Darling Lili is a 1970 American romantic-musical spy film, written by William Peter Blatty and Blake Edwards, the latter also directing the film. It stars Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, and Jeremy Kemp, with music by Henry Mancini and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. This was the last full musical to have song lyrics written by Mercer.
Plot
During World War I, British pilots have polite dog-fights with their German rivals in northern France.
On the ground, Lili Smith is a beloved English musical star, much admired by French and British pilots. She mixes with them at Cafe Can-Can. One American, Major Larrabee, has a particular interest in her. He organises a gypsy serenade outside her window and a night-time champagne picnic. However, she is actually a German spy. She starts asking questions about his squadron. Lili's uncle, who is in constant contact, is Colonel Kurt Von Ruger, a more obvious German spy and her main contact to pass information to the German authorities.
Larrabee showers her with red roses, takes her to art galleries and takes her on a row-boat. Although she is tricking him, she starts to have real feelings of love. Ironically, the French authorities think Larrabee is the spy and ask Lili to keep an eye on him. In a restaurant a fellow pilot, Lieutenant Carstairs, lets slip that Larrabee is also having an affair with Crepe Suzette. Lili thinks that "Operation" Crepe Suzette is a military plan and reports it to her uncle.
The French authorities (Duvalle and Liggett) start to spy on both Larrabee and Lili. Lili deduces that Crepe Suzette is a woman. They go to Lili's bedroom with the French spying through the window. Lili accuses him of calling her "Suzette". He has actually said nothing but thinking he has, says that he said "My Pet". To escape his infidelity, he then says "Operation Crepe Suzette" is a military operation and gives her the made up details of the plan. Lili decides to believe the lie.
When one of the French tells her that Crepe Suzette is a girl in a burlesque show, she goes to weigh up the competition. She decides to introduce striptease into her own usually straight-laced show. When Larrabee tells the true story of his encounter with the Red Baron, she mocks him.
Lili gets Larrabee and Suzette arrested for treason. While Lili is awarded the Legion of Honour at a huge ceremony, Suzette happily tells the authorities all she knows. Lili's maid and chauffeur (who are having their own affair) discuss that Lili is "one step ahead of a firing squad". The maid tells her the news from the paper: that Suzette said that Larrabee had done nothing and was in love with "another woman" (i.e. Lili).
An assassin (Kraus) is sent to kill Lili but fails. She goes to the authorities to confess in an attempt to save Larrabee from the firing squad. They think it is just a romantic gesture and do not believe her. Her uncle plans an escape to Switzerland. They catch a train but Kraus tracks them down. However, Kraus is killed when a German squadron attacks the train. The British squadron (including Larrabee) fight them off. He sees Lili on the ground and tips his wing in salute.
The war ends and Lili is singing in Geneva. In the final song, Lili sings on a dark stage surrounded by pilots looking on from the wings. Larrabee comes out and kisses her and the crowd cheers.
Cast
Julie Andrews as Lili Smith/Schmidt
Rock Hudson as Major William Larrabee
Jeremy Kemp as Colonel Kurt Von Ruger
Gloria Paul as Crepe Suzette
Lance Percival as Lieutenant Carstairs, aka TC
Michael Witney as Youngblood Carson
Jacques Marin as Captain Duvalle
André Maranne as Lieutenant Liggett
Bernard Kay as Bedford the chauffeur
Doreen Keogh as Emma the maid
Carl Duering as General Kessler
Vernon Dobtcheff as Otto Kraus
Laurie Main as French General
Arthur Gould-Porter as Sgt. Wells
Ingo Mogendorf as Baron Manfred von Richtofen
Production
In 1967, Blake Edwards signed a four-picture deal with Paramount Pictures. The films he would make were Waterhole#3, Gunn, Mr Lucky and Darling Lili. Julie Andrews signed to play the lead in Darling Lili. Production was to start late in 1967. Executive producer Owen Crump began shooting second unit in 1967.