Monsieur Beaucaire

Plot

Monsieur Beaucaire, Booth Tarkington's novel about an 18th-century French barber who poses as a swashbuckling aristocrat, was the surprising source for this Grade-A Bob Hope comedy. While in the original novel the tonsorial hero pretended to be someone he wasn't by choice, in this 1946 film Hope is coerced into posturing as a nobleman on the threat of death. It's "out of the frying pan" time here, since Hope will be a target for execution the moment he weds a Spanish princess in place of genuine noble Patric Knowles. Bob's actions will prevent a war between Spain and France, but it's likely he won't be around to celebrate the Peace. Hiding his cowardice by cracking wise at every opportunity, Hope manages to save both the day and himself; he even rescues Joseph Schildkraut, the film's nominal villain, from the guillotine. The female contingent is represented by Joan Caulfield as Bob's covetous girl friend, Marjorie Reynolds as a princess, and Hillary Brooke as a haughty schemer (who is given her just desserts in an early slapstick set-piece). Woody Allen has long expressed his affection for Monsieur Beaucaire, an affection made doubly obvious in "homage" fashion by Allen's 1975 costume comedy Love and Death. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Review

Most Bob Hope vehicles are pretty much cut from the same pattern, so what makes one better or worse than the other tends to be the cloth. In that respect, Monsieur Beaucaire is definitely one of Hope's better outings. Not so much an adaptation of the Booth Tarkington original as a free-for-all based upon Valentino's earlier film version, Beaucaire is a very pleasant and engaging little frolic. Putting Hope in a period piece is generally a good idea, as it adds to the comedian's gift for being a fish out of water -- and compounding that by setting the film in France just adds to the fun. Writers Melvin Frank and Norman Panama have come up with a bounty of gags both physical and verbal; there's no humor that's on a Shavian level, but it all fits in well with both the scenario and the comic's style, and George Marshall has directed with energy and verve. All in all, this is a fast and funny, if totally inconsequential, little film. It won't win any prizes, but it's solid entertainment. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

• Bob Hope - M. Beaucaire
• Joan Caulfield - Mimi
• Patric Knowles - Duc de Chandre
• Cecil Kellaway - Count D'Armand
• Marjorie Reynolds - Princess Maria of Spain

Joseph Schildkraut - Don Francisco; Reginald Owen - Louis XV; Constance Collier - The Queen; Hillary Brooke - Mme. Pompadour; Fortunio Bonanova - Don Carlos; Douglas Dumbrille - George Washington; Mary Nash - The Duenna; Leonid Kinskey - Rene; Howard Freeman - King Philip of Spain; Eric Alden - Swordsman; Nina Borget - Wife; Anthony Caruso - Masked horseman; Lane Chandler - Officer; Charles Coleman - Major Domo; Catherine Craig - Duchess; Jean de Briac - Minister of Finance; Jean del Val - Minister of War; Helen Freeman - Queen of Spain; Sherry Hall - Sentry; Brandon Hurst - Marquis; Mona Maris - Marquisa; Jack Mulhall - Guard; John Mylong - Minister of State; Noreen Nash - Baroness; Tony Paton - Waiter; Nino Pipitone - Lackey; Hugh Prosser - Courtier; Buddy Roosevelt - Spanish guard; George Sorel - Duke; Philip Van Zandt - Guard; Dorothy Vernon - Servant; Alan Hale, Jr. - Courier; John Maxwell - Courier; Manuel Paris - Spanish Guard; Robert "Buddy" Shaw - Husband

Credit

Hans Dreier - Art Director, Earl Hedrick - Art Director, Billy Daniels - Choreography, Josephine Earl - Choreography, Mary Kay Dodson - Costume Designer, George Marshall - Director, Arthur P. Schmidt - Editor, Robert Emmett Dolan - Composer (Music Score), Robert Emmett Dolan - Musical Direction/Supervision, Lionel Lindon - Cinematographer, Paul Jones - Producer, Farciot Edouart - Special Effects, Gordon Jennings - Special Effects, Melvin Frank - Screenwriter, Norman Panama - Screenwriter, Booth Tarkington - Book Author

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