The Emperor Waltz (German: Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame) is a 1948 American musical film directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Bing Crosby and Joan Fontaine.

Filmed in Jasper National Park in Canada,[6] the picture premiered in London, Los Angeles, and New York in the spring of 1948, and was officially released in the United States July 2, 1948.

[7] At the turn of the twentieth century, traveling salesman Virgil Smith (Bing Crosby) takes multiple journeys to Vienna, Austria, hoping to sell a gramophone to Emperor Franz Joseph, whose purchase of the recent American invention could spur its popularity with the Austrian people.

When Scheherezade experiences a nervous breakdown, she is treated by veterinarian Dr. Zwieback, who practices Freudian psychology, and he advises Johanna to force her dog to face Buttons in order to dissipate her fear.

Finally, the Emperor tells Virgil of the disastrous end to several similar matches he has seen in his long life, and makes him an offer: He will endorse the gramophone—which will lead to enormous sales and profits for Virgil—only if he breaks up with Johanna.

Several months later when Scheherezade gives birth to a litter of white puppies with black patches, it is obvious they were sired by Buttons and not, as everyone thought, by the Emperor's poodle.

However, Virgil, who has sneaked into the palace to see Johanna one last time and set the record straight before he leaves for America, rescues the puppies and confronts the Emperor, who he thinks has ordered the drowning.

Following the release of The Lost Weekend in late 1945, Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett began to collaborate on a film about the problems faced by American military personnel stationed in Europe following World War II.

Wilder recalled reading about Valdemar Poulsen, a Danish inventor who had demonstrated a magnetic recording device for Franz Joseph I of Austria in the hope the Emperor would help finance his invention, and he and Brackett used this bit of historical fact as the starting point for their screenplay, which initially was titled Viennese Story.

Burke also contributed lyrics to "Friendly Mountains", based on two Austrian yodeling songs, and "The Emperor Waltz", with music by Johann Strauss II, and he and Jimmy Van Heusen collaborated on "Get Yourself a Phonograph".

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times observed while the movie premiered at the Radio City Music Hall: "Picture it all in Technicolor, with the courtiers in flashing uniforms, the ladies in elegant dresses and Bing in an old straw hat, and you have a fair comprehension of the prospect and atmosphere ... Brackett and Wilder have made up with casualness and charm—and with a great deal of clever sight-humor—for the meagerness of the idea.

And Bing has provided the substance which the farcical bubble may lack ... Set against gorgeous mountain scenery and richly palatial rooms, The Emperor Waltz is a project which should turn the blue Danube to twinkling gold.

Co-star Joan Fontaine, better known for heavy, serious roles, demonstrates adaptability that fits neatly into the lighter demands and she definitely scores with charm and talent as the Crosby foil.

"[15] John McCarten of The New Yorker called the film "a pleasant bit of spoofing", adding, "This is ancient stuff, all right, but Bing Crosby, in the role of the phonograph salesman, makes everything seem effortless and diverting, and Joan Fontaine, as the countess, reveals a nice talent for farce.

"[17] Edith Head and Gile Steele were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Color Costume Design but lost to Dorothy Jeakins and Barbara Karinska for Joan of Arc.

Wilder and Brackett were nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Musical, but lost to Sidney Sheldon, Frances Goodrich, and Albert Hackett for Easter Parade.