It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
The Vagabond King (1956) – Musical #773

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Michael Curtiz

Starring:
Kathryn Grayson, Oreste Kirkop (billed as Oreste), Rita Moreno, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Walter Hampden, Leslie Nielsen, William Prince, Jack Lord, Tom Duggan, Lucie Lancaster
Narrator: Vincent Price

Plot:
Set in 15th century France, King Louis XI (Hampden) is at risk of being overthrown by the Duke of Burgundy. When King Louis meets poet, criminal, François Villon (Oreste), he appoints him as his provost to help in the fight against the Duke of Burgundy. In the process, Villon falls in love with King Louis’s niece, Catherine (Grayson).

Trivia:
• Final film of actress, singer Kathryn Grayson, who retired from films to perform on the stage.

• Mario Lanza was supposed to star as François Villon but was replaced due to health problems, according to the book “Hollywood Songsters.”

• Only film of Oreste Kirkop, who is billed only as “Oreste.” Oreste couldn’t speak English and his speaking lines were dubbed, according to Michael Curtiz’s biographer.

• Based on the 1925 operetta, “The Vagabond King” written by Rudolf Frimi. The operetta is based on the 1901 novel, “If I Were King” by Justin Huntly McCarthy.

• This story has been on screen several times as both McCarthy’s novel and Frimi’s operetta:
– If I Were King (1920) starring William Farnum, Betty Ross Clarke
– The Beloved Rogue (1927) starring John Barrymore, Conrad Veidt, Marceline Day
– The Vagabond King (1930) starring Dennis King and Jeanette Macdonald
– If I Were King (1938) starring Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee
– François Villon (1945) starring Serge Reggiani

• Eve Boswell dubbed the singing voice of Rita Moreno

• Vincent Price narrated the opening of the film.

• Planning for this film began in 1951, with Tony Martin and Jean Simmons considered for the lead roles, according to Jean Simmons’s biographer.

• Actor Walter Hempden, who played King Louis, died before the film was released.

• The film has never been released on home video and premiered on Turner Classic Movies in Feb. 2023.

Highlights:
• The costumes

Notable Songs:
• “Bon Jour” performed by Oreste
• “Some Day” performed Kathryn Grayson
• “Viva La You” performed by Rita Moreno, dubbed by Eve Boswell
• “Only a Rose” performed by Kathryn Grayson and Oreste

My review:
After years of watching movie musicals, THE VAGABOND KING (1956) was a hard-to-find film that I always wanted to see — it hasn’t even had a VHS or DVD release! I was curious about it, especially since it was actress, opera singer Kathryn Grayson’s final film.

The film was finally aired for the first time on Turner Classic Movies in February of 2023 (I still had it recorded from this airing and this is how I watched it), and I can now say I’ve seen it, though that’s about all I can say about it.

“It never should have been made,” Kathyrn Grayson said, quoted in Michael Curtiz’s biography. I’m inclined to agree with her.

An operetta version of the 1901 novel, “If I Were King” by Justin Huntly McCarthy, the musical was first performed on the stage in 1925 and then in 1930 with Jeanette MacDonald and Dennis King. When this adaptation was finally released in 1956, it felt a bit old fashioned for musicals of this era.

Set in 15th century France, King Louis XI (Hampden) is at risk of being overthrown by the Duke of Burgundy. When King Louis meets poet, criminal, François Villon (Oreste), he appoints him as his provost to help in the fight against the Duke of Burgundy. In the process, Villon falls in love with King Louis’s niece, Catherine (Grayson).

I think this could have been a better movie if it felt like anyone cared about making it. The only actors who appeared to be trying to make a go of it were Walter Hampden and Kathryn Grayson, though unfortunately, it feels like Grayson was given little to do.

I don’t want to blame Oreste for this film being boring and difficult to watch, but he is certainly part of it. Having a newcomer who couldn’t speak English — according to Michael Curtiz’s biographer — lead this film was certainly a choice. Though Oreste was a well-known opera singer, I only felt his voice was loud and overpowering and clashed with Kathyrn Grayson’s beautiful voice. What this film would have benefited from would have been a quality leading man, like Howard Keel or Mario Lanza.

In addition, Rita Moreno’s singing voice is dubbed, and doesn’t match with her. She doesn’t mention this film at all in her memoir.

But it’s not just the actors. Overall, this film looks cheap. Despite being produced by a top studio like Paramount Pictures with a top director like Michael Curtiz and outfitted with stunning Edith Head costumes, it looks like the set is made of cardboard boxes and gives off a “live television” cheapness. Not even one of the best cinematographers — Robert Burkes — could photograph this set to look good.

The cheap appearance of the film could also be due to the fact that the film’s budget was cut during filming, according to Curtiz’s biographer.

The film does include some vibrant dance numbers, like “Viva La You.” But others don’t work such as “Watch Out for the Devil.” It’s like they were trying to be “Kiss Me Kate” with “Watch Out for the Devil,” which is ridiculous and painful. While the rest of the film is strictly operetta and 15th Century France, this number incorporates jazz and contemporary dancing, like Fosse randomly appeared.

Even the operetta’s composer, Rudlof Friml was so disappointed in the film that he went to Hong Kong in order to miss the premiere.

Even the New York Times review in 1956 noted that this story hadn’t aged well.

To me what’s the most disappointing is that Kathryn Grayson is underutilized in this film (Oreste sings more than she does), and that this was her final film. After making several vibrant films under contract to MGM, it makes me feel sad that this was the end of her wonderful film career. I only wish this film was better.

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