Lets Be Happy(1957). Cast: Vera Ellen's final film. Tony Martin, Cyd Charisse's husband. Robert Flemyng, Zena Marshall and Helen Horton. Directed by Henry Levin, written by Dorothy Cooper and Diana Morgan.
After her grandfather's death, Jeannie has been taking in neighbors' washing in order to support herself. Soon after, she receives the money her grandfather left her in his will. Jeannie, immediately decides to spend the money on a trip to Scotland to see the Edinburgh Festival, but.. the only reservation available on short notice is on an, Air France flight to Paris. On board the plane, she is seated next to Stanley Smith, a washing machine inventor, who is hoping to sell his invention to a businessman in Paris.
When they arrive in Paris, they go their separate ways, but after Stanley learns that Mr. Fielding, the man he needs to see, is not there, he meets Jeannie back on the train to Edinburgh.
Later when Jeannie arrives at her boardinghouse, she learns that they have lost her reservation, which leaves her without a room. She goes to see Stanley, to see if he can help her find a room. While Stanley is arranging a room for her, Jeannie meets down on his luck Lord James MacNairn, who is looking for wealthy wife and mistakes her for a millionaires. After Stanley, registers Jeannie in the bridal suite they to go out that evening.
The next day Stanley, meets Helene, a French fashion model and breaks his date with Jeannie saying he has to go to a business meeting.. Unfortunately, Jeannie sees him leaving out her window with his date.
The next day, Jimmy shows Jeannie around Edinburgh and invites her to a ballet. Not knowing that Stanley has bought tickets for a different event, she tells him that she has another date and accuses him of lying to her. Stanley and Helene follow Jeannie and Jimmy to the ballet and later dine at separate tables in the same restaurant. Jeannie spends the next few days with Jimmy, taking in Scotland's scenic beauty. At dinner that evening, when Jeannie tells Jimmy that she is leaving the next day, he asks her to marry him. Stanley interrupts them to announce that he has made his business deal a success and that is when Jeannie informs him that she and Jimmy are engaged. After Stanley leaves, Jeannie tells Jimmy that all of her money is gone. Jimmy says that he thought that she was a millionairess and he originally wanted to marry Jeannie for her money, but now... he wants to marry her for herself. Jeannie tells Jimmy that she likes him, but not enough to marry him and sails back to the United States. There she sells the house in Heatherdale and makes plans to move to New York. As she is packing, Stanley shows up and shows her a newspaper story about Jimmy's engagement to a toothpaste heiress. When Stanley tells her that he loves her, will she set her pride aside and agree to marry him?
This is a wonderful scenic musical set in the 50s. And a wonderful opportunity to see Vera Ellen's dance number.
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Zena Moyra Marshall (1 January 1926 – 10 July 2009) was a British actress of film and television. Her film career began with a small role in the film, Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), with Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh. Her exotic looks resulted in her being cast in "ethnic" roles, such as Asian women, including her role as Miss Taro, in the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962). Marshall also performed in the film,Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) as the Countess Ponticelli.
