give You Three Guesses” performed by Julie Andrews
• “It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary” performed by Julie Andrews
• “Keep the Home Fire Burning” performed by Julie Andrews

My review:
With no disrespect to director Blake Edwards, “Darling Lili” (1970) is 100 percent a musical—and more of a musical than several films I’ve reviewed here in the past.

You may be thinking, “But with Julie Andrews, 10 songs and the entire film opening with a song, OF COURSE it’s a musical.” While we musical fans know this movie has all the earmarks of a musical, and in the opening scene it even pays homage to Busby Berkeley’s “Lullaby of Broadway” number from “Gold Diggers of 1935.” However, while in production, Edwards insisted “Darling Lili” isn’t a musical.

And perhaps that’s why this film feels like it doesn’t know what it is.

The film is set in World War I, and follows performer Lili Smith, played by Julie Andrews, who is English but a spy for the Germans. When aviator Major William Larrabee, played by Rock Hudson, comes into her life, Lili’s spying takes a backseat as she falls for him and lets her jealousy get in the way of her work.

While “Darling Lili” is notorious for being over budget and failing at the box office when it was released, I didn’t dislike this film, but I also don’t know what I think of it. While I was watching the film, I thought, “What is this supposed to be?” Though it is set during World War I and the main character is a spy, it isn’t a war film. Some parts act like it is trying to be comedic, particularly with French authorities, played by Jacques Marin and André Maranne. Other scenes are violent, particularly at the end, and other scenes try to be romantic and sexy, like the shower scene with Rock Hudson and Julie Andrews.

As it turns out, the film’s creators and press at the time, were uncertain how to describe this film. Director Blake Edwards said it wasn’t a musical, but a comedy-adventure set to music. Executive producer said it was a chic adventure, in the style of Ernst Lubitsch. These murky descriptions made it difficult for the press to describe the film as well, according to author of the book “Roadshow! The Fall of Film Musicals in the 1960s.” Perhaps if the film had been simply considered as a World War I musical, it wouldn’t be so confusing.

While the film left me feeling conflicted, Julie Andrews and Rock Hudson do well in their roles.

Andrews beautifully sings several World War I-era songs, in addition to new songs written by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini. “Whistling Away the Dark” is the show stopper and I have been humming it since ending the film. The work of Mercer and Mancini is a bright spot of this film. Mancini also scored the film. Though I’ll admit, I am not a fan of the singers in the overture or the romantic montage. They always just sound like they are grinning from ear to ear.

It is beautifully shot by cinematographer Russell Harlan. The film is vibrant and visually stunning.

Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards met shortly before this film, and he pitched her the film. This collaboration began both a 40 year professional and romantic, as they were married prior to the film’s release.

“Professionally and romantically, things kind of started from there,” Andrews is quoted in the book “Road Show.”

The goal of the film for Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards was to change her image from sweet to sexy. Andrew wanted to depart from being typed as “virginal nannies in films.”

While the film wasn’t sure what it was, it was also fraught with filming issues and going over budget. The original plan was to film in Ireland, but weather became an issue. An uprising in Paris thwarted planning there. They finally filmed in Brussels, where locals were upset about working conditions that went against their labor laws, and they finally put up a sign that said “U.S. go home,” according to the “Road Show” book.

The film was estimated to cost $25 million and only made $3 million at the box office.

“My screen departures from sweetness and light didn’t alter my public persona because they didn’t make much money or find an audience,” Andrews said.

Aside from a striptease and a shower scene, I still felt like Andrews played an overall sweet woman, so I’m not sure how this movie was supposed to change that image.

While I found watching this movie tolerable, it is yet another musical that was a nail in the coffin of the movie musical.

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