The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)

When Grandduke Charles, the prince-regent of Carpathia, a fictitious Balkan country which could start a European war by switching alliances, visits London for the coronation of the new ... See full summary »

Director:

Laurence Olivier

Writers:

Terence Rattigan (by), Terence Rattigan (screenplay),

Stars:

Richard Wattis, David Horne, Laurence Olivier

Nominated for 5 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Wattis	...	Northbrook
David Horne	...	The Foreign Office
Jeremy Spenser	...	King Nicolas
Sybil Thorndike	...	The Queen Dowager
Laurence Olivier	...	The Regent
Harold Goodwin	...	Call Boy
Gladys Henson	...	Dresser
Marilyn Monroe	...	Elsie
Jean Kent	...	Maisie Springfield
Charles Victor	...	Theatre Manager
Daphne Anderson	...	Fanny
Vera Day	...	Betty
Gillian Owen	...	Maggie
Esmond Knight	...	Hoffman
Paul Hardwick	...	Major Domo

Storyline

When Grandduke Charles, the prince-regent of Carpathia, a fictitious Balkan country which could start a European war by switching alliances, visits London for the coronation of the new British King in 1911, and spends his one evening off at the Coconut Girl Club, the reputed stickler for protocol is so charmed by a clumsy American understudy that he orders his British attaché to invite her to the embassy for a private supper. Being overlooked and understanding German, she learns of the repressive attitude of the regent and the plans of his reformist, pro-German minor son, King Nicholas, to take over power by surprise, but doesn't dodge and tries to reconcile father and son. The queen-dowager decides to make her lady-in-waiting for the coronation day, so she stays in the picture to everyone else's surprise.

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Plot Keywords:

coronation | king | protocol | embassy | order | 

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Taglines:

Some countries have a medal for Everything.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

13 June 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sleeping Prince

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Three or four different copies of Marilyn Monroe's white dress were made to accommodate her fluctuating size. At the time she was suffering from various illnesses which caused severe amounts of water retention. She also suffered a miscarriage during filming.

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Goofs

The initial titles showing a pan across London, is clearly made from the south bank of the Thames. Whilst it correctly shows the monument to the Great Fire of London to the west of the Tower of London, it then shows Houses of Parliament way to the east of these. Parliament is actually way to the west of both in Westminster.

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Quotes

Elsie Marina: Oh, don't give me that. I'm an American citizen, no one can do anything to me. Besides, who cares about your old Balkan revolutions, anyway? You have them all the time.

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Connections

Referenced in The Hour: Episode #1.3 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"I Found a Dream"
(uncredited)
Music by Richard Addinsell
Lyric by Christopher Hassall

User Reviews

The Showgirl Reigns

I've seen enough of Laurence Olivier's work for the cinema to understand why, previous generations, considered him the greatest actor that ever lived. I was introduced to him in "The Boys From Brazil" so I didn't quite get it. Then in "Marathon Man" he was chilling. Only recently I've seen "Wuthering Heights" "Rebecca" "Hamlet" "Henry V" and "The Entertainer". He was unquestionably great. "The Prince and the Showgirl" presents an interesting picture of that famous "test of time" thing. The greatest actor that ever lived is, this time, not only acting with Marilyn Monroe but he's also directing her. Apparently they didn't get along. Olivier was, naturally, fed up with her lateness and her moods. He wasn't a model of diplomacy. He complained that her teeth looked yellow on the screen. That alone put her out of business for a couple of days. But now in 2005 we look at the film, forgetting all those amusing bit of nonsense and what do we see? The greatest living actor, acting, yes, acting up a storm. Doing justice to Rattingan's words and rhythms in the most respectful theatrical tradition. His performance, amusing as it is, seems completely embedded in 1957. Marilyn Monroe on the other hand travels with the times and her performance is as fresh and natural today as his is stuffy and calculated. She is glorious. Isn't funny, how time does what it does? I call it justice.