The Prince and the Pauper (1937)

Popularity:

Up 113% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

William Keighley
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Writers:

Mark Twain (novel)
Laird Doyle (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

8 May 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Mark Twain's Immortal Classic !

Plot:

Two look-alike boys, one a poor street kid and the other a prince, exchange places to see what the other's life is like.

Plot Keywords:

Guard | Branding | Jane Seymour | Wench | Biscuits

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Errol Flynn	...	Miles Hendon
Claude Rains	...	Earl of Hertford
Henry Stephenson	...	Duke of Norfolk
Barton MacLane	...	John Canty
Billy Mauch	...	Tom Canty (as The Mauch Twins)
Robert J. Mauch	...	Prince Edward (as The Mauch Twins)
Alan Hale	...	Captain of the Guard
Eric Portman	...	First Lord
Lionel Pape	...	Second Lord
Leonard Willey	...	Third Lord
Murray Kinnell	...	Hugo
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Archbishop
Phyllis Barry	...	Barmaid
Ivan F. Simpson	...	Clemens (as Ivan Simpson)
Montagu Love	...	Henry VIII
Fritz Leiber	...	Father Andrew
Elspeth Dudgeon	...	Grandmother Canty
Mary Field	...	Mrs. Canty
Forrester Harvey	...	Meaty Man
Joan Valerie	...	Lady Jane Seymour (as Helen Valkis)
Lester Matthews	...	St. John
Robert Adair	...	First Guard
Harry Cording	...	Second Guard
Robert Warwick	...	Lord Warwick
Rex Evans	...	Rich Man
Holmes Herbert	...	First Doctor
Ian Maclaren	...	Second Doctor (as Ian MacLaren)
Anne Howard	...	Lady Jane Grey (as Ann Howard)
Gwendolyn Jones	...	Lady Elizabeth
Lionel Braham	...	Ruffler
Harry Beresford	...	The Watch
Lionel Belmore	...	Innkeeper
Ian Wolfe	...	Proprietor (as Ian Wolf)
St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers	...	Choir (as St. Luke's Choristers)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jimmy Aubrey	...	Tramp (uncredited)
Frank Baker	...	Man at Inn (uncredited)
Daisy Belmore	...	Cockney (uncredited)
Wilson Benge	...	Man at Inn (uncredited)
Frank Benson	...	Beggar (uncredited)
Jack Best	...	(uncredited)
Ted Billings	...	Tinker (uncredited)
Sidney Bracey	...	Man in Window (uncredited)
Peter Bronte	...	Man at Inn (uncredited)
George Broughton	...	Man at Inn (uncredited)
George Bunny	...	Cockney (uncredited)
Rita Carlyle	...	(uncredited)
Charles Coleman	...	Watchman (uncredited)
Edward Cooper	...	Presbyter (uncredited)
Robert Cory	...	(uncredited)
Carrie Daumery	...	Lady at Court (uncredited)
Kay Deslys	...	(uncredited)
Larry Dods	...	Horseman (uncredited)
Harry Duff	...	Urchin (uncredited)
Fred Ellis	...	Urchin (uncredited)
Peter Ellis	...	Urchin (uncredited)
Harold Entwistle	...	Old man (uncredited)
Leslie Francis	...	Man at Inn (uncredited)
John George	...	Beggar (uncredited)
Douglas Gordon	...	(uncredited)
Hubert F. Greenwood	...	Archbishop (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Beggar (uncredited)
Edward Harvey	...	Lord (uncredited)
Patricia Hayes	...	(uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson	...	Watchman #1 (uncredited)
John Hyde	...	Man (uncredited)
Noel Kennedy	...	Urchin #1 (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	Watchman #2 (uncredited)
George Kirby	...	Proprietor of Inn (uncredited)
Raymond Lawrence	...	Lord (uncredited)
Connie Leon	...	(uncredited)
Billy Maguire	...	Urchin #2 (uncredited)
Charles McNaughton	...	Ugly Man (uncredited)
Doreen Munroe	...	(uncredited)
Ottola Nesmith	...	Lady in Waiting (uncredited)
Mrs. Wilfrid North	...	Lady in Waiting (uncredited)
Elsie Prescott	...	Woman in Window (uncredited)
John J. Richardson	...	Beggar (uncredited)
Tom Ricketts	...	Sexton Ringing Bell (uncredited)
Clifford Severn	...	Urchin #3 (uncredited)
Yorke Sherwood	...	Innkeeper (uncredited)
Charlie Simpson	...	Cockney (uncredited)
Eric Snowden	...	Cockney (uncredited)
John Graham Spacey	...	Petty Officer (uncredited)
Ernie Stanton	...	Guard (uncredited)
Will Stanton	...	Man in Crowd (uncredited)
Spencer Teakle	...	Man at Inn (uncredited)
Lotus Thompson	...	Lady in Waiting (uncredited)
Cyril Thornton	...	Man at Inn (uncredited)
Leo White	...	Jester (uncredited)
Tom Wilson	...	One-Eyed Beggar (uncredited)
Claude Wisberg	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
William Keighley
William Dieterle		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Mark Twain		(novel "The Prince and the Pauper")
Laird Doyle		(screenplay)
Catherine Chisholm Cushing		(dramatic version)

Produced by
Robert Lord	....	associate producer (uncredited)
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Jack L. Warner	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Cinematography by
Sol Polito		(photography)
George Barnes		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Ralph Dawson

Art Direction by
Robert M. Haas		(as Robert Haas)

Costume Design by
Milo Anderson		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chuck Hansen	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Oliver S. Garretson	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
James Gibbons	....	special effects (uncredited)
Willard Van Enger	....	special effects (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Milan Roder	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. (as a Warner Bros.-First National Picture)
• First National Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (1937) (USA) (theatrical) (as Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
• Warner Bros. (1937) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. First National Pictures (1937) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Brothers First National Films (1937) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1937) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. First National Films (1938) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (reissue)
• Associated Artists Productions (AAP) (1956) (USA) (TV)
• Turner Home Video (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Emerald (2011) (Argentina) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Western Costume Company  costumes (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Netherlands:AL (original rating) (1937) | Norway:7 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #2932) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros.

Trivia:

Patric Knowles was originally cast as Miles Hendon.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the end of the movie the Lord rushes to Edwards room to retrieve the Royal Seal. As he leaves the room with the seal the door is left partially open, in the very next shot of the two guards standing at the door, the door has closed.

Quotes:

[Tom - as the prince - is signing documents]
Tom Canty:Please, sir, how much longer must I do this?
Earl of Hertford:This is the last, sire.
Tom Canty:[starts to read the document] "Authorizes an increased tax on windows..." Do you mean to say we have a tax on windows?
Earl of Hertford:May I suggest that your majesty cease troubling himself about...
Tom Canty:But I'm head of the government. It's my job to be troubled about these things. And I think a tax on windows is cruel... unjust.
Earl of Hertford:The royal treasury is empty, sire. Every means of replenishing it must be taken.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Johnny Bravo: Karma Krisis/A Star Is Bruised/The Prince and the Pinhead (#2.3)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

The Roost Song

Good wholesome, adventurous fun for all ages!

Mark Twain's classic tale of a pair of look-alike boys in 16th century England is given the glossy Hollywood treatment in this very entertaining effort. Billy and Bobby Mauch, 12 year old twin brothers, star, one as the heir to the throne of England and the other as a street urchin. By accident, each is mistaken for the other and when the king dies, the pauper may be crowned instead of the rightful prince. Claude Rains is his usual steady self as the traitorous wretch who realizes his chance to seize power with the pauper in charge. Errol Flynn may be billed as the star, but he does not appear until halfway through the film. He becomes the prince's protector. Of course, he does not know that the young beggar is the prince. Flynn is good as always in this fun filled film.