The Big Pond

The Big Pond is a 1930 American romantic comedy film based on a 1928 play of the same name by George Middleton and A.E. Thomas. The film was written by Garrett Fort, Robert Presnell Sr. and Preston Sturges, who provided the dialogue in his first Hollywood assignment, and was directed by Hobart Henley. The film stars Maurice Chevalier and Claudette Colbert, and features George Barbier, Marion Ballou, and Andre Corday, and was released by Paramount Pictures.

Pierre Mirande Maurice Chevalier, is a Venetian tour guide from a poor French family who falls in love with Barbara Billings Claudette Colbert, a wealthy American tourist whose father George Barbier. Although Barbara loves Pierre as well, her suitor, Ronnie Frank Lyon and her father see him as a fortunehunter. Barbaras mother Marion Ballou persuades her husband to give Pierre a job in his chewinggum factory in the States. Despite living in a dingy boardinghouse and being given the hardest job in the plant, he manages to captivate his landlady Andre Corday and the maid Elaine Koch with his humorous songs. Unfortunately, he falls asleep on the night he is to attend Barbaras party, and is then fired when he is wrongly accused of spilling rum on some chewing gum samples. He wins back his job, and is promoted as well, when he sells liquorcoated chewing gum as a sales gimmick. Barbara disapproves, and plans to marry Ronnie, but Pierre whisks her away in a speedboat.The Big Pond and its French language version La grande mare were shot simultaneously at the Paramount Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens, New York City. Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, Andre Corday and Nat Pendelton played the same roles in both versions. ........

Source: Wikipedia