A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949)

Director:

Tay Garnett

Writers:

Mark Twain (novel)
Edmund Beloin (writer)

Release Date:

22 April 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

Its laughter will ring through the centuries!

Plot:

A singing mechanic from 1912 finds himself in Arthurian Britain.

Plot Keywords:

Technology | Time Travel | Blacksmith | Merlin The Magician | Back In Time

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Hank Martin
Rhonda Fleming	...	Alisande La Carteloise
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Lord Pendragon / King Arthur (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
William Bendix	...	Sir Sagramore
Murvyn Vye	...	Merlin
Virginia Field	...	Morgan Le Fay
Joseph Vitale	...	Sir Logris
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Sir Lancelot
Richard Webb	...	Sir Galahad
Alan Napier	...	High Executioner
Julia Faye	...	Lady Penelope
Mary Field	...	Peasant woman
Ann Carter	...	Peasant girl

Also Known As:

A Yankee in King Arthur's Court (UK)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

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 MCA ever since.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Hank is tied to the post for burning the guard holds the proclamation in front of him as he reads. His shadow is clearly visible on the paper, yet Hank, who is behind the paper and facing the sun, is able to focus the sun's rays on the paper with his magnifying glass, setting it on fire.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Hank Martin: Here ya are.
[pays taxi driver]
Hank Martin: Hey, has this castle always had four turrets?
Pendragon Castle door man: Always.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Entourage: One Car, Two Car, Red Car, Blue Car (#6.3)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

WHEN IS SOMETIME?

the best feel-good movie ever

"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" has become my favorite movie of all time because it is a movie that has it all and works at a level where you feel relaxed and happy the whole time you're watching it. Most movies nowadays try to involve multiple elements in their plots but none of them come close to what "Connecticut Yankee" accomplishes. It has action, it has romance, it has good comedy, it has fantasy, it has intrigue, it has music and all of them weave into each other well. Extraordinarily well to the point where it becomes a joy to watch.

Of course, modern audiences might shrug off this movie as just another piece of fuddy old Bing Crosby fluff, which it is, in the sense that Bing seems to have absolute control over every situation and basically plays himself in a light-hearted movie. It's not deep, but sometimes that's not what we look for when we watch movies. This is a good "sit down with a loved one and a bowl of popcorn and just enjoy yourselves" film, one of the best in my opinion. Ok, the garish technicolor does get annoying, but it's the only downside to a great great film. Enrich your life! Please see this film!