Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose

Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose is a 1968 American television special hosted by Princess Grace Kelly guiding the public through a tour of Monte Carlo. She encounters other celebrities such as Françoise Hardy, Terry-Thomas, Gilbert Bécaud, David Winters and his troupe the David Winters Dancers, which consisted of Toni Basil and Anita Mann. They all perform musical numbers. We also meet her husband Rainier III, Prince of Monaco.

Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose
Directed byMichael Pfleghar
Written byJohn Aylesworth
Frank Peppiatt
Produced byRoger Gimbel
CinematographyHeinz Hölscher
Edited byDavid E. Blewitt
Lawrence E. Neiman
Margot von Schlieffen
Music byJerry Fielding
Release date
1968
Running time
60 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Princess Grace Kelly introduces us to the touristic attractions on Monte Carlo. She gives the historical background of the sites and it follows by performance by the guests.

The first site introduced is the Casino of Monte Carlo. In this location, Terry-Thomas acting in his signature arch-typical Britisher, performs the song "The man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo".

In various segments we see the David Winters Dancers performing in the old town, and the Royal Palace while a hundred Royal guards stand at their post.

French teenage idol Françoise Hardy sings in one of its well known clubs.

Gilbert Bécaud' hit song ''C'est La Rose'' is used as the theme song, and he performs various song at the Monaco's Sporting club for the international Red Cross Gala.[1]

Production

According to The Times the director planned the shoot around the weather so it wouldn't be too sunny or dark. However at the time of the shoot Monte Carlo proved to be usually windy, they had to wait several hours before they could shoot a scene with Princess Grace Kelly where she wear a specific Dior gown. The production also caused traffic problems for the locals, especially when the princess was on set. Kelly did her own make-up for the shoot, and was waiting at the Royal palace between takes which created some hardship when coordinating scenes with her.[2]

Dance choreographer David Winters explained that he brought with him Anita Mann and Toni Basil because he thought they were his best students. With them he conceptualized a ballet where they are tourist visiting famous sites in Monte Carlo.[3]

Release

Produced by Wolper Production, the musical tour was released on ABC on March 6, 1968.[4] It was among the top TV program that evening.[5][6] Part of 3 hours eclectic program which consisted of various documentaries produced by Wolper, that started in the evening at 7:30 with a Jacques Cousteau documentary called The Savage World of the Coral Jungle, followed with Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose, and was finalized by a World War 2 documentary named The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.[7][8]

Reception

Both on its own and as whole with the two other Wolper productions it was well received by the following reviewers.

Rick Du Brow of The Town Talk said of Princess Grace Kelly "The princess finally relaxed on television and was not only breathtakingly beautiful but quite charming as well" and said that the show was "a reasonably pleasant diversion".[9]

The El Dorado Times published that it was "an artful and imaginative combination of guided tour, variety show and fashion show".[10]

Cast

See also

References
  1. "Princess Grace to offer musical tour of Monaco". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 91. 20 January 1968. p. 3-A.
  2. "Princess Grace and the Weather". The Times. Vol. 68. 1968-02-24. p. 15B.
  3. Winters, David (2018). Tough guys do dance. Pensacola, Florida: Indigo River Publishing. pp. 2196–6071. ISBN 978-1-948080-27-9.
  4. Telleen, Carla (February 24, 1968). "Tv radio". The Dispatch. Vol. 179. p. A-8.
  5. "Tv key previews". The News. Vol. 65. 6 March 1968.
  6. "Tonight's best bets on television". The San Francisco Examiner. Vol. 219. 6 March 1968.
  7. "ABC to feature 3 hours of David Wolper documentaries". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Vol. 278. 19 January 1968.
  8. Cochrum, Glenn (6 March 1968). "Second 'Cousteau' Special scheduled". The Paducah Sun. Vol. 91.
  9. Du Brow, Rick (7 March 1968). "Hitler's early life revealed". The Town Talk. Vol. LXXXV.
  10. "Specials holds to top on television screen". The El Dorado Times. Vol. 78. 7 March 1968.

Works cited
  • Winters, David (2018). Tough guys do dance. Pensacola, Florida: Indigo River Publishing. ISBN 978-1-948080-27-9.
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