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 win & 2 nominations.

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | fake movie trailer | communist | new york city | revolution | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Before coming up with the idea for this film, Charles Chaplin had thought of two ideas that he eventually decided against. One was the idea of reviving The Little Tramp (because he realized that the appeal to the tramp was his flexibility), and the other was reviving Verdoux from Monsieur Verdoux (1947) (his wife and assistant strongly argued against it.)

---

Goofs

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

---

Quotes

[after being told that the political turmoil in America is just a "passing phase."]
King Shahdov: Quite so. In the meantime, I'll sit it out in Europe.

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Truman Show (1998)

---

Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Delightful Surprise

When I was a child, Charlie Chaplin's name was anathema. Here was the

personification of the "Red Peril," made worse still by the fact that we

had loved and trusted him through a lifetime of film. When A KING IN NEW

YORK came out it couldn't even get a distributor in the U.S. so virulent

was the hatred for "turncoat" Charlie.

Now, forty seven years later, and thanks tp the amazing TCM, I have

finally seen A KING IN NEW YORK and though it is somewhat uneven and

episodic, I believe it to be one of the best of Chaplin's films.

A mixture of broad slapstick and wry and subtle satire, the film is

often hilarious while at the same time touching and thought provoking.

Satire has to be the hardest form of art to translate to the screen and

there are few films that even try to tackle it, (Frank Tashlin's

hilarious WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? one delightful example), so A

KING IN NEW YORK is welcome as an attempt to satirize a rather

unsettling time in US history.

There are many brilliant scenes in A KING IN NEW YORK; the ones in the

movie theater, at the "Montesori" type school and shooting the Scotch

commercial among the best. Above all, the warmth, humanity and total

befuddlement of the King, as performed by Chaplin, is the glue that

holds the enterprise together.

In every frame, Chaplin is mesmerizing and Dawn Addams, playing it way

over the top as the epitome of the "woman in the grey flannel suit"

(one, by the way,that is covered by a floor length mink!), is a constant

delight. Excellent too is Michael Chaplin, the director's son, as a

young genius who spouts the joys of Communism at the drop of a hat.

Joe McCarthy is gone (so far!), Chaplin is dead and we are left in yet

another unsure world. Comedy, as always, will help get us through. A

KING IN NEW YORK gives us that comedic respite, while proving, so many

years later, that governments are, after all, transitory things while

art last forever.

A comedic gem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Details

Official Sites:

Instagram Official Site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1957 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

A King in New York

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

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