The merry monarch of the title is King Louis XV of France, here rechristened "Ludwig" and played by Alfred Neugebaur. For most of the film however, the king is shunted off to the background, while the spotlight is shifted to provincial coachman Chapelou (Willy Eichberger). Gaining fame as a singer, Chapelou is whisked off to Versailles, where he catches the eye of royal mistress Madame Pompadour (Thekla Ahrens), who tries to dispose of Chapelou's wife Madelaine (Rose Stradner) by confining her to her home. But Madelaine has her revenge when she shows up at the King's palace, posing as the Countess Latour. Yes, the King smiles, but not before La Pompadour is given plenty of reason to frown. This frothy costume escapade was originally released as Der Postillon von Lonjumeau. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi