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

  (Complete credited 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:

The filmmakers couldn't use the musical's original score because it had already been purchased for use in Words and Music (1948), a Richard Rodgers tribute.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Hank, Lady Alisande, King Arthur and Sir Sagramore are in the slave pen, Sir Sagramore grabs a guard and pulls him back against the bars. One of the heavy bars visibly flexes and then springs back, showing that it is made of rubber.

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:

Featured in "The X Files: Duane Barry (#2.5)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

WHEN IS SOMETIME?

Lavish Twain

Stylishly directed, picturesquely photographed and brilliantly acted — Crosby's interpretation seems exactly right, Hardwicke has his best role ever, while Bendix is a treat too — this Yankee's appeal is universal and irresistible.

One of the principal joys of the movie, of course, are the songs. As might be expected, Bing is in fine voice. And although Hardwicke's solo has been cut, we can still hear him sing heartily as he dances merrily with Crosby and Bendix in their famous novelty number, "Busy Doing Nothing". It's also a treat to hear Rhonda Fleming, who, although she enjoyed an extensive stage and concert career as a singer, was rarely given a chance to be heard in the cinema. She has a lovely voice that more than matches her ravishing looks—and she looks very fetching indeed in her Mary Kay Dodson costumes.

Director Tay Garnett gets the most out of his lavish budget, using all the resources at his command to present every fabulous scene as effectively as possible. (Perhaps the eclipse looks a trifle too contrived, but who's complaining?)

In short, as the trailer actually describes, an entertainment delight from start to finish.