Dan L. Miller Plot spoilers—Dolly's father forces her into an arranged marriage, and, as a result, she willfully hates her husband. After the death of her husband and child, she becomes the toast of Washington and the object of the most powerful politicians. She vows to truly love the next man she marries. This film is a political romance with Dolly looking for love and fulfillment among Washington's most powerful men. She proves to be their equal intellectually and politically. I've seen many Ginger Rogers films, and I've enjoyed them all. Some are frivolous and entertaining, some are musical and entertaining, and some are dramatic and entertaining. This movie is powerful and provides historical background to an intense drama. Just as Dolly's intellect and influence equaled the politicians of her time, Rogers' performance equals the skill of the other stellar actors in the cast. Some movies I can't wait to end, but with Magnificent Doll, I wanted it to continue beyond "The End." Captivating, entertaining, and a Rogers hit. Must see viewing.

mark.waltz Twenty years before playing matchmaker Dolly Levi, Ginger Rogers played a real-life Dolly, the famous Washington hostess who eventually became first lady and the name on a donut box. She's a feisty young lady whose father promised her hand in marriage to a man she didn't love, and after a marriage where she doesn't utter "I love you" until its too late, she finds herself involved with two rising politicians, both on opposite sides of the spectrum in government. Aaron Burr (David Niven) is handsome and charming, but his ambitions go far beyond the ideals of early American freedom. James Madison (Burgess Meredith), "the father of the constitution", is quiet and idealistic, even though he quietly manipulates Burr into an introduction to the lovely Dolly. As she learns the truth about each man, her feelings towards both of them change, even though her loyalty towards a traitorous one remains as far as praying that they will see the error of their ways. But evil ambitions rarely change, and Dolly will have to make a drastic decision based upon her own conscience rather than what lies deep in her heart.If you get past the casting of Ginger Rogers as Dolly Madison, you've won half the battle. She's much more attractive than the real Dolly, but that's Hollywood for you. Another issue is the fact that Ms. Rogers didn't play any other period roles than this one, so her acting may make the character seem a lot more modern than the colonial days this was set in. Getting past all that, she's very sincere in her portrayal and makes Dolly a vibrant force to be reckoned with. Meredith's James Madison is played with quiet dignity, while Niven's Aaron Burr is a force of nature, and one to be reckoned with. Probably the only time Niven ever played a villain, it seems like a role more likely for someone like Vincent Price or George Sanders, but it is a nice switch to see someone as dashing as Niven playing somebody totally despicable.As the devoted first husband longing to hear the words "I love you", Stephen McNally is very effective and Rogers believably allows her feelings to change from hatred to admiration and later on an unspoken love. If this doesn't really reflect who the true Dolly Madison was, it at least gives the viewer a chance to see what life may have been like at the time and to see Rogers in a different type of role than they are used to. The real power of the drama is in watching Niven's Burr literally go mad with his desire for power and how he is ultimately destroyed by it. Rogers is powerful in her final scene where she begs a mob out to hang Burr not to do so otherwise make him a martyr. The scene is obvious fiction as is the speculation of a romantic connection between Dolly and Aaron, so on that level, this isn't a historical document but a speculation by the writers. It is still enjoyable on a fictional level utilizing real life historical events to cap its story around legend.

bkrny I saw this movie 45 years ago on the "Fabulous 52", a late night show dedicated to old movies. I was a teenager at the time and would stay up very late while babysitting. It made a big impression on me and I never forgot it. I especially enjoyed the story line of her first marriage although, I later found out it was not accurate. I searched in recent years to find it on DVD to no avail. To my delight, I recently was able to watch the entire movie on the Internet, 45 years later! What a treat! I remembered a lot of it. I would love to have a copy of it. Although the story line is not quite accurate, the movie got me interested in Dolley Madison and her life. I thought it was very well done for a movie of its time. I would recommend it to old movie buffs.

Rotundy I stumbled across this movie in a rather old presidential quiz book. Already knowing a great deal about Dolley Madison before I bought the movie wondering how they were going to dramatize one America's most beloved first ladies. I started the movie with mixed emotions and finished it feeling the same.Ginger Rogers was a great actress but she doesn't pull off a convincing Dolley Madison-there's something missing. I don't know what it is, but it just isn't there. I did manage to overlook Rogers performance and applaud David Niven who was perhaps my favorite character. He pulled off the scheming Aaron Burr to perfection. From the beginning as a senator, to the tie with Jefferson in the election of 1800, to the treason trial that forced him into obscurity. It was Aaron Burr who introduced Dolley to James Madison in the first place. Reading the box I knew Burgess Meredith would play James Madison it was a shock to see him (I'm dating myself here when I say the first time I saw him was in Grumpy Old Men). I liked him second, his smallness (after all James Madison is still our shortest president at 5'6') and his quiet way made it easy to understand why Dolley Madison choice him instead of Aaron Burr.After watching this movie I had rather hoped that Hollywood would find someone to redo this movie. I think Dolley Madison's life is just as interesting as Thomas Jefferson's. Maybe if they do choose to redo this movie they could show that she had two sons (in the movie it only mentions one son who died in the yellow fever epidemic but actually she had one older that lived). The elder son, named Payne Todd, from Dolley's first husband who died in the Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic of 1794, is the one who caused many heartaches in Dolley's later years even though she didn't admit it. He was a drunkard and a scoundrel and spent money lavishly. To get back to the movie, overall it wasn't bad. If you like period pieces and good verses evil you'll enjoy this movie. It wasn't the best movie I've seen but wasn't the worst. The acting was good; especially David Niven and Burgess Meredith did an okay job. They played a little bit with Dolley's life but you can't expect Hollywood to get it right all the time.