Princess O'Rourke

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source: Princess O'Rourke

Princess O'Rourke

Firstly, I have to comment that Olivia de Havilland looks absolutely beautiful in this movie, and that is just as well, because the story is fairly flimsy and Robert Cummings is even out of his depth in this. (despite the foregoing, this film pre-dated "Roman Holiday" which has a very similar story line). The usual Warner stalwarts in Jack Carson and Jane Wyman had familiar roles which I am sure they could have played with their eyes shut, but it was so disappointing to see that wonderful actress Gladys Cooper in a five minute role as a secretary, and insulting to someone of her class. Charles Coburn was a good foil for the comings and goings of the lead characters. Somehow, one gets the feeling that this film, and a few others like it, would have been the reasons for Miss de Havilland going on suspension so often at Warner Brothers.

Princess Maria (Olivia de Havilland) is a royal exile from Europe during WWII in New York City. Her uncle Holman is trying to find a suitable match for her. While on a flight to San Francisco, she takes way too many sleeping pills and pilot Eddie O'Rourke ends up taking care of her. He comes to believe that she's a penniless refugee. It starts with a fun enough premise despite almost Od'ing on sleeping pills. The characters are great although I would prefer a better leading man. Robert Cummings is too light weight for a romantic lead. This needs somebody like Cary Grant. It's a little funny when he discovers the secret and he fits the role during that stretch. De Havilland is great. She's a great dummy. It's a common premise of a high class princess trying to pass for a commoner. This is pretty good even if it's not that new or different. The coupling is not the most engaging. It's not going to be in the pantheon of Hollywood pairing. That's really the main missing ingredient.

Pre-dating "Roman Holiday" by ten years is this charming little comedy about a runaway princess, this time in New York, falling in love with a commoner. Like "Roman Holiday" the part of the princess is played to perfection, this time by Olivia De Havilland. And she's matched well by Robert Cummings, with a brilliant supporting cast headed by Charles Coburn, Jack Carson and Jane Wyman. Unlike "Roman Holiday" this film opts for an overly-simplistic solution that is neither believable or satisfying. It's quite fun though being in the White House and watching FDR's dog play an important role in the drama. And the Oscar winning script is pretty good until the finale. But it is De Havilland that makes the film work. Early in the film she takes a number of sleeping pills, and her drugged acting is superb. She also has a very raunchy scene in a bath! She achieves a perfect balance between comedy and drama, and once again proves that she was one of the best actors of her generation.

I thought it was really funny at the beginning when the princess had a couple of sleeping pills, and then, being dragged by the pilots who found her not waking up. Seriously, Olivia de Havilland done that scene so well that I cant believe shes still alive today and is 100 years old! She really reminds me of Audrey Hepburn and her love interest on this, Robert Cummings reminds me of Frank Sinatra. They both really are a good match like it was a good idea to have them on together in this! Im glad it even won an Oscar, although I wouldn't expect it to get that far but De Havilland I think really made this film shine! Its very good, please watch this if you like royal romance films!

Lovely romantic comedy about a princess (Olivia de Havilland) who falls in love with an American pilot (Robert Cummings). He falls for her, too, but the problem is he thinks she's a maid, not a princess. Charming, fun movie with an extremely likable cast. In addition to de Havilland and Cummings, there's fine support from Charles Coburn, Jack Carson, Jane Wyman, Harry Davenport, and Gladys Cooper. What a lineup! This one's pretty underrated. The more famous Roman Holiday owes a lot to this film. Also worth seeing for Olivia's bath scene, which I found pretty risqué for the time. That's probably the most skin Olivia ever showed on screen. She's beautiful in this, one of her best romantic comedy roles. Love the cute bit with FDR's dog, too.

Princess O'Rourke does not try to be amusing or clever, but instead it deftly combines funny situations with a sort of real-life seriousness. A viewer may get the impression that this is really how a princess (Olivia de Havilland) would behave if faced with the predicament of falling for a commoner in another country-- if, in fact, it would happen at all. Yet there is something believable about this hokum, because the film possesses a calmness and dignity, in large part due to the presence of Miss de Havilland. Robert Cummings as the leading man is both romantic and comic; while Charles Coburn and Jane Wyman deliver strong supporting performances. The film's strongest asset, though, is the writing. The basic premise seems to cover all sorts of angles and suggests that love and politics intersect but do not necessarily mix. The story moves forward with ease, and a highlight of the proceedings is the friendship that develops between de Havilland and Wyman.