Columbia had high hopes for Sternberg's next feature, "The King Steps Out", starring soprano Grace Moore and based on Fritz Kreisler's operetta "Cissy". A comedy of errors concerning Austrian royalty set in Vienna, the production was undermined by personal and professional discord between opera diva and director. Sternberg found himself unable to identify himself with his leading lady or adapt his style to the demands of operetta. Wishing to distance himself from the fiasco, Sternberg quickly departed Columbia Pictures after the film's completion. "The King Steps Out" is the only movie that he insisted be expunged from any retrospective of his work.