A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur\'s Court (1949)

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949) A bump on the head sends Hank Martin, 1912 mechanic, to Arthurian Britain, 528 A.D., where he is befriended by Sir Sagramore le Desirous and gains power by judicious use of technology. He and Alisande, the King's niece, fall in love at first sight, which draws unwelcome attention from her fiancée Sir Lancelot; but worse trouble befalls when Hank meddles in the kingdom's politics. Synopsis In England in 1912, Hank Martin, an American blacksmith, visits the Pendragon castle and tells Lord Pendragon, who is laid up with a head cold, the story of how he fell in love with Alisande La Carteloise, whose portrait hangs on the castle wall. Years earlier, in Connecticut, Hank is knocked out in a storm and wakes in the year 528 A.D. He is immediately seized by a dim-witted knight named Sagramore and brought before the aging King Arthur of Camelot, who has a head cold. Sagramore accuses Hank of possessing demonic powers, and Merlin, the king's wicked sorcerer, orders him killed, although Alisande, the king's beautiful niece, pleads with her uncle to spare the handsome stranger's life. Hank escapes being burned at the stake by focusing the crystal from his pocket watch on the sun, thus starting a fire that ignites Merlin's robe. Believing that Hank has supernatural powers, the king grants him the terms of their surrender: That Sagramore be made Hank's squire; that Hank be given a humble blacksmith's shop; and that the king host a ball in his honor. Hank is dubbed "Sir Boss," and at the ball, he and Alisande fall in love, as he teaches her to wink. She is betrothed to Sir Lancelot, however, who is a brave warrior and knight of the round table. Lancelot returns to Camelot and challenges Hank to a duel; the winner will marry Alisande. Hank uses his little horse Tex and a lasso to defeat Lancelot, but Alisande is furious at him for humiliating Lancelot and refuses to marry him. At his blacksmith's shop, Hank builds a pistol and is visited by a young peasant girl who says her father is dying of the plague. By the time Hank arrives, the man is dead. The mother then explains that her two sons have been imprisoned for a crime they did not commit. Hank convinces the king to take a tour of his country disguised as a simple yeoman so that he may see the true suffering of his people. While he is away, Merlin, Morgan Le Fay, the king's wicked niece, and the evil Sir Logris plot to usurp the throne. Sagramore, Hank and the king are kidnapped and sold into slavery to Merlin. Alisande arrives to save them, but is herself jailed. After Sagramore kills a guard, Alisande, Hank and the king are sentenced to death for Sagramore's crime. Alisande gives her amulet to Hank and pledges her eternal love. Just before they are to die by the chopping block, Hank predicts a solar eclipse after consulting his copy of The Farmer's Almanac , and when the sky goes black, they escape. Hank races to Merlin's tower to save Alisande and shoots a guard. Back in the present, Lord Pendragon tells Hank to go down to the castle balcony. There he finds Alisande, Lord Pendragon's niece, who winks at him. Cast & Crew Tay Garnett Director Bing Crosby as Hank Martin [also known as Sir Boss] Rhonda Fleming as Alisande La Carteloise Sir Cedric Hardwicke as King Arthur/Lord Pendragon William Bendix as Sir Sagramore Murvyn Vye as Merlin Virginia Field as Morgan Le Fay Joseph Vitale as Sir Logris Henry Wilcoxon as Sir Lancelot Richard Webb as Sir Galahad Alan Napier as High executioner Julia Faye as Lady Penelope Release Date 22 Apr 1949 Color (Technicolor) Sound Mono Production Dates 20 Oct--29 Dec 1947 Added scenes and retakes: 18 Dec 1947, 16 Jan--21 Jan 1948, 24 Jan 1948, 10 Sep 1948 Duration (in mins) 104 or 106-107 Duration (in feet) 9,712 Premiere Information New York opening: 7 Apr 1949 Distribution Company Paramount Pictures, Inc. Production Company Paramount Pictures, Inc. Country United States NEW YORK TIMES Review published April 8, 1949: "The Same Old Crosby Playing 'Connecticut Yankee' for 'King Arthur, at Music Hall City Across the River,' By BOSLEY CROWTHER The solid, reliable humors of Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," which have already done yeoman service in two films and a Broadway musical show, have been given another going over—with eminently satisfactory results—in Paramount's new film of the same title, which came to the Music Hall yesterday. And for this we can thank Bing Crosby, primarily and above all, because it is Bing in the role of the Yankee who gives this film its particular charm. As the bumbling Connecticut blacksmith who gets an untimely bump on the head and fancies him-self transported, rather rudely, to King Arthur's ancient court, Bing picks up this travesty on history and gives it his own characteristic stamp, just as Will Rogers did the same thing some eighteen years ago. Not that he isn't supported by a competent script and cast. Edmond Beloin has got a funny screen play out of Mark Twain's fantastic tale and he has added a good many touches of contemporary spoof. For instance, the best laugh in the picture is recorded when King Arthur shouts at his trumpeting herald, "Stop the music!" There's one that brings down the house. And the people who play the various varlets, knights-in-armor and ladies-in-waiting around the court chip in unquestioned contributions. Sir Cedric Hardwicke is particularly droll as a drizzle-faced, rummy-nosed King Arthur who is slightly deficient in the head, and William Bendix is broadly comic as the lummox assigned to serve as squire. Murvyn Vye is hugely malevolent as Merlin, the villain in the court; Rhonda Fleming makes a beauteous cause for romance and Henry Wilcoxon plays a dark and stormy knight. Indeed, even Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke have contributed some songs which, although they aren't up to the classics of Rodgers and Hart, are obviously suited to be sung. And a fair Technicolored production doesn't hurt matters in the least. But it is still Bing's delightful personality, his mild surprises and sweet serenities, and his casual way of handling dialogue that makes this burlesque a success. No one in current operation could qualify, we are sure, to play the Connecticut Yankee the way the old Groaner does. Whether it's snapping fire from matches to show his magical powers or jousting in cowboy fashion with an armored horseman, he is coolly confident. The old and familiar Crosby candor is forever on display. "If there were aught I could do to save thee—," a friend tells him in the dungeon cell, while the Yankee is waiting execution. "Well, ain't there aught?" the indignant Bing replies. And one episode in which he teaches a sixth-century orchestra how to play is musically delicious. "Putteth in the brass and taketh out the lead," he says. Best of the musical numbers is "Once and for Always," which Bing sings, along with the lovely Miss Fleming. But "Busy Doing Nothing," kicked around by Bing, Mr. Bendix and Sir Cedric, is a pleasantly sportive air, and Miss Fleming's "When Is Sometime" won't make anyone mad. Mr. Crosby's "Connecticut Yankee" is that good time to be had by all. Release Date: 1949 Duration: 108 min Cast: Bing Crosby, Cedric Hardwicke, Rhonda Fleming, William Bendix, Murvyn Vye, Hans Dreier, Wally Westmore, Henry Wilcoxon, Tay Garnett, Edith Head, Virginia Field, Mary Field, Richard Webb, Alan Napier, Ray Rennahan, Victor Young, Jimmy Van Heusen, Julia Faye, Archie Marshek, Farciot Edouart LESS Categories: Movies Fantasy Comedy Fantasy Adventure Musical Fantasy Musical Though the Mark Twain original has been refashioned into a Bing Crosby vehicle, this 1949 musical adaptation of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is a lot more faithful to the Twain original than either of the two previous film versions. Crosby plays Hank Martin, a turn-of-the-century American mechanic who is conked on the noggin and awakens in sixth-century England. Captured by dull-witted Sir Sagramore (William Bendix), Hank is marched into the court of King Arthur (Cedric Hardwicke), where he uses his machine-age ingenuity to win the title of "Sir Boss." Even while incurring the wrath of the duplicitous wizard Merlin (Murvyn Vye), Hank woos and wins the lovely lady-in-waiting Alisande (Rhonda Fleming). Shocked by the appalling living conditions of the British peasants, Hank insists that King Arthur travel amongst the people in disguise so that he can experience their misery first-hand, and thereby bring about social reforms. Merlin schemes to use this opportunity to overthrow the king, but Hank foils the wizard's plans by pretending to demonstrate magical powers during a total eclipse. As a last-ditch effort to rid the kingdom of Hank, Merlin kidnaps Alisande and lures "Sir Boss" to certain doom. This scurrilous scheme segues into a much happier ending than one will find in the Twain novel. The expected "time displacement" routines are freshly handled by Crosby and company, while the songs are melodious and perfectly suited to the situations at hand. The film's Technicolor photography is another major asset. By present-day standards, the only drawback to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is that it goes on too long; even so, it is infinitely preferable to the recent remakes that have spewed forth from the Disney studio. Songs include: "Twixt Myself and Me," "Busy Doing Nothing," "Once and for Always", "When is Sometime," and "If You Stub Your Toe on the Moon." http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/6003960/The_American_Religion_Defined_In_The_Declaration_of_Independence

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Pendaws (2011-02-27)

Thank you.

BoysRUs2 (2011-05-11)

Thank You for this one :)
"Duration (in feet) 9,712" - That's always a selling point for me! :p

roirraWdr (2013-02-09)

Thank you for this! Rare. Anyone ever identify an already in sync English subtitle for this? A link would be most appreciated if you have.