A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

source: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

I wouldn't call this an example of a great old classic, but as an adaptation of Mark Twain's story it's enjoyable enough. Bing Crosby brings a likable quality to the screen as "Sir Boss" (or Hank Martin) a Connecticut blacksmith in very early 20th century America who by some strange and unexplained phenomenon gets knocked cold after being thrown from a horse and awakens in King Arthur's England 1500 years earlier. Using marvels such as a magnifying glass and matches to start fires, he manages to convince the kingdom that he's a magnificent wizard even greater than Merlin (Murvyn Vye), which helps to save his life since he was originally going to be executed when discovered. Hank falls in love with "Sandy" (the king's niece, played by Rhonda Fleming) and has to do battle with Sir Lancelot (Henry Wilcoxon), to whom she was betrothed. Finally, Hank convinces Arthur (played by Sir Cecil Hardwicke) to disguise himself as a peasant and go out among his people to find out what they're really thinking about him and what their lives are like. It's quite an innocent fantasy, really. There are some amusing moments, and the whole thing, of course, has quite an unbelievable air about it, as befits fantasy. Most obviously, even if one can accept the idea of travelling back 1500 years in time, one then has to figure out how a 20th century American can speak so easily to 6th century Britons, who haven't yet developed anything even close to the modern English language! But that's to think about this too much. One should simply suspend thought with this and just enjoy the fantasy. Since the movie stars Bing Crosby, it is of course a musical adaptation of Twain's story, and that (ironically perhaps since you'd think it would be Crosby's strong suit) was to me the weakest element of the movie. I just wasn't that taken with the songs. They're weren't really memorable, and I would have simply preferred to watch the story without the musical interruptions. (5/10)

Is this a great cinematic achievement, in the sense that Citizen Kane and La Grande Illusion are great movies? No, of course not. But is this a thoroughly enjoyable movie? Most definitely! The high spots: Bing Crosby, as natural and charming as he has ever been in a movie; William Bendix, whose impeccably enunciated lines are a comic wonder - he made me believe he would have been great as one of the comical characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream; Cedric Hardwicke, who knows just how to deliver his lines to the greatest effect; and the script, which is really very funny. The low points: 1) the script for Rhonda Fleming's role. She looks radiantly beautiful, but her dialog is worthless, and so she comes off as dumb in a movie where the three leading men come off as very clever; she deserved better. 2) the music. Van Heusen and Burke wrote some great songs, such as "Swinging on a Star" for Crosby's 1944 hit Going My Way, but there isn't a memorable number in this movie. That's probably why this otherwise very enjoyable movie is so forgotten. You'll have a great time watching this.

Hank (Bing Crosby) suddenly finds himself transported to the times of King Arthur (Cedric Hardwick). He is captured by Sir Sagramore (William Bendix) and brought before the king who orders his execution on the advice of Merlin (Murvyn Vye). Come the day, Hank talks himself out of his predicament and into a title - "Sir Boss". He then talks his way through the rest of the film as he battles against Merlin, Morgan (Virginia Field) and Sir Logris (Joseph Vitale) until ..... all of a sudden .... he returns back from whence he came ..... and finds a surprise waiting for him. The film is good in the colour department. But that's it, I'm afraid. The songs are dreadful, the story is boring and the film goes on for too long. Bing is good enough as he breezes through the film. But that's just the trouble. There is never any danger or tension, whether Bing is being sentenced to death, arrested, chased - it's just endless lightweight tosh that he breezes through. It's one-gear (dull) all the way. William Bendix and Cedric Hardwicke do provide funny moments but they cannot halt the tedium. I also spotted something familiar in the denouement. As a boy, I remember reading the Tintin adventure "Prisoners Of The Sun" which was first published in 1946. I recall being impressed by the way in which Tintin got himself out of a predicament at the moment of his execution (he knew there was to be an eclipse of the sun at a certain time). At the appropriate moment, he cunningly ordered the sun to disappear and put the fear of God into all those present. He then made it re-appear once he had negotiated his release. Well, I think someone else had read the same book.

Some of the posters seem less than gruntled because this is neither Mark Twain nor Rodgers and Hart but clearly it doesn't pretend to be either. You'll look a long time to find a greater Rodgers and Hart fan than me but Burke and Van Heusen weren't exactly chopped liver in addition to which they knew Der Bingle inside out and tailored some great songs - But Beautiful, Moonlight Becomes You, It's Always You, The Day After Forever, etc - to fit his highly personal style and here they come up with yet another fine - and unfairly neglected - ballad, Once And For Always, plus a couple of upbeat philosophy-lite entries in If You Stub Your Toe On The Moon and Busy Doing Nothing. The flimsy plot isn't meant to be taken seriously - why else make Merlin a heavy when in most, if not all, of the other versions he is more a friend/mentor to Arthur - so if you start wondering aloud why Sir Lancelot who has been sold to historians as the epitome of chivalry and uprightness metamorphoses into a schoolyard bully you're not going to get much fun out of what is essentially a fun movie. On balance it does what it sets out to do, entertain, so good luck to it.

Well, all of the Bingisms are there. The boo-boo-boo, calling adversaries "Buster", the easy going attitude which hides the cowardly con artist inside. But somehow Crosby is restrained. Sure, he looks at the camera and has flip comments to make. But it all should have been broader. Even William Bendix is restrained! I suppose director Garnett was looking to down play the slapstick of it all. This film has little to do with the biting satire of Mark Twain and has little to do with the famous Rodgers and Hart stage musical. The Van Heusen-Burke musical numbers ("If You Stub Your Toe on the Moon", "When is Sometime" and "Once and for Always") are above average songs, but they can't compare with "Thou Swell", "My Heart Stood Still", "To Keep My Love Alive", and "I Feel at Home with You". If you listen to Crosby's 1957 recording of "Thou Swell" on his superior album "Bing Sings Whilest Bregman Swings", you can tell that the song fits him like a glove. Too bad he doesn't do it in the movie. As for the Rodgers and Hart version, there exists somewhere a kinoscope of a 1955 TV production starring Eddie "Green Acres" Albert. A CD has been released of the soundtrack. I would love to see this version of "A Connecticut Yankee". Until it is made available, I guess I will have to settle for boo-boo-boo, Buster!

Hello again, I have to comment on this wonderful, exciting, and believable tale of romance and intrigue. The music in wonderful and memorable. Very good colorful movie. Another movie I liked as well later on was High Society with Bing Crosby. Wonderful music. Thanks for listening, Florence Forrester-Stockton, Reno, Nevada

This movie is a great. The plot is very true to the book which is a classic written by Mark Twain. The movie starts of with a scene where Hank sings a song with a bunch of kids called "when you stub your toe on the moon" It reminds me of Sinatra's song High Hopes, it is fun and inspirational. The Music is great throughout and my favorite song is sung by the King, Hank (bing Crosby) and Sir "Saggy" Sagamore. OVerall a great family movie or even a great Date movie. This is a movie you can watch over and over again. The princess played by Rhonda Fleming is gorgeous. I love this movie!! If you liked Danny Kaye in the Court Jester then you will definitely like this movie.

Stylishly directed, picturesquely photographed and brilliantly acted — Crosby's interpretation seems exactly right, Hardwicke has his best role ever, while Bendix is a treat too — this Yankee's appeal is universal and irresistible. One of the principal joys of the movie, of course, are the songs. As might be expected, Bing is in fine voice. And although Hardwicke's solo has been cut, we can still hear him sing heartily as he dances merrily with Crosby and Bendix in their famous novelty number, "Busy Doing Nothing". It's also a treat to hear Rhonda Fleming, who, although she enjoyed an extensive stage and concert career as a singer, was rarely given a chance to be heard in the cinema. She has a lovely voice that more than matches her ravishing looks—and she looks very fetching indeed in her Mary Kay Dodson costumes. Director Tay Garnett gets the most out of his lavish budget, using all the resources at his command to present every fabulous scene as effectively as possible. (Perhaps the eclipse looks a trifle too contrived, but who's complaining?) In short, as the trailer actually describes, an entertainment delight from start to finish.

My youngest sister and I have a tradition of watching old movies that are set in older times. "Jason and the Argonauts" was classic; she's young enough to get scared by the realistic effects of present day, so the special effects in these movies just makes her--and I--laugh. But this movie was different. It was low on the special effects, which 86ed our tradition, but we had fun watching it all the same. It was enjoyable and funny, with an easy plot to follow (which always helps when one watches a movie with a seven-year-old). If you want my advice, watch it. You'll be entertained, even if the same idea was copied 10,000 times.