Monsieur Beaucaire (1946)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

Melvin Frank (writer)
Norman Panama (writer)

Release Date:

4 September 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | History

Plot:

A bumbling barber in the court of King Louis XV becomes engaged in political intrigue when he masquerades as a dashing nobleman engaged to the princess of Spain.

Plot Keywords:

Barber | Spain | King Louis XV | Political Intrigue | Dungeon

Cast

Bob Hope	...	Monsieur Beaucaire
Joan Caulfield	...	Mimi
Patric Knowles	...	Duc le Chandre
Marjorie Reynolds	...	Princess Maria of Spain
Cecil Kellaway	...	Count D'Armand
Joseph Schildkraut	...	Don Francisco
Reginald Owen	...	King Louis XV
Constance Collier	...	The Queen of France
Hillary Brooke	...	Mme. Pompadour
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Don Carlos
Douglass Dumbrille	...	George Washington
Mary Nash	...	The Duenna
Leonid Kinskey	...	Rene
Howard Freeman	...	King Philip II

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:S

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When one of the assassins runs into the wooden door, his steel sword bends.

Quotes:

Mimi: Oh, you're so right. One look is enough.
Monsieur Beaucaire: That regal forehead runs in the family.
Mimi: The Hapsburg chin!
Monsieur Beaucaire: Got that from my mother.
Mimi: The Bourbon nose!
Monsieur Beaucaire: Got that from my father, drank like a fish!
Mimi: Those dark, flashing eyes - that soft lustrous hair!
Monsieur Beaucaire: You should see it after a rinse!

Movie Connections:

Version of A Gentleman of France (1905)

Bob Hope At His Best

Bob Hope had a great talent for making mediocre lines sound funny. Here the lines he delivers are actually as hilarious as his delivery.

He actually does some quite decent acting in this one. The character of the barber Beaucaire is more romantic and less cynical than the comedian Hope.

Hope has surrounded himself with some of the most talented people in Hollywood. Cinematographer Lionel Lindon was nominated three times for an Oscar and won once with "Around the World in 80 Days." Film Editor Arthur P. Schmidt was nominated twice (for "Sayonara" and "Sunset Blvd.") Composer Robert Dolan was nominated 8 times between 1942 and 1947. Sadly, he never won. He should have been nominated for this movie, but he was already nominated for "Blue Skys" in 1946. Art Director, Hans Dreier, was nominated 20 times and won 4 Oscars. He should have been nominated for this movie, but he already had two other nominations in 1946. Set Decorator, Sam Comer was nominated 22 times and also won 4 Oscars. Male Costume Designer Giles Steele got 4 nominations and won twice. Mary Kay Dobson. who did the exquisite gowns in this film, was never nominated, but she should have won an Oscar for the fantastic four foot wide hooped skirts the women wear.

Hope was never nominated for an Oscar, but this is the one movie where I think his performance merited consideration.

Joan Caulfield, in only her second film, is dazzling. As Mimi, Beaucaire's love interest, she is hilarious and has excellent chemistry with Hope. The same year, she played the love interest of both Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby in "Blue Skys". Everybody else in the cast is just delightful.

The funniest scene is when Beaucaire meets the King of Spain. Beaucaire is pretending to be an aristocrat. He is told to act "distainful" When they meet, Beaucaire and the King just glare at each other through lorngettes (opera glasses).

Second funniest is when Beaucaire gets exposed as a barber and slapped. The king tells him to slap the fellow back. "Everybody is entitled to his opinion," answers Hope meekly, "Why if I had a sword..." A lackey offers his sword to Hope, who quickly pushes him away, saying, "Mind your own business." If you're in the mood for a wonderful and sweet old romantic comedy, put across by some of the most talented people in the golden age of Hollywood, don't miss it.