The King on Main Street

1925
1h

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Adolphe Menjou in The King on Main Street (1925)

King Serge IV of Molvania (Menjou) comes to Manhattan to conduct business with Arthur Trent (Kilgour), but instead goes to Coney Island, where he meets Gladys Humphreys (Love) and John Rockl... Read allKing Serge IV of Molvania (Menjou) comes to Manhattan to conduct business with Arthur Trent (Kilgour), but instead goes to Coney Island, where he meets Gladys Humphreys (Love) and John Rockland (Shaw). John, not knowing the king's royal identity, invites him to his home at Little... Read allKing Serge IV of Molvania (Menjou) comes to Manhattan to conduct business with Arthur Trent (Kilgour), but instead goes to Coney Island, where he meets Gladys Humphreys (Love) and John Rockland (Shaw). John, not knowing the king's royal identity, invites him to his home at Little Falls, New Jersey. The king falls in love with Gladys, but Trent catches them in a compro... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win total

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8georgigems

Bittersweet love story that is dated but still charming

The ever elegant Adolphe Menjou portrays an impoverished King from a mythical country who comes to the USA to broker an oil deal. He escapes his regimented schedule and runs off to Coney Island (my favorite childhood place being from Brooklyn, New York) where he meets the girl, played by Bessie Love. Although they have a "love affair" their relationship is platonic but nevertheless intense. Hollywood had a thing for kings who socialize with the masses in the 1920's and 30's but this story (because of the superb direction by Monta Bell) is an exception. There is a real chemistry between the two leads which is missing in a lot of other king and commoner films. You can really sense the depth of their feelings for each other. A real bittersweet love story of the silent era. Too bad this is not on DVD or VHS.

6JoeytheBrit

The King on Main Street review

Adolphe Menjou is the king of a foreign land who neglects his business mission to woo cuter-than-cute Bessie Love. The plot is a familiar one from 20s/30s Hollywood, but the cast add enough to keep it watchable.

4psteier

Rather flat social comedy

Adolphe Menjou is king of a small European country. He comes to New York to help secure a contract to develop his country's oil, but then sneaks away from his hotel for some fun in Coney Island, meets young woman Bessie Love, and accepts an invitation to a county house to be with ordinary people.

Adolphe Menjou has his typical rich playboy role but doesn't do much playing. Bessie Love doesn't answer the question 'why was she a big star in silent pictures?'.

Some Coney Island location shooting, including a roller coaster ride, but the Coney Island atmosphere is better seen in many other movies, for example some of the Fatty Arbuckle pictures.

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Trivia
Two sequences, totaling 105 ft., a military parade in reel 1 and the closing wedding scene in reel 6, were filmed in 2-strip Technicolor, but are not known to survive.