The Vagabond King (1956)

Louis XI of France drafts Paris's popular "king" of criminals as Provost Marshal in his fight against usurper Charles of Burgundy and the traitorous nobles who rally around him.

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Ken Englund (screenplay), Brian Hooker (book)

Stars:

Kathryn Grayson, Oreste Kirkop, Rita Moreno

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kathryn Grayson	...	Catherine de Vaucelles
Oreste Kirkop	...	François Villon (as Oreste)
Rita Moreno	...	Huguette
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Tristan (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Walter Hampden	...	King Louis XI
Leslie Nielsen	...	Thibault d'Aussigny
William Prince	...	Rene de Montigny
Jack Lord	...	Ferrebouc
Billy Vine	...	Jacques
Harry McNaughton	...	Colin
Florence Sundstrom	...	Laughing Margot
Lucie Lancaster	...	Margaret
Raymond Bramley	...	The Scar
Gregory Morton	...	General Antoine De Chabannes
Ralph Sumpter	...	Bishop of Paris and Turin

Storyline

In 1461, French nobles fearing King Louis XI may seize their lands, join forces with the rebellious Duke of Burgundy to overthrow the king. One of the Duke's captains suggests enlisting the aid of Francois Villon who is known to oppose the king and is leader of the Vagabonds, a group that robs the rich to aid the poor. In league with Burgundy, Villon and two of his cohorts enter Paris, but are captured by the king's men. The king, recognizing Villon's power over the people, proposes that Villon defend Paris against Burgundy and help uncover traitors in the court.

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Plot Keywords:

remake | king | usurper | noblewoman | hanging | 

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Taglines:

THE MUSICAL SPECTACLE that introduces the great new singing star...ORESTE!

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Genres:

Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 August 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

El rey vagabundo

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kathryn Grayson and Oreste Kirkop disliked each other intensely. An opera star, Kirkop considered her "merely a singer in movies" and she considered him to be a "pompous oaf". During the filming they spoke to each other only when required by the script.

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Quotes

Thibault d'Aussigny: Louis, self-styled king, my Lord Burgundy and the noble members of the public will, in solemn session, have deemed you unsound of mind and body, unworthy to carry on the glorious traditions of our country. You have neither the confidence of the nobility nor the confidence of the people. Hardly able to rule, barely able to reign, you cling to the throne with an old man's perversity to the detriment of a great nation. Louis, your cause is lost. The Duke of Burgundy bids you surrender up this city...

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Connections

Version of The Beloved Rogue (1927)

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Soundtracks

Huguette Waltz
(uncredited)
from operetta "The Vagabond King"
Music by Rudolf Friml
Lyrics by Brian Hooker
Sung by Rita Moreno

User Reviews

The operetta crawls off to die

The last operetta released by a major studio, and it's a pity, for this adaptation of the 1925 Rudolf Friml war horse is pretty nimble. It stars Oreste, a European tenor with the requisite high notes and a fair amount of dash, as the leader of the Paris rabble; he's quite at ease for such a major screen debut, though his accent, so apparent in song, mysteriously disappears in much of his dialogue, making one wonder if some of his lines were post-dubbed. Kathryn Grayson is her usual shrill and simpering self, albeit in a part Callas herself couldn't have made interesting, and Rita Moreno shows a lot of life and a lot of leg as Huguette. Walter Hampden, as the king, has better lines than most screen kings, and underplays them effectively. Friml, then in his mid-70s, appended his stage score with several new melodies set to adequate Johnny Burke lyrics, and one, "This Same Heart," is quite lovely. It's a studio-bound eyeful, with big sets and colorful costumes that have little to do with reality but everything to do with screen spectacle (did 15th century Parisians really don so much purple and yellow and green?), and the screenplay's pretty erudite for this genre, and Michael Curtiz ably keeps things moving (save a brief, silly Adam and Eve ballet that stops the action dead). Nobody went to it in 1956, audiences just weren't interested in operetta anymore, and they still preferred Mario Lanza to an unknown European quantity. But if you can catch this one--I did on Amazon Prime--you'll get a fine eyeful and earful of the lush melody, sweeping spectacle, and ringing romance that endeared audiences to operetta decades before.