Bal au Savoy

The modern Berlin operetta "Ball im Savoy" by Hungarian composer Paul Abraham premiered on December 23, 1932, literally at the last moment, as Abraham, being Jewish, emigrated in 1933. Therefore, today the operetta is performed with a considerable dose of piety. The play is charming, playful, tender, and entertaining. My favorite hit is, of course, "Känguruh": So, what about the film version? It was produced in an Austrian-Hungarian co-production and offered an opportunity for the entire exile diaspora, led by Gustav Fröhlich's Jewish wife Gitta Alpar. The choreography easily outshines the big shows of Busby Berkeley. The studios were filmed at Hunnia Film Studios in Budapest. The English-language version was created the following year as With Pleasure, Madame. (11/01/2024)