There are only two similarities between Oscar Straus' original "Chocolate Soldier" and M.G.M.'s dolled-up film of the same name: they have some of the same music, and neither of them is any good. Since a few of the songs aren't bad, the first point of resemblance may not bother you. As far as the second one is concerned, it just serves to show you two unbeatable ways to save your money.

The film's producers were apparently aware that audiences are as sick of the tale of intrigue in a Balkan bungalow as they are of Jeannette McDonald. So they got smart and rigged up a whole new story. There was only one flaw in the plan: the new story was just as bad as the old one. They also thought they'd provide an antidote to the somewhat ghastly charms of Miss McDonald. So they raided--and that word is more descriptive than you think--the Metropolitan Opera and came up with Rise Stevens. This little scheme fell through for the same reason: Miss Stevens, though she has fewer teeth than Jeannette, is no better than her predecessor.

These two attempts should at least give M.G.M. a passing grade for effort. They tried, and the failed--horribly. But when it came to Nelson Eddy--the poor man's Great Stone Face--no one even tried to get rid of him; if you can think of an excuse for that, you belong in Hollywood yourself. The only time he's even passable is when, for some strange reason, he saunters around trying to look like an anemic Chaliapin; he's better then mainly because the more he looks like someone else, the less he looks like Nelson Eddy--no small consideration, believe me.

There are others in the cast besides Eddy and his buxom companion, but since most of Hollywood's actors work under contracts that are pretty hard to break, it isn't really their fault.