''A Connecticut Yankee'' is a 1931 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

film adaptation of Mark Twain's 1889 novel, ''

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The book was originally titled ''A Yankee in King Arthur's Court''. Some early editions are titled ''A Yankee at the Court of King Arth ...

''. It was directed by David Butler to a script by

William M. Conselman William Marien Conselman (July 10, 1896 – May 25, 1940) was an American screenwriter who also wrote newspaper comic strips under his Bill Conselman byline and sometimes under the pseudonym Frank Smiley. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, ...

, Owen Davis, and Jack Moffitt. It was produced by

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...

(later

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

), who had earlier produced the 1921 silent adaptation of the novel, ''

''. ''A Connecticut Yankee'' is the first

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

adaptation of Twain's novel.Grellner, Alice; and Harty, Kevin J. (1991). "Films". In

Norris J. Lacy Norris J. Lacy (born March 8, 1940 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky) is an American scholar focusing on French medieval literature. He was the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor Emeritus of French and Medieval Studies at the Pennsylvania State University until ...

, ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', p. 152 (New York: Garland, 1991); . It is unrelated to the 1927 musical also titled '' A Connecticut Yankee''. As in '' The Wizard of Oz'', many of the actors in the film play more than one role, a character in the real world and one in the dream world. The film stars Will Rogers as Hank Martin, an American accidental

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

er who finds himself in

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...

back in the days of King Arthur (

William Farnum William Farnum (July 4, 1876 – June 5, 1953) was an American actor. He was a star of American silent film cinema and became one of the highest-paid actors during that time. Biography Farnum was born on July 4, 1876, in Boston, Massachuse ...

, a Fox star for many years).

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...

and Brandon Hurst play the evil

Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay (, meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan ''n''a, Morgain ''a/e Morg ''a''ne, Morgant ''e Morge ''i''n, and Morgue ''inamong other names and spellings ( cy, Morgên y Dylwythen Deg, kw, Morgen an Spyrys), is a ...

and Merlin, who must be overcome by Hank's modern technical knowledge, while

Maureen O'Sullivan Maureen O'Sullivan (17 May 1911 – 23 June 1998) was an Irish-American actress, who played Jane in the ''Tarzan'' series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She performed with such actors as Laurence Olivier, Greta Garbo, William ...

plays Alisande. The hero's name was changed from Hank Morgan to Hank Martin, possibly because the original name sounded too similar to that of actor

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...

. A trailer for the film exists at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress'' (<-book title) or trailer onlyp.35 c.1978 by The American Film Institute

Plot

Radio salesman Hank Martin ( Will Rogers), after being knocked out by a toppled suit of armor, travels back in time to

where he is welcomed by King Arthur (

) and must use his modern knowledge to stop

Morgana Le Fay Morgan le Fay (, meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan ''n''a, Morgain ''a/e Morg ''a''ne, Morgant ''e Morge ''i''n, and Morgue ''inamong other names and spellings ( cy, Morgên y Dylwythen Deg, kw, Morgen an Spyrys), is a ...

(

) and Merlin ( Brandon Hurst) from taking over.

Cast

* Will Rogers as Hank Martin *

as King Arthur/Inventor *

Frank Albertson Francis Healey Albertson (February 2, 1909 – February 29, 1964) was an American actor who had supporting roles in films such as ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and ''Psycho (1960 film), Psycho'' (1960). Early life Albertson was a nat ...

as Emile le Poulet/Clarence *

as Alisande/Woman in Mansion * Brandon Hurst as Merlin/Doctor in Mansion *

/Evil Sister in Mansion * Mitchell Harris as Sagramor/Butler in Mansion *

Heinie Conklin Heinie Conklin (born Charles John Conklin; July 16, 1880July 30, 1959) was an American actor and comedian whose career began in the silent film era. Early years Conklin was born Charles John Conklin on July 16, 1880, in San Francisco, Califo ...

as Sneezing Man (uncredited)

Production

Fox was likely inspired to produce ''A Connecticut Yankee'' based on the success of the 1921 silent film. The 1931 version was likewise successful, and was re-released in 1936. The film cost $750,000 to make; the production used 174 Austin automobiles, among other pieces of modern machinery, to make the final battle scene. It was a commercial success despite being released during the Depression. Although the film was released in black and white, director David Butler used progressively darker shades of pink tint to emphasize a scene in which Morgana Le Fay flirts with Hank Martin.

Notes

References

Lacy, Norris J. Norris J. Lacy (born March 8, 1940 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky) is an American scholar focusing on France, French medieval literature. He was the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor Emeritus of French and Medieval Studies at the Pennsylvania State University ...

(1991). ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia''. New York: Garland. .

External links