WEEKEND AT THE WALDORF, a showy, MGM-sleek reworking of Grand Hotel, was balm for audiences in the fall of 1945; the war over, the now-what? national mood in need of some light at the end of tunnels that would soon darken again. Grossing $6,164,000, it came in 6th place, easily cushioning producer Arthur Hornblow Jr. and director Robert Z. Leonard from any L.B. Mayer grief over the $2,561,000 expenditure on stars, sixty sets and 130 minutes of plush comedy-drama (with plenty of music).

Paths cross at the famed New York landmark. Romance blooms for those in need (just like real life), a good-hearted jewel thief reforms (don’t they always?), shady swindlers get nabbed (trying to con a visiting sheik out of oil money–now that’s a good one). Easy enough to take, with typical studio finesse in the production; ‘costumes by Irene’, art direction from Cedric Gibbons and some swank musical numbers from Xavier Cugat, including a salute to the Good Neighbor Policy with “Guadalajara”.

Stars are Ginger Rogers (very good), Walter Pidgeon (can’t buy him as a suave, suggestive jewel thief), Van Johnson (likable) and Lana Turner (not bad). Backing them up: Edward Arnold, Robert Benchley, Keenan Wynn, Phyllis Thaxter, Leon Ames.

With Lina Romay, Samuel S. Hinds, George Zucco, Porter Hall, Frank Puglia, Rosemary DeCamp and John Wengraf. One-time silent star May McAvoy has an uncredited bit: her family had owned a livery stable where the Waldorf would end up being built.