The Howards of Virginia (1940)

The film is set in colonial Virginia between the 1750s and 1781. Matt Howard (Cary Grant), orphaned son of a backwoods Virginia farmer... See full synopsis »

Director:

Frank Lloyd

Writers:

Sidney Buchman (screenplay), Elizabeth Page (novel)

Stars:

Cary Grant, Martha Scott, Cedric Hardwicke

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cary Grant	...	Matt Howard
Martha Scott	...	Jane Peyton-Howard
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Fleetwood Peyton (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Alan Marshal	...	Roger Peyton
Richard Carlson	...	Thomas Jefferson
Paul Kelly	...	Capt. Jabez Allen
Irving Bacon	...	Tom Norton
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Aunt Clarissa (as Elizabeth Risdon)
Anne Revere	...	Mrs. Betsy Norton
Tom Drake	...	James Howard at 16 (as Richard Alden)
Phil Taylor	...	Peyton Howard at 18
Rita Quigley	...	Mary Howard at 17
Libby Taylor	...	Dicey
Richard Gaines	...	Patrick Henry
George Houston	...	George Washington

Storyline

The film is set in colonial Virginia between the 1750s and 1781. Matt Howard (Cary Grant), orphaned son of a backwoods Virginia farmer... See full synopsis »

---

Plot Keywords:

loss of father | desertion | boston massachusetts | legislator | snobbery | 

---

Taglines:

The Vivid Drama Of A Nation's Birth !

---

Genres:

Drama | History | War

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Howard le révolté

Filming Locations:

Carter's Grove - 8797 Pocahontas Trail, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Frank Lloyd Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cary Grant considered himself to be miscast.

---

Goofs

During a scene where Matt Howard (Cary Grant) is in his room shaving, with shaving soap on his face, and having a conversation with Thomas Jefferson (Richard Carlson) - A knock on the door is heard - Fleetwood Peyton (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) enters, Matt Howard turns to Fleetwood and the shaving soap has disappeared from his face.

---

Soundtracks

"Yankee Doodle"
(ca. 1755) (uncredited)
Traditional music of English origin
In the score during a war scene

User Reviews

Could have been better

Simpler than it first appears. This movie tries to be an epic about a frontier man transformed into a civic and military leader - but it doesn't try that hard. Cary Grant doesn't look like he knows quite how to play this guy, and I don't blame him. The material isn't wonderful, although it's a nice story. The wrong elements of the plot are emphasized, and the character of Matthew Howard is less a complicated man than a simple cypher.

It's not a bad movie by any means, but it looks like it's trying desperately to copy "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Gone with the Wind" at the same time. It just doesn't have the legs for either one. I give this movie a 6 for Cary's personal magnetism, even in a stifling role like this one.