The Battle of Paris (1929) DVD-R

The great British stage star Gertrude Lawrence was seldom seen to her best advantage in films. In Paramount's Battle of Paris, Lawrence stars as Georgie, a British singer stranded in not-so-gay Paree during WWI. To keep food on the table, Georgie teams up with amiable pickpocket Zizi (Charlie Ruggles). Among the pockets picked are those of handsome artist Tony (Walter Petrie), with whom Georgie falls in love. Hired as Tony's model, our heroine soon becomes the "poster girl" for the French and British armies, which somehow leads to a barrage of musical numbers by Cole Porter (his first direct-to-screen score). Gertrude Lawrence tries hard, but is defeated by a so-so script and surprisingly tepid music.