The Prince and the Pauper | |
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Directed by | William Keighley |
Screenplay by | Laird Doyle Catherine Chisholm Cushing |
Based on | The Prince and the Pauper 1881 novel by Mark Twain |
Produced by | Jack L. Warner Hal B. Wallis |
Starring | Errol Flynn Billy and Bobby Mauch Claude Rains Henry Stephenson |
Cinematography | Sol Polito George Barnes |
Edited by | Ralph Dawson |
Music by | Erich Wolfgang Korngold |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 118 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $858,000 [1] |
Box office | $1,691,000 [1] |
The Prince and the Pauper is a 1937 film adaptation of the 1881 novel of the same name by Mark Twain. It starred Errol Flynn, twins Billy and Bobby Mauch in the title roles, and Claude Rains and has been described as "a kids' fantasy." [2]
The film was originally intended to coincide with the planned coronation of Edward VIII in 1936. However, its release was delayed until the following year. [3] The film was released on May 8, 1937, four days before the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
The second theme of the final movement of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's violin concerto was drawn from the music he composed for this film.
In Tudor England, two boys are born on the same day in the most different circumstances imaginable. Tom Canty is the son of vicious criminal John Canty, while Edward Tudor is the Prince of Wales and the son of King Henry VIII of England. One grows up in poverty, hungering for something better, taught to read and reason by the wise Father Andrew. The other dwells in isolated luxury, and possesses a strong curiosity about the outside world.
They meet and are astounded by their striking resemblance to each other. As a prank, they exchange clothes, but the Captain of the Guard mistakes the prince for the pauper and throws him out of the palace grounds. Tom is unable to convince anybody except for the Earl of Hertford of his identity. Everyone else is convinced that he is mentally ill. When Henry VIII dies, Hertford threatens to expose Tom—condemning him to a traitor's death—unless he does as he is told. Hertford also blackmails the Captain into searching for the real prince to eliminate that dangerous loose end.
Meanwhile, Edward finds an amused, if disbelieving, protector in Miles Hendon. Hendon's opinion of Edward's story changes after Hertford, fearing for his power if the real king lives, instigates an attempt to assassinate the boy. With Hendon's help, Edward manages to re-enter the palace just in time to interrupt the coronation ceremony and prove his identity. Edward becomes King Edward VI while Tom is made a ward of the new king, Hertford is banished for life, and Hendon is rewarded for his services (one of these being the right to sit in the presence of the king).
Warner Bros had Billy and Bobby Mauch under contract, and had used them separately in Anthony Adverse , The White Angel and The Charge of the Light Brigade . [4] The studio announced The Prince and the Pauper as part of their line up in June 1936. [5] (They bought the rights to the story from Twain's estate for $75,000. [6] )
Patric Knowles was cast for the role of Miles in October. [7] However Jack L. Warner then decided he wanted someone with a bigger name and asked Errol Flynn to do it. [8]
According to Warner Bros records, the film earned $1,026,000 domestically and $665,000 foreign making it the studio's most popular film of the year. [1]
Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times wrote, "Bobby and Billy justify their twinship completely, not merely by investing the Twain legend of mistaken royal identity with a pleasing degree of credibility, but by playing their roles with such straightforwardness and naturalness that the picture becomes one of the most likable entertainments of the year ... The novel and the screen have been bridged so gracefully we cannot resist saying the Twain and the movies have met." [9] Variety published a negative review, reporting: "The fragile plot scarcely holds together a full length screen play", and suggesting that its running time could have been trimmed at the beginning so Flynn could enter the film earlier. [10] John Mosher of The New Yorker praised the film as "a fine spectacle". [11] Harrison's Reports called it "An excellent costume picture" with "outstanding" performances. [12]
The Prince and the Pauper is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. The plot concerns the ascension of nine-year-old Edward VI of England in 1547 and his interactions with look-alike Tom Canty, a London pauper who lives with his abusive, alcoholic father.
Alan Hale Sr. was an American actor and director. He is best remembered for his many character roles, in particular as a frequent sidekick of Errol Flynn, as well as films supporting Lon Chaney, Wallace Beery, Douglas Fairbanks, James Cagney, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, and Ronald Reagan. Hale was usually billed as Alan Hale and his career in film lasted 40 years. His son, Alan Hale Jr., also became an actor and remains most famous for playing "the Skipper" on the television series Gilligan's Island.
The Charge of the Light Brigade is a 1936 American historical adventure film from Warner Bros., starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. It was directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Samuel Bischoff, with Hal B. Wallis as the executive producer. The film's screenplay is by Michael Jacoby and Rowland Leigh, from a story by Michael Jacoby, and based on the 1854 poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The music score was composed by Max Steiner, his first for Warner Bros., and the cinematography was by Sol Polito. Scenes were shot at the following California locations: Lone Pine, Sherwood Lake, Lasky Mesa, Chatsworth, and Sonora. The Sierra Nevada mountains were used for the Khyber Pass scenes.
William John Mauch and his identical twin brother, Robert Joseph Mauch, were child actors in the 1930s. They had starring roles in the 1937 film The Prince and the Pauper, based on the 1881 novel of the same name by Mark Twain.
Montagu Love was an English screen, stage and vaudeville actor.
The Prince and the Pauper is a 1977 British action-adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer, based on the 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. It stars Oliver Reed, Ernest Borgnine, Raquel Welch, George C. Scott, Charlton Heston, Sir Rex Harrison, and Mark Lester, playing the dual role of Edward VI of England and Tom Canty.
The film appearances of movie actor Errol Flynn (1909–1959) are listed here, including his short films and one unfinished feature.
Green Light is a 1937 American drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Errol Flynn, Anita Louise and Margaret Lindsay. The film is adapted from a novel written by Lloyd C. Douglas. The novel is closely related to Douglas' previous book, Magnificent Obsession, which was also adapted as a movie. It was Flynn's first starring role in a studio film that was not an action movie.
Edward VI of England has been depicted in popular culture a number of times.
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The Perfect Specimen is a 1937 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn and Joan Blondell. The picture is based on a novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams.
The Dark Avenger is a 1955 British historical action adventure film in CinemaScope directed by Henry Levin. The screenplay was written by Daniel B. Ullman. The film stars Errol Flynn, Joanne Dru and Peter Finch. The music score is by Cedric Thorpe Davie. It is also known as The Warriors in the United States, and had a working title of The Black Prince in the United Kingdom.
The Prince and the Pauper is an 1881 novel by Mark Twain.
The Prince and the Pauper is a 1920 Austrian silent adventure film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Tibor Lubinszky, Albert Schreiber, and Adolf Weisse. It is based on Mark Twain's 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper about a poor boy who switches places with Edward, Prince of Wales in Tudor England.
Thomas "Tom" Canty is a fictitious character from Mark Twain's 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper. He was born the same day as Edward Tudor, the Prince of Wales in 1537 and grew up in a life of poverty with his abusive, alcoholic father and grandmother. His mother and his sisters always tried to protect him. He was well educated and learned Latin from Father Andrew, a local priest. One day, while taking a stroll, he meets Edward. They exchange clothes with one another, and then due to a mistake, it is assumed that Tom is the Prince of Wales, not Edward. When King Henry VIII died, Edward was to be crowned King, however Tom is nearly crowned instead.
The Prince and the Pauper is a lost 1915 silent film adventure starring Marguerite Clark based on the 1881 novel by Mark Twain. The film was produced by the Famous Players Film Company and was directed by Edwin S. Porter and Hugh Ford.
Ted Billings was an American character actor of the silent and sound film eras. Born in London, England on April 7, 1880, Billings made his film debut in the role of the Witch, in 1917's The Babes in the Woods, which starred Francis Carpenter and Virginia Lee Corbin as Hansel and Gretel. Over the course of his career he would appear in over 100 films, mostly in unnamed, un-credited roles.
The Prince and the Pauper is a British action adventure film of 2000 directed by Giles Foster, based on the 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. It stars Alan Bates, Aidan Quinn, and the twin brothers Jonathan and Robert Timmins as the lookalikes Edward VI of England and Tom Canty.
The coronation of Edward VI as King of England and Ireland took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on 20 February 1547. Edward ascended the throne following the death of King Henry VIII.