The Vagabond King (1956 film)
Encyclopedia
The Vagabond King is a 1956 musical film
remake
of the 1925 operetta
The Vagabond King
by Rudolf Friml
. It starred Kathryn Grayson
and Oreste Kirkop
, with early roles for Rita Moreno
and Leslie Nielsen
. Sir Cedric Hardwicke played a notable supporting role. It was Walter Hampden
's last movie. Hampden, who played King Louis XI, died more than a year before its release. Mary Grant designed the film's costumes.
(tenor Oreste Kirkop
) is crowned "king for a day" by King Louis XI (Walter Hampden
). He patriotically rallies his fellow beggars to fight when Paris is invaded by the Burgundians. Kathryn Grayson stars as the high-born heroine, and Rita Moreno as the lusty low-born wench, whose love for Villon eventually costs her her life.
, lyrics by Johnny Burke
unless otherwise indicated.
danced by ballet dancers at the King's Court
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the 1925 operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
The Vagabond King
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 play If I Were King...
by Rudolf Friml
Rudolf Friml
Rudolf Friml was a composer of operettas, musicals, songs and piano pieces, as well as a pianist. After musical training and a brief performing career in his native Prague, Friml moved to the United States, where he became a composer...
. It starred Kathryn Grayson
Kathryn Grayson
Kathryn Grayson was an American actress and operatic soprano singer.From the age of twelve, Grayson trained as an opera singer. She was under contract to MGM by the early 1940s, soon establishing a career principally through her work in musicals...
and Oreste Kirkop
Oreste Kirkop
Oreste Kirkop was born in Ħamrun in 1923. Oreste made his operatic debut in 1945 as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana. He continued singing opera with visiting Italian companies and appeared in concert with Tito Gobbi and Maria Caniglia....
, with early roles for Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
and Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
. Sir Cedric Hardwicke played a notable supporting role. It was Walter Hampden
Walter Hampden
Walter Hampden is the artist name of Walter Hampden Dougherty was a U.S. actor and theatre manager. He was the younger brother of the American painter Paul Dougherty ....
's last movie. Hampden, who played King Louis XI, died more than a year before its release. Mary Grant designed the film's costumes.
Plot
In fifteenth century France, the irreverent beggar François VillonFrançois Villon
François Villon was a French poet, thief, and vagabond. He is perhaps best known for his Testaments and his Ballade des Pendus, written while in prison...
(tenor Oreste Kirkop
Oreste Kirkop
Oreste Kirkop was born in Ħamrun in 1923. Oreste made his operatic debut in 1945 as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana. He continued singing opera with visiting Italian companies and appeared in concert with Tito Gobbi and Maria Caniglia....
) is crowned "king for a day" by King Louis XI (Walter Hampden
Walter Hampden
Walter Hampden is the artist name of Walter Hampden Dougherty was a U.S. actor and theatre manager. He was the younger brother of the American painter Paul Dougherty ....
). He patriotically rallies his fellow beggars to fight when Paris is invaded by the Burgundians. Kathryn Grayson stars as the high-born heroine, and Rita Moreno as the lusty low-born wench, whose love for Villon eventually costs her her life.
Cast
- Kathryn GraysonKathryn GraysonKathryn Grayson was an American actress and operatic soprano singer.From the age of twelve, Grayson trained as an opera singer. She was under contract to MGM by the early 1940s, soon establishing a career principally through her work in musicals...
as Catherine de Vaucelles - Oreste KirkopOreste KirkopOreste Kirkop was born in Ħamrun in 1923. Oreste made his operatic debut in 1945 as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana. He continued singing opera with visiting Italian companies and appeared in concert with Tito Gobbi and Maria Caniglia....
as François VillonFrançois VillonFrançois Villon was a French poet, thief, and vagabond. He is perhaps best known for his Testaments and his Ballade des Pendus, written while in prison... - Rita MorenoRita MorenoRita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
as Huguette - Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Tristan L'HermiteTristan l'HermiteSee also François Tristan l'HermiteTristan l'Hermite was a French political and military figure of the late Middle Ages.He was provost of the marshals of the King's household under Louis XI of France, which gave him enormous power in the Intrigues and plots that characterized that king's 22-year...
- Walter HampdenWalter HampdenWalter Hampden is the artist name of Walter Hampden Dougherty was a U.S. actor and theatre manager. He was the younger brother of the American painter Paul Dougherty ....
as King Louis XI - Leslie NielsenLeslie NielsenLeslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
as Thibault - William PrinceWilliam Prince (actor)William LeRoy Prince was an American actor who appeared in numerous soap operas and made dozens of guest appearances on primetime series as well as playing villains in movies like The Gauntlet and Spontaneous Combustion.-Biography:Prince was born in Nichols, New York, the son of Myrtle , a nurse...
as Rene - Jack LordJack LordJohn Joseph Patrick Ryan , best known by his stage name Jack Lord, was an American television, film, and Broadway actor. He was known for his starring role as Steve McGarrett in the American television program Hawaii Five-O from 1968 to 1980. Lord appeared in feature films earlier in his career,...
as Ferrebone - Billy Vine as Jacques
- Vincent PriceVincent PriceVincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
as the narrator
Music
Music composed by Rudolf FrimlRudolf Friml
Rudolf Friml was a composer of operettas, musicals, songs and piano pieces, as well as a pianist. After musical training and a brief performing career in his native Prague, Friml moved to the United States, where he became a composer...
, lyrics by Johnny Burke
Johnny Burke (lyricist)
Johnny Burke was a lyricist, widely regarded as one of the finest writers of popular songs in America between the 1920s and 1950s.-Biography:...
unless otherwise indicated.
- "Bon Jour" - sung by Oreste Kirkop
- "Vive La You" - performed by Rita Moreno and Vagabonds
- "Some DaySome Day (1925 song)"Some Day" is a song, with music by Rudolf Friml and words by Brian Hooker, originally published in 1925. It was included in Friml's operetta The Vagabond King, sung by Caroline Thomas in the role of Katherine de Vaucelles....
" - lyrics by Brian HookerBrian HookerBrian S. Hooker, PhD, PE, is a bioengineer and the team leader for the High Throughput Biology Team and Operations Manager of the DOE Genomics: Genomes to Life Center for Molecular and Cellular Systems at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory . Hooker also is credited as a co-inventor for...
, sung by Kathryn Grayson - "Comparisons" - sung by Kirkop and Vagabonds
- "Huguette Waltz" - lyrics by Brian Hooker, sung by Moreno
- "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
See also
- The Beloved RogueThe Beloved RogueThe Beloved Rogue is a 1927 American silent film, loosely based on the life of the 15th century French poet, François Villon. The film was directed by Alan Crosland for United Artists....
, 1927 film - If I Were KingIf I Were KingIf I Were King is a 1938 American biographical historical drama film starring Ronald Colman as medieval poet François Villon, and featuring Basil Rathbone and Frances Dee...
, 1938 film - Jack Lord filmography