Directed by Walter Lang and produced by Sol C. Siegel from a screenplay by Valentine Davies and Phoebe and Henry Ephron, it is the studio's fourth[3] film based on the 1934 play The Red Cat by Rudolph Lothar and Hans Adler.

This version stars Danny Kaye, Gene Tierney and Corinne Calvet, with Marcel Dalio, Henri Letondal and Sig Ruman.

The studio had signed Kaye for a one-picture deal, and revived the story as a vehicle for the multi-talented actor, who had a history of playing dual or multiple roles.

[5] At the Côte d'Azur nightclub in Monte Carlo, American entertainer Jack Martin is a hit with his singing, dancing and impressions.

One night, everyone in the club flocks to a television to watch famed aviator Captain Henri Duran land in Nice, concluding a record-breaking round-the-world flight.

Air Europa Director Periton is delaying his purchase of their planes, clearly hoping to ruin their company and take it over.

At the nightclub, Lili and Duran are holding hands in the audience while Jack, the chorus and Colette do an exuberant number: "Happy Ending".

The Red Cat, which was produced for the stage by 20th Century Fox's Darryl Zanuck, ran for only 13 performances, but the studio benefited from the film adaptations.

Irving Cummings directed the 1941 adaptation, That Night in Rio, which stars Don Ameche, Alice Faye and Carmen Miranda.

[4] On the Riviera had trouble with the censors, who wrote: "the last part of the story...seems to be based in large measure on the suspicion of illicit relationships between the various characters."

However, the final script was approved, with Lili's temporary confusion over the identity of the man with whom she spent the night intact.

On Sunday, May 20, 1951, The New York Times featured a four-column-wide photo of the French puppet sequence at the top of Page 225.

[11][6] New York Times critic Bosley Crowther recalled the two previous versions of the story for his readers and continued: "Now, brushed up slightly by Valentine Davies and Phoebe and Henry Ephron; equipped with four musical numbers by Mr. Kaye's wife, Sylvia Fine, and turned out in gorgeous Technicolor that does justice to a splash production and a well-fed cast, it does service for Mr. Kaye's talents... (S)omething better could certainly have been found for this brilliant comedian's performance than this hackneyed and unexciting tale... the plot is too mixed up to follow and isn't very funny anyhow... Gene Tierney looks better in new garments than the old story looks upon her.

And Corinne Calvet is pretty but neglected.. Marcel Dalio and Henri Letondal do a Tweedledum and Tweedledee routine...

"[5] At the time of the film's release, Variety staff praised "the glib script, loaded with fast and furious dialog quips... Full range of the Kaye talent is used, both in the music-comedy divisions and in straight performance.

Four tunes, three of which are used to back the potent production numbers, were cleffed by Sylvia Fine to show off the Kaye talent for fun-making.

"[12] Writing for Turner Classic Movies in the 21st century, Jay S. Steinburg observes: "The studio dusted off a mistaken-identity screenplay that it had already utilized twice before; still, it proved an ideal fit for its star's strengths, and combined with beautiful female leads, colorful locales, and engaging set pieces, it delivered an entertainment that still holds up well.

"[13] Leonard Maltin gives the film 3 out of 4 stars: "Bouncy musicomedy with Danny in dual role as entertainer and French military hero.