''The Vagabond King'' is a 1930 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, 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 censorshi ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

operetta film Operetta films (German: Operettenfilm) are a genre of musical films associated with, but not exclusive to, German language cinema. The genre began in the late 1920s, but its roots stretch back into the tradition of nineteenth century Viennese ope ...

photographed entirely in two-color

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

. The plot of the film was based on the 1925 operetta of the same name, which was based on the 1901 play ''If I Were King'' by

Justin Huntly McCarthy Justin Huntly McCarthy (1859 – 20 March 1936) was an Irish author, historian, and nationalist politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1884 to 1892, taking his seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was the son of ...

. The play told the story of the real-life renegade French

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

named

François Villon François Villon ( Modern French: , ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these ...

. The music of the film was based on a 1925 operetta, also based on the play ''If I Were King'' by McCarthy. The operetta is also titled ''The Vagabond King'' with music by Rudolph Friml and lyrics by Brian Hooker and W.H. Post. The film was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Art Direction.

Plot

The story takes place in

France in the Middle Ages The Kingdom of France in the Middle Ages (roughly, from the 10th century to the middle of the 15th century) was marked by the fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire and West Francia (843–987); the expansion of royal control by the House of C ...

. King

Louis XI of France Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revo ...

( O. P. Heggie) (reigned 1461-1483), hoping to enlist the French peasants in his upcoming battle against the Burgundians, appoints François Villon (

Dennis King Dennis King (born Dennis Pratt, 2 November 1897 – 21 May 1971) was an English actor and singer. Early years Born on 2 November 1897 in Coventry, Warwickshire, or Birmingham, England, King was the son of John and Elizabeth King Pratt. He ...

) king of France for one day. Despite being successful against the Burgundians, François Villon is sentenced to hang by King Louis XI for writing derogatory verses about him...

Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American singer and Actor, actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', ''Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow (1934 ...

is Katherine, the high-born girl whom Villon pines for, while Huguette, a tavern wench (

Lillian Roth Lillian Roth (December 13, 1910 – May 12, 1980) was an American singer and actress. Her life story was told in the 1955 film ''I'll Cry Tomorrow'', in which she was portrayed by Susan Hayward, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best ...

) gives up her life to save her beloved poet.

Cast

as François Villon *

as Katherine * O. P. Heggie as King Louis XI *

as Huguette *

Warner Oland Warner Oland (born Johan Verner Ölund; October 3, 1879 – August 6, 1938) was a Swedish-American actor. His career included time on Broadway and numerous film appearances. He is most remembered for playing several Chinese and Chinese-American ...

as Thibault * Arthur Stone as Oliver the barber *

Tom Ricketts Thomas B. Ricketts (15 January 1853 – 19 January 1939) was an English-born American stage and film actor and director who was a pioneer in the film industry. He portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in the first American film adaptation of ''A Christm ...

as The Astrologer (credited as Thomas Ricketts) *

Lawford Davidson Lawford Davidson (1 January 1890 –1964) was a British film actor.Lawford Davidson
at BFI He was born Cha ...

as Tristan *

Christian J. Frank Christian Julius Frank (March 13, 1890 – December 10, 1967) was an American actor. He appeared in 65 films between 1920 and 1948, mostly in uncredited roles. His most notable role was that of an irascible cop in the Laurel and Hardy short ' ...

as Executioner

Songs

* "Song of the Vagabonds" * "King Louis" * "Mary, Queen of Heaven" * " Some Day" * "If I Were King" * "What France Needs" * "Only a Rose" * "Huguette Waltz" * "Love Me Tonight" * "Nocturne" Six songs from the operetta were retained for the film, while four were specially written for it by different composers.

Production

recreated his original London and Broadway stage role as Villon in this film. *Dennis King and costar

did not get along particularly well, and matters came to a head when they filmed the song "Only a Rose". As MacDonald was singing a solo passage, the egotistical King managed to edge his profile into the shot; forever afterward, the diva scornfully referred to the number as "Only a Nose". *Composer Rudolf Friml had a stipulation in his contract that forbade the use of newly composed songs in this production. Paramount attempted to change the film's title to ''If I Were King'' and also had some new songs composed for the film. When Friml was made aware of the new songs, he sued the studio. As a result, Paramount changed the title back to ''The Vagabond King'' and paid Friml $50,000 to allow for the use of non-original songs.

Preservation

For many years, the film was seen only in black-and-white prints made for television release in the 1950s. At one time even the black-and-white prints were considered irretrievably lost. One nitrate Technicolor print did survive at the

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the ar ...

, and it was restored and preserved in 1990.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vagabond King (1930 film), The 1930 films 1930s color films 1930s historical musical films Paramount Pictures films Films based on Irish novels American films based on plays Films based on operettas Films set in the 15th century Films about François Villon Operetta films Films with screenplays by Herman J. Mankiewicz Films based on adaptations Films scored by John Leipold Films scored by Rudolf Friml American historical musical films Cultural depictions of François Villon Cultural depictions of Louis XI of France Films directed by Ludwig Berger 1930s English-language films 1930s American films