A King in New York (1957)

A recently-deposed European monarch seeks shelter in New York City, where he becomes an accidental television celebrity and is later wrongly accused of being a Communist.

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, Maxine Audley, Jerry Desmonde

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Chaplin	...	King Shahdov
Maxine Audley	...	Queen Irene
Jerry Desmonde	...	Prime Minister Voudel
Oliver Johnston	...	Ambassador Jaume
Dawn Addams	...	Ann Kay - TV Specialist
Sidney James	...	Johnson - TV Advertiser
Joan Ingram	...	Mona Cromwell - Hostess
Michael Chaplin	...	Rupert Macabee
John McLaren	...	Macabee Senior
Phil Brown	...	Headmaster
Harry Green	...	Lawyer
Robert Arden	...	Liftboy
Alan Gifford	...	School Superintendent
Robert Cawdron	...	U.S. Marshal
George Woodbridge	...	Member of Atomic Commission

Storyline

Due to a revolution in his country, King Shahdov comes to New York - almost broke. To get some money he goes to TV, making commercials and meets the child from communist parents. Due to this he is suddenly a suspected as a communist himself and has to face one of McCarthy's hearings.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | communist | new york city | revolution | television | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1957 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Un rey en Nueva York

Filming Locations:

Leicester Square, Soho, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Attica Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot for only 12 weeks, the shortest shooting schedule of all of Charles Chaplin's films.

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Goofs

When Rupert plays solitaire in Shahdov's room, the position of his hands changes between shots.

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Quotes

[after being called for questioning by the government on suspicions of Communist affiliations]
Rupert Macabee: I'm so sick and tired of people asking me if I'm this, if I'm that!

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Alternate Versions

Original British prints run about five minutes longer than the version that was released in America in 1976. It is this American version that is available on video, but the British cut is available on disc.

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Connections

References One Week (1920)

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Soundtracks

Mandolin Serenade
(1957)
Written by Charles Chaplin
Played in the score

User Reviews

Chaplin was way ahead of his time on film & America

What I find amazing is that even in the year 2001 people are so brain-washed by our corporate media that they can complain about Chaplin's bashing the McArthy era. This embarassing chapter in America's history (up there with slavery, the "Jim Crow" south, and Japanese internment camps of WW2) was responsible for thousands of Hollywood job losses, the imprisonment of the great writer Ring Lardner, the expatriation of Chaplin, Paul Robeson, et al.

And all of this for a ridiculous "witch hunt" by some sanctimonious & hypocritical power-hungry politicians; with trumped up hearings gathered together faster than you can say "Monica." Well eventually it ended up backfiring on the anti-commie crowd of course, although I guess sure helped Ronald Reagan to be president of the Screen Actors Guild, then CA, and the White House weren't far behind (easy when you sell out enough I guess).

But gee, since Chaplin was up against these zealots (who are the real "anti-American" ones if people actually knew their history), I suppose we should be able to forgive him for not being so subtle in "A King in New York!"