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I Loved a Soldier (also known as Invitation to Happiness) is an unfinished 1936 American romantic-comedy-drama film directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Paramount Pictures.[1][2] It stars Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, Walter Catlett, Lionel Stander, and Margaret Sullavan.[3]
| I Loved a Soldier | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Henry Hathaway[1] |
| Written by | John van Druten[1] Grover Jones[1] Lajos Bíró[1] Alice De Soos[1] Melchior Lengyel[1] |
| Produced by | Benjamin Glazer[1] Ernst Lubitsch[1] |
| Starring | Marlene Dietrich[1] Charles Boyer[1] Walter Catlett[1] Lionel Stander[1] Margaret Sullavan[1] |
| Cinematography | Charles Lang[1] |
| Edited by | Unknown |
| Music by | Unknown |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures[1] |
Running time | Unknown |
| Country | United States[1] |
| Language | English[1] |
The Paramount picture was intended to be a remake of Pola Negri's 1927 Hotel Imperial, which was based on a play by Lajos Bíró. Film shooting began in early January 1936 where the film was officially named Invitation to Happiness.[4] Early on into the shooting, there was an accident with a gun that injured one of the crew members and almost hit Boyer, singeing his toupée.[4] That same day, the movie's title was changed to I loved a Soldier for unknown reasons.[4]
As a result of problems with the script and on-set altercations between Dietrich and Hathaway, producer Ernst Lubitsch suspended production on the film several weeks into shooting.[4] In March, Paramount announced that they and Dietrich were "amicable and friendly" again, and production of the film would continue with Margaret Sullavan as Dietrich's replacement.[4] Recast with new actors, the film was completed in 1939 under the title Hotel Imperial.[4] No footage shot for I Loved a Soldier was used in the final film and no footage of I Loved a Soldier is known to have survived.[1]
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The film tells the story of a young servant girl (Marlene Dietrich) who works at Hotel Imperial. One day, she falls in love with a known customer who turns out be a soldier (Charles Boyer), locally known as the ultimate ladies man.[4]
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