Catherine The Great had been portrayed by Mae West, Elizabeth Bergner, Marlene Dietrich, and Pola Negri. She lived to be 67 years old. Amazing, if we are to believe her amorous ways. Lubitsch was to have directed this, but he became ill and the reins were handed to Preminger, with Ernst looking over his shoulder and making sure that Otto's customary heavy hand was somewhat lightened. The ancient Biro/Lengyel play "Czarina," which had been used as the basis for other movies about the Russian queen, was adapted this time by Mayer and Frank, veteran screenwriters who knew what they were doing. To Bankhead's St. Petersburg castle comes Eythe, a young cavalry officer who has ridden for days to tell her of a coup planned by two generals. Eythe admits that he has plenty of energy left despite the travel, so Bankhead requests that he return later that night for a "private interview." Eythe is handsome, albeit a bit sappy, but he must have some ability in the lovemaking department, because his rise to the rank of general is rapid. Eythe is soon in love with Baxter, a virginal woman who is a lady in waiting. Bankhead falls hard for Eythe, and, when she learns that he is affianced to Baxter, the young woman is sent away. Eythe is heartbroken but still owes allegiance to his queen, so he helps overcome the plot to dethrone her. Bankhead is so happy at what he's done, she allows Eythe and Baxter to reunite while she finds new thrills in the arms of Price, the French ambassador. With all of the sleeping around Bankhead does, it's a wonder any state business ever got done in the years when Catherine was Great. A few laughs, but Bankhead chews up the scenery and the pacing is off a beat. Lubitsch had filmed this as FORBIDDEN PARADISE in 1924.

Tallulah Bankhead -- Czarina Catherine the Great
Charles Coburn -- Chancellor Nicolai Ilyitch
Anne Baxter -- Countess Anna Jaschikoff
William Eythe -- Lt. Alexei Chernoff
Vincent Price -- Marquis de Fleury
Mischa Auer -- Capt. Sukov
Sig Rumann -- Gen. Ronsky
Vladimir Sokoloff -- Malakoff
Mikhail Rasumny -- Drunken General
Grady Sutton -- Boris
Don Douglas -- Variatinsky
Egon Brecher -- Wassilikow
Eva Gabor -- Countess Demidow
Frederick Ledebur, Paul Baratoff, George A. Gleboff, Fred Nurney, Leonid Snegoff, Henry Victor, Wilton Graff, Michael Visaroff, Sam Savitsky, Eugene Beday, Nestor Eristoff, Dick Ryan, Eugene Sigaloff -- Russian Generals
Virginia Walker, Renee Carson, Sandra Foloway, Roxanne Hiltron, Dina Smirnova, Martha Jewett, Ann Hunter --
Ladies in Waiting
Marek Windheim -- Stooge
Torben Meyer -- Stooge
Victor Delinsky -- Stooge
Arno Frey -- Captain
Harry Carter -- Footman
Feodor Chaliapin Jr. -- Lackey
Mario Gang -- Lackey
George Shdanoff -- Lackey

Producer: Ernst Lubitsch
Director: Ernst Lubitsch, Otto Preminger
Writer: Edwin Justus Mayer
Bruno Frank (based on the play "The Czarina" by Lajos Biro and Melchior Lengyel)
Cinematographer: Arthur Miller
Editor: Dorothy Spencer
Music Composer: Alfred Newman
Art Director: Lyle Wheeler
Mark-Lee Kirk
Set Decorator: Thomas Little
Paul S. Fox
Special Effects: Fred Sersen
Costume Design: Rene Hubert