''The Vagabond King'' is a 1956 Paramount Pictures musical film directed by

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...

and starring

Kathryn Grayson Kathryn Grayson (born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick; February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010) was an American actress and coloratura soprano. Ronald Berganbr>Obituary '' London Guardian'', February 19, 2010. From the age of twelve, Grayson trai ...

, Rita Moreno,

Sir Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and ...

Walter Hampden Walter Hampden Dougherty (June 30, 1879 in Brooklyn – June 11, 1955 in Los Angeles), known professionally as Walter Hampden, was an American actor and theatre manager. He was a major stage star on Broadway in New York who also made numerou ...

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

, and Maltese singer Oreste Kirkop in his only feature film role. It is an adaptation of the 1925 operetta ''

The Vagabond King ''The Vagabond King'' is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic novel and play ''If I Were King''. The story is a fictionali ...

'' by

Rudolf Friml Charles Rudolf Friml"Mrs. Rudolf Friml to Receive Divorce"
...

. Hampden plays King Louis XI. Mary Grant designed the film's costumes.

Plot

In fifteenth century France, King

Louis XI 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 revol ...

(Walter Hampden) is besieged in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Charles, Duke of Burgundy Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

, and his allies. Even within the city, Louis' reign is disputed. The irreverent, persuasive beggar poet

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 ...

(tenor Oreste Kirkop) commands the loyalty of the commoners. Louis goes in disguise to a tavern to see what sort of a man this poet is. Villon reveals he has no love for the king. Afterward, Louis sees Thibault, his provost marshal, meeting in that very place with Rene, an agent of the Duke of Burgundy. Thibault shows Rene a list of those in Paris who are prepared to overthrow Louis. However, Villon, who has a grudge against Thibault, engages his enemy in a sword fight, during which the incriminating document falls on the floor and is picked up by Louis. The duel is stopped by the city guard. Louis reveals himself and has Villon and his companions thrown into the dungeon. Thibault, however, gets away. Later, Villon is brought to the king in his unusual garden; the trees bear the bodies of hanged traitors. Louis proposes to let him live, as the new provost marshal, until the Duke of Burgundy is driven away. When Villon turns him down, the king sweetens his offer by including time with Catherine de Vaucelles (Kathryn Grayson), a beautiful noblewoman Villon has fallen in love with and the lives of his friends. Villon accepts, and is introduced to Catherine as "Count François de Montcorbier" from Savoy. Rumor reaches her through her maid, Margaret, that she is to marry the count. She is puzzled at first, then becomes furious when she realizes who her betrothed really is. When she berates Villon for playing a horrible joke on her. He cannot convince her that his love is sincere, while she cannot persuade him that the king is a great man. Later, Louis' military commander, Antoine de Chabannes, conducts Villon to the dungeon, where he claims the leader of the secret traitors is being held. The turncoat turns out to be de Chabannes himself. Villon is captured, but then rescued when Louis is warned in time by Huguette, who loves Villon. Huguette also warns them that Jehan, a Burgundian agent, is rousing the rabble against Louis in Villon's name. Villon uses the Duke of Burgundy's own scheme against him. When traitors open the city gates to the enemy army, they march in, only to have the gates shut behind them, trapping them inside to be overwhelmed by the commoners under the leadership of Villon. In the fighting, Huguette is killed when she jumps in front of Villon to save him from an archer's arrow. Villon kills both the Duke of Burgundy and Thibault. Afterward, Villon willingly goes to the gallows to be hanged to fulfill the bargain he made. When the mob becomes outraged, Louis offers to spare Villon if someone will take his place. At the last moment, Catherine offers herself. Then Louis cites a law that spares any man who weds a noblewoman and sets Villon free, confiscating Catherine's wealth to pay for the costs of the war.

Cast

as Catherine de Vaucelles * Oreste Kirkop as

* Rita Moreno as Huguette *

Tristan L'Hermite :''See also François Tristan l'Hermite'' Tristan l'Hermite (died c. 1478) was a French political and military figure of the late Middle Ages. He was born in Flanders near the beginning of the century. He was provost of the marshals of the Kin ...

as King Louis XI *

as Thibault * William Prince as Rene *

Jack Lord John Joseph Patrick Ryan (December 30, 1920 – January 21, 1998), best known by his stage name, Jack Lord, was an American television, film and Broadway actor, director and producer. He starred as Steve McGarrett in the CBS television progra ...

as Ferrebouc * Billy Vine as Jacques *

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

as the narrator

Music

Music composed by

Rudolf Friml Charles Rudolf Friml"Mrs. Rudolf Friml to Receive Divorce"
...

, lyrics by Johnny Burke unless otherwise indicated. * " Bon Jour" - Sung by Oreste Kirkop * " Vive La You" - Performed by Rita Moreno (dubbed by

Eve Boswell Eve Boswell (born Éva Keleti; 11 May 1922 – 14 August 1998, was a Hungarian pop singer. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Eva's family moved to South Africa, where they worked with the Boswell Circus. After a few years in South Afric ...

) and Vagabonds * " Some Day" - lyrics by Brian Hooker - Sung by

* "

Comparisons Comparison or comparing is the act of evaluating two or more things by determining the relevant, comparable characteristics of each thing, and then determining which characteristics of each are similar to the other, which are different, and t ...

" - Sung by Kirkop and Vagabonds * " Huguette Waltz" - lyrics by Brian Hooker, Sung by Rita Moreno (dubbed by

) * " Only A Rose" - lyrics by Brian Hooker, presented by Kirkop and Grayson * " This Same Heart" - sung by Kirkop * " Watch Out For The Devil" - sung by Kirkop, Grayson and chorus, danced by ballet dancers at the King's Court * " Song of the Vagabonds" - from the original operetta, performed by Kirkop, Moreno and Vagabonds

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vagabond King (1956 Film), The 1956 films 1950s English-language films Paramount Pictures films Films about François Villon Films set in the 15th century Films scored by Rudolf Friml Films set in Paris American historical musical films 1950s historical musical films Cultural depictions of François Villon Films directed by Michael Curtiz 1950s American films