An American showgirl becomes entangled in political intrigue when the Prince Regent of a foreign country attempts to seduce her.
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Title: The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)
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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 | |
|
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Charles Victor | ... | Theatre Manager |
| Daphne Anderson | ... | Fanny | |
| Vera Day | ... | Betty | |
|
|
Gillian Owen | ... | Maggie |
| Esmond Knight | ... | Hoffman | |
| Paul Hardwick | ... | Major Domo | |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
June, 1911. Among the dignitaries from the Balkan State of Carpathia in London for the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary is the Regent, His Serene Highness the Grand Duke Charles. The London foreign office places great importance on Carpathia because of an unstable geopolitical situation with Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany set to overthrow its monarchy government if allowed. The Regent, a Prince originally from Hungary, and the most recent and now deceased Queen married for convenience. As such, the Regent has spent time with a series of lady friends while on his travels in his somewhat "free" state. In meeting one of those London women, music hall actress Maisie Springfield, and the company of her current production "The Coconut Girl", the Regent instead has his eyes set on one of the minor players in the show, American actress Elsie Marina. When seemingly simpleminded Elsie receives a party invitation from the Regent for that evening, Elsie is not so simpleminded to understand ... Written by Huggo
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Some countries have a medal for Everything.Parents Guide:
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Elsie Marina: Why not? Except up there it's a longer run from the sofa to the door.
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(uncredited)
Music by John Philip Sousa
Arranged by Cecil H. Jaeger
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Sir Laurence Olivier (Prince Charles) had already been contracted when Marilyn Monroe (Elsie Marina) came on board. Contractually, she was unable to remove him. See more »Goofs
The newspaper article that Northbrook reads at the beginning of the movie states that the King of Carpathia's name is Nicholas. In the end credits, the character's name is listed as Nicolas. See more »Quotes
Northbrook: Aren't you confusing this embassy with a private room at Romano's?Elsie Marina: Why not? Except up there it's a longer run from the sofa to the door.
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Soundtracks
The Liberty Bell(uncredited)
Music by John Philip Sousa
Arranged by Cecil H. Jaeger
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Details
Release Date:
13 June 1957 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Sleeping Prince See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$4,300,000Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Olivier and Monroe...an unlikely combination, it would seem. Yet Olivier's blustering pomposity and Monroe's giddy naivete create a surprising chemistry. Sir Lawrence is ever the blue-blood in this well conceived comedy, the tale of a lovely, bubbly young American showgirl who is invited to spend the evening with the smitten Prince.
Monroe is absolutely wonderful--her performance is well thought out and very strong, using every ounce of her famed comedic skill . And she's beautiful as always...even in a pristine white, elegantly beaded evening gown she fairly radiates sensuality.
What truly holds the film together, though, are the outstanding performances by Richard Wattis (the unerringly English, ever mindful Majordomo Northbrook) and Sybil Thorndike (the Grand Duke's hilariously incomprehensible mother-in-law the Queen Dowager).
The movie is well filmed and well paced, with the exception of the coronation ceremony segment which could have been edited considerably. Overall, the story is a winner... a very charming tribute to the virtues of persistence! We learn that our Prince isn't nearly so cold and conniving as he'd like us to believe, and Miss Elsie Marina isn't nearly the wide-eyed ingenue we thought she was...