If I Were King (1938)

Synopsis: Ronald Colman (THE PRISONER OF ZENDA) plays Frances Villon--thief, bacchanal, rogue, and one of the great medieval European poets. Frances Dee (SO ENDS OUR NIGHT, WELLS FARGO) plays Katherine de... Ronald Colman (THE PRISONER OF ZENDA) plays Frances Villon--thief, bacchanal, rogue, and one of the great medieval European poets. Frances Dee (SO ENDS OUR NIGHT, WELLS FARGO) plays Katherine de Vaucelles, the love of Villon's life. A Robin Hood-like character, Villon escapes the Royal Guard with ease and grace until he is at last cornered in a den of thieves. Villon and his men fight, and Villon kills King Louis XI's grand constable before the king's very eyes. The king, superbly played by Basil Rathbone (THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES), offers Villon one chance to save himself from the gallows--Villon is named the new grand constable for one week's time, during which he must find a way to drive off the Burgundian hordes storming the city's walls. With death as the alternative, Villon is up for the challenge even though the French generals and army have refused to fight. A variety of talents combine to make IF I WERE KING a classic swashbuckler, including Colman's suave presence, Dee's comely looks, Rathbone's superb performance, picturesque gothic sets, and the lively and comical repartees from screenwriting great Preston Sturges (SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS). [More]

Starring: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew

Starring: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew, C.V. France, Henry Wilcoxon, Heather Thatcher, Stanley Ridges, Bruce Lester, Walter Kingsford, Alma Lloyd, Sidney Toler, Colin Tapley, Ralph Forbes, John Miljan, William Haade, Adrian Morris, Montagu Love, Lester Matthews, William Farnum, Paul Harvey, Barry Macollum, May Beatty, Winter Hall, Francis McDonald, Ann Evers, Jean Fenwick, Russ Powell, Harry Wilson, John George, Stanley King, Henry Brandon, Ethel Clayton, Judith King, Cheryl Walker

Director: Frank Lloyd

Director: Frank Lloyd
Producer: Frank Lloyd
Screenwriter: Preston Sturges
Story: Justin Huntly McCarthy
Composer: Richard Hageman

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