I Met Him in Paris...or Was It Sun Valley?

The Winter Olympics begin today, so let's take a look at one of my favourite movies. One that incorporates three great winter sports—ice skating, skiing, and bobsleigh—and three great actors—Claudette Colbert, Melvyn Douglas, and Robert Young—and is set against the winter idyll of St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Or...was that actually Sun Valley, Idaho? I think it was Sun Valley... Either way, let the Games begin with this look back at I Met Him in Paris and its winter backdrop of St. Moritz by way of Sun Valley. 

via incredibletales

If you've never seen I Met Him in Paris, here's a brief overview: Claudette Colbert's character has always wanted to go to Paris and when she finally gets the chance, she attracts both Robert Young and Melvyn Douglas (playing friends). To try and get out from under Melvyn's nose, she and Robert make a plan to go to St. Moritz and partake in winter sports. Too bad Melvyn insists on 'chaperoning' them. I won't spoil it further, but it's a charming comedy featuring great outdoor exteriors. 

In Skiing Sun Valley: A History from Union Pacific to the Holdings by John W. Lundin, the author describes the production of I Met Him in Paris. 

"In early December 1936, the director and his crew went to Sun Valley to scout the location, arriving at a chaotic scene as construction crews raced to get the lodge ready for its December 21 opening. A location 11 miles north of the lodge at Baker Creek was selected as a filming site, Sun Valley gave permission for props to be erected at the Ketchum deposit to make it look like a Swiss railroad station."

This new site at Ketchum was owned by—get this—a silver prospector. Gus Anderson owned the land Paramount wanted to film on, and agreed to lease the land for $500. 

via Life magazine

Lundin continued, describing the construction and filming: "Fegte [Ernst Fegté, the art director] and a crew of 20 arrived in Sun Valley in January 1937 and built a Swiss hotel with an ice rink and church and village surrounding it at Baker Creek. 

"It was cold (38 to 40 degrees below zero), but no snow had fallen. After one month, they could not get the skating rink to fully freeze, so a bar was built to cover the holes. Then they got 18 inches of snow, but it was so cold the actors' breath showed on the film, looking like steam coming from their mouths. Portable heaters known as 'salamanders' were used to warm the set but microphones picked up the sound of water dripping as snow melted. Pails caught the water, but sawdust was needed to mask the noise.

"The warm interiors melted snow on the roofs, spoiling the outdoor scenes. Luck intervened and more snow fell, preserving the look of the Swiss village and hotel, allowing the picture to be completed."

I Met Him in Paris was featured in the May 3, 1937 issue of Life, writing: "No small town in the US has had more to astonish it during the past year than has Ketchum, Idaho. Excitement first came to Ketchum when William Averell Harriman, board chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad, fixed upon it as the ideal spot for a sort of American St. Moritz. Mr. Harriman and his friends renamed that part of the country Sun Valley, built a lavish winter resort in the Continental style and filled it with Eastern sportsmen. Ketchum was just getting used to this when a movie company arrived in town. Director Wesley Ruggles of Paramount brought a trainload of girls, cameras, wardrobes, hot-water bottles, Claudette Colbert, cement and wax icicles. On the property of a silver prospector some eleven miles from town, he erected an Alpine village and began shooting the first real winter-sports movie."

Once filming was complete, Anderson and his family moved into the hotel set. Life notes: "What the movies built in Sun Valley was a swank Alpine chalet, surrounded by villagers' huts, skating rinks and a bobsled run. The rear part of the chalet is roofless and backless but the front part is a completed building. During the production of I Met Him in Paris it served as a hotel for the extras and technical crew. Now it is Prospector Anderson's home."

This was the first Hollywood movie shot at Sun Valley, though Sun Valley Serenade, the Sonja Henie-starring escapade is often cited as the more famous film showcasing the winter perfection. Claudette Colbert and her husband, Dr. Norman Foster, would continue to vacation there every winter, with Claudette becoming one of Hollywood's best skiiers. 

Speaking of winter sports... 

Paramount publicity noted that Viola Macfayden coached Claudette, Melvyn and Robert in ice skating; while Hans Hauser and his team taught them how to ski. There's no accounting for the bobsledding, I'm guessing?