A male Polish secret agent and a female Russian secret-police spy smuggle messages to St. Petersburg in candlesticks. While chasing after stolen candlesticks they discover each other's identity and fall in love.
Get gifting with IMDb's Holiday Gift Guide, curated with the entertainment lover in mind!
Related News
-
Oldest Oscar Winner - and First Consecutive Winner - Dead at 104
30 December 2014 | Alt Film Guide -
Two-Time Oscar Winner Luise Rainer: Julia Roberts, The King's Speech Fan
25 February 2011 | Alt Film Guide
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
The Heavenly Body
(1944)
Comedy
|
Romance
Directors:
Alexander Hall,
Vincente Minnelli
Stars:
William Powell,
Hedy Lamarr,
James Craig
Crossroads
(1942)
Certificate: Passed
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Jack Conway
Stars:
William Powell,
Hedy Lamarr,
Claire Trevor
Song of the Thin Man
(1947)
Comedy
|
Crime
|
Musical
Director:
Edward Buzzell
Stars:
William Powell,
Myrna Loy,
Keenan Wynn
The Great Ziegfeld
(1936)
Biography
|
Drama
|
Musical
Director:
Robert Z. Leonard
Stars:
William Powell,
Myrna Loy,
Luise Rainer
Private Detective 62
(1933)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Michael Curtiz
Stars:
William Powell,
Margaret Lindsay,
Ruth Donnelly
High Pressure
(1932)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
Director:
Mervyn LeRoy
Stars:
William Powell,
Evelyn Brent,
George Sidney
Escapade
(1935)
Comedy
|
Romance
Director:
Robert Z. Leonard
Stars:
William Powell,
Luise Rainer,
Frank Morgan
Shadow of the Thin Man
(1941)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Crime
|
Mystery
Director:
W.S. Van Dyke
Stars:
William Powell,
Myrna Loy,
Barry Nelson
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
(1937)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Drama
Directors:
Richard Boleslawski,
Dorothy Arzner, and 1 more credit »
Stars:
Robert Montgomery,
Joan Crawford,
William Powell
Destination Tokyo
(1943)
Adventure
|
History
|
War
Director:
Delmer Daves
Stars:
Cary Grant,
John Garfield,
Alan Hale
Reckless
(1935)
Drama
|
Musical
|
Comedy
Director:
Victor Fleming
Stars:
Jean Harlow,
William Powell,
Franchot Tone
Another Thin Man
(1939)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Crime
|
Mystery
Director:
W.S. Van Dyke
Stars:
William Powell,
Myrna Loy,
Virginia Grey
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| William Powell | ... | Baron Stephan Wolensky | |
| Luise Rainer | ... | Countess Olga Mironova | |
| Robert Young | ... | Grand Duke Peter | |
| Maureen O'Sullivan | ... | Maria Orlich | |
| Frank Morgan | ... | Col. Baron Suroff | |
| Henry Stephenson | ... | Prince Johann | |
| Bernadene Hayes | ... | Mitzi Reisenbach | |
| Donald Kirke | ... | Anton - the Thief | |
| Douglass Dumbrille | ... | Mr. Korum - a Conspirator (as Douglas Dumbrille) | |
 |
Charles Waldron | ... | Dr. Malchor - a Conspirator |
| Ian Wolfe | ... | Leon - a Conspirator (as Ien Wulf) | |
| Barnett Parker | ... | Albert - Stephan's Butler | |
| Frank Reicher | ... | Pavloff | |
| Bert Roach | ... | Hotel Clerk | |
| Paul Porcasi | ... | Santuzzi | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (15) »
Storyline
A male Polish secret agent and a female Russian secret-police spy smuggle messages to St. Petersburg in candlesticks. While chasing after stolen candlesticks they discover each other's identity and fall in love.
Plot Keywords:
budapest hungary | saint petersburg russia | candlestick | steam train | porter |Taglines:
Drama that will toy with your heartParents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
2 July 1937 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Adventure for Three See more »Filming Locations:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USAEdit
Box Office
Budget:
$620,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Did You Know?
Trivia
This film did well at the box office, earning MGM a profit of $259,000 ($4,383,000 in 2017) according to studio records. See more »Goofs
When the Baron is in bed reading the letter and getting details from Mr. Korum, the amount of brandy in his glass diminishes significantly inexplicably without him drinking it. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.
Back in the '30s, the studios made dozens of movies that were set in Europe to give Americans during the Depression a sense of fantasy and other world glamor, and to keep their foreign market. "The Emperor's Candlesticks" starring William Powell and Luise Rainer is such a film, with supporting roles featuring two young stars, Robert Young and Maureen O'Sullivan. Powell and Rainer are opposing foreign agents who each hide their documents in a pair of candlesticks to be brought to Russia as a gift to a noblewoman. The candlesticks were to be delivered by Powell, but Rainer talks the Austrian who has given him the task to let her do it. They are stolen by her maid and her boyfriend, and both Powell and Rainer try to be the first to recover them.
Powell and Rainer are delightful in this crazy story. Rainer, with her small face and enormous eyes, is gorgeous, playing the part of a spy with charm. Powell is always good and plays off Rainer very well. Robert Young and Maureen O'Sullivan portray a prince and his kidnapper's accomplice, respectively, who meet at a masquerade ball, he dressed as Romeo and she as Juliet. Their last scene together is very sweet.
This movie is odd for one reason. The stars all lived for a very long time, and in fact, Rainer at this writing is still alive at the age of 96. Young lived to 91, O'Sullivan to 87, Powell to 91. Must have been something in the water on the set. Wish it had been present on more films!