Production
In 1942, 20th Century Fox purchased the screen rights to Die Frau im Hermelin, which had served as the basis of the 1922 stage musical Lady in Ermine by Al Goodman, Harry Graham, and Cyrus Wood. The operetta previously had been filmed twice, in 1927 as The Lady in Ermine, starring Corinne Griffith and Einar Hansen, and in 1930 as Bride of the Regiment with Vivienne Segal and Walter Pidgeon. At the time, the studio announced Irene Dunne would star in the dual roles of Angelina and Francesca, and a few months later, Charles Boyer was announced as her co-star, but nothing came of the project.
When Ernst Lubitsch became involved, he initially wanted Jeanette MacDonald for the female lead, although Fox production chief Darryl F. Zanuck preferred Gene Tierney, opposite either Cornel Wilde or Rex Harrison. The Production Code Administration deemed an early draft of the screenplay "unacceptable" because "adultery and suspicion of adultery treated for comedy without any compensating moral values." PCA Director Joseph Breen suggested Angelina be portrayed as anxious to preserve her marriage and Mario be the one to instigate the dissolution of their union. His recommendations were incorporated into the script, and the final draft of the screenplay was approved. During pre-production, the film's title was Lady in Ermine, which was changed to This is the Moment when principal photography began. By the time the film was released, its title had been changed yet again.
The film was Lubitsch's first musical project since directing The Merry Widow for MGM in 1934. It proved to be his last film. Eight days after principal photography began, he died of a heart attack, and Otto Preminger, who had completed A Royal Scandal when Lubitsch was forced to withdraw due to illness in 1944, took over the reins. He stipulated sole screen credit should go to Lubitsch "as a mark of respect and admiration for the departed master."
Friedrich Hollaender and Leo Robin composed the five musical numbers performed in the film.
Read more about this topic: That Lady In Ermine
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