''Victoria Regina'' is an American

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

on November 30, 1961, as part of the anthology series ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

''. The production, covering 60 years in the life of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, was nominated for seven

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

, winning Program of the Year, Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for

Julie Harris Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary stage work, she received five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play. Harris debuted on Broadway in 1945, against the wish ...

), and Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actress (for Pamela Brown).

Plot

The production depicts the life of Great Britain's

through vignettes starting with her accession to the throne at age 18, covering her romance with Prince Albert, and ending with her time as an elderly widow at age 78.

Cast

The actors noted in the opening credits were: *

James Donald James Donald (18 May 1917 – 3 August 1993) was a Scottish actor. Tall and thin, he specialised in playing authority figures, particularly military doctors. Early life Donald was born in Aberdeen, the fourth son of a Scottish Presbyterian m ...

as Prince Albert *

Felix Aylmer Sir Felix Edward Aylmer Jones, OBE (21 February 1889 – 2 September 1979) was an English stage actor who also appeared in the cinema and on television. Aylmer made appearances in films with comedians such as Will Hay and George Formby. Early ...

Lord Melbourne William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, (15 March 177924 November 1848), in some sources called Henry William Lamb, was a British Whig politician who served as Home Secretary (1830–1834) and Prime Minister (1834 and 1835–1841). His first pre ...

* Pamela Brown as

Duchess of Kent Duchess of Kent is the principal courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four titles referring to Kent since the 18th century. The current duchess is Katharine, the wife of Prince Edward. He inherited the dukedom ...

, Victoria's mother *

Isabel Jeans Isabel Jeans (16 September 1891 – 4 September 1985) was an English stage and film actress known for her roles in several Alfred Hitchcock films and her portrayal of Aunt Alicia in the 1958 musical film '' Gigi''. Early life and career Bo ...

as mistress of the robes * Barry Jones as the Dean *

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

Lord Beaconsfield Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a centr ...

Inga Swenson Inga Swenson (born December 29, 1932) is an American actress and singer. She appeared in multiple Broadway productions and received two Tony nominations. She also spent seven years portraying Gretchen Kraus in the ABC comedy series ''Benson''. ...

as Lady Jane

Production

''Victoria Regina'' was based on

Laurence Housman Laurence Housman (; 18 July 1865 – 20 February 1959) was an English playwright, writer and illustrator whose career stretched from the 1890s to the 1950s. He studied art in London. He was a younger brother of the poet A. E. Housman and his s ...

play of the same name Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

, which ran on Broadway in the 1930s with

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...

in the title role. Robert Hartung adapted Housman's play for television. George Schaefer served as producer and director. One of the film's challenges was to have Harris believably age by 60 years from age 18 to age 78. NBC makeup artist Bob O'Bradovich used a combination of makeup and various devices, including a rubber mask and false nose to achieve the effect. One reviewer noted that the devices were a debit to the production, as Harris seemed "barely animated" behind the layers of latex. The film aired on

on November 30, 1961, as part of the ''

'' series.

Reception

Reviews

In ''The New York Times'', Jack Gould described Harris' performance as impeccable, magnificent, inspired, touching, and "a work of flowing ecstasy and poignancy." Gould also credited Robert O'Bradovich with a triumph for his makeup work. In the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', Cecil Smith called it "a rich and delicately woven tapestry that gave television its most rewarding 90 minutes of the season." For special honors, he called out Harris ("a superb performance"), Warren Clymer (scenery), and Noel Taylor (costumes). Cynthia Lowry of the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

wrote that it was "beautifully produced" and "meticulously performed". However, partly due to the shadow cast by

who played the role in the original stage production, Lowry opined that Harris "never was convincing as the great imperious queen". Fred Danzig of the UPI wrote: "Beautiful, beautiful acting. Sensible and sensitive direction by George Schaefer. And my compliments to Miss Harris's makeup man – 60 years from start to finish – was accomplished with impressive skill." Danzig also praised writer Robert Hartung for improving upon the original play. In January 1962, Percy Shain of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' selected ''Victoria Regina'' as television's best drama of 1961, noting that it was a "fairly easy" pick.

Emmy Awards

The production was nominated for seven

, winning three: Program of the Year, Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for Harris), and Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actress (for Brown). Additional nominations included Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for

and Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor for Barry Jones.

References

External links

* {{Queen Victoria 1961 television films 1961 films 1961 drama films 1960s biographical drama films 1960s historical drama films American biographical drama films American films based on plays American historical drama films Biographical television films Cultural depictions of Queen Victoria on film Cultural depictions of Queen Victoria on television American drama television films Emmy Award-winning programs Films set in the 19th century Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes Historical television films Films directed by George Schaefer 1960s English-language films 1960s American films