Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, and Frances Dee star in “If I Were King”

If I Were King (1938) is a historical biographical drama directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, and Frances Dee. The supporting cast includes Ellen Drew, Ralph Forbes, Henry Wilcoxon, and (Roy) Paul Harvey. It’s based on the play and novel of the same name by Justin Huntley McCarthy. The screenplay was written by Preston Sturges. The cinematography is by Theodor Sparkuhl (The Glass Key 1942).

Frank Lloyd (1886 – 1960) was a Scottish-American film director. He started directing long-form silent films in 1915. He worked at for all the major studios including Paramount, Fox, and M-G-M. Some of his notable films include Cavalcade (1933), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), and Blood on the Sun (1945). He won two Best Director Academy Awards: The Divine Lady  (1929) and Cavalcade (1933). He was Scotland’s first Academy Award winner.

Ronald Colman (1891 – 1958) was an English-born actor whose career started in the theatre. In 1923, Colman appeared opposite Lillian Gish in the silent film The White Sister. He was a hit with the public and starred in over 20 silent films in America. Due to his wonderfully trained stage voice, Colman made the transition to talking pictures with ease. Some of his sound films include Clive of India (1935), A Tale of Two Cities (1935), Lost Horizon (1937), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), The Talk of the Town (1942), and Random Harvest (1942). Colman was nominated three times for the Best Actor Academy Award. He finally won for his performance in A Double Life (1947).

Basil Rathbone (1892 – 1967) was an Anglo-South African actor. He won acclaim as a Shakespearean actor in the United Kingdom and then as a character actor in Hollywood. He appeared in many classic films in the United States including David Copperfield (1935), Romeo and Juliet (1936), and The Adventure of Robin Hood (1938). He is probably best known for playing Sherlock Holmes in 14 years between 1939 and 1946. Author Margaret Mitchell thought of Rathbone when they were casting the film version of her novel Gone With the Wind (1939). Rathbone actively campaigned for the role that eventually went to Clark Gable.

Frances Dee (1909 – 2024) was an American actress. Dee started her career as a film extra and eventually graduated to playing lead roles opposite major stars like Maurice Chevalier, Leslie Howard, Walter Huston, and Joel McCrea. Dee and McCrea met and starred together in the film The Silver Cord (1933) and were married later that year. Dee and McCream had three sons and were married for 57 years. Some of Dee’s films include An American Tragedy (1931),  Little Women (1934),  I Walked With a Zombie (1943), and Four Faces West (1948).

 

Ronald Colman and Frances Dee

If I Were King trivia

• Charles Boyer supposedly turned down the lead role.
• This was the film debut of Darryl Hickman.
• Frances Dee and Ronald Colman reprised their roles on the radio. Dee in 1939 and Colman in 1946.

 

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

 

Click HERE to join the online discussion on Monday, January 20, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

 

Leslie Howard and Bette Davis in the pre-Code classic “Of Human Bondage”

Of Human Bondage (1934) is a pre-Code drama directed by John Cromwell and starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, and Francis Dee. The film was based on W. Somerset Maugham’s 1915 novel. The music was by Max Steiner.

Leslie Howard and Bette Davis

Leslie Howard stars as Philip Carey a club-footed British man studying art in Paris. After his teacher tells him that he really has no talent as an artist, he returns to London to study medicine. While in London, he falls desperately in love with a waitress named Mildred Rogers (Davis). Philip’s passion is constantly spurned by Mildred, but he finds himself hopelessly drawn to her, to the point of financial and personal ruin.

Will Philip escape from his destructive infatuation with Mildred or will it destroy his life and medical career?

Of Human Bondage is a pre-Code film. Films released before 1934 did not follow strict rules as to what themes or characters could be expressed onscreen. Prior to the implementation of the Production Code, the public was becoming concerned with explicit film content. Rather than be subjected to government oversight, the movie studios united to create and live by a set of rules that each studio would abide by. With the collapse of the studio system, the Production Code ended in 1968 in favor of the film rating system we have today.

John Cromwell (1886 – 1979) was an American film and stage director. Cromwell started his career as an actor on the stage and in the early days of talking pictures. He was under contract to Paramount where he directed many pre-Code films. Some of the stars he directed during this time included Kay Francis, William Powell, and Jean Arthur. In 1933, he moved to RKO and directed Irene Dunne in Ann Vickers (1933), Spitfire (1934) with Katharine Hepburn, and Of Human Bondage (1934) with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis. Of Human Bondage was a tremendous box office success and made Cromwell a top director in Hollywood. Other films he directed include Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Since You Went Away (1944), Anna and the Kind of Siam (1946), and Dead Reckoning. He is the father of actor James Cromwell.

Leslie Howard (1893 – 1943) was an English film and stage actor. He was a popular movie star on both sides of the Atlantic, working in both England and the United States. He is probably best remembered for playing Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind (1939), but Howard was a big box office draw during the 1930s starring in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), The Petrified Forest (1936), Pygmalion (1938), and Intermezzo (1939). Howard’s life and career were cut short when the plane he was flying in was shot down over the Atlantic in 1943 during World War II.

Bette Davis eyes!

Bette Davis (1908 – 1989) was an American actress who had a career on stage and screen that spanned more than 50 years. Davis came to Hollywood in 1930 and within four years of her arrival, she was one of its biggest stars winning her first Best Actress Academy Award for her role in Dangerous (1935). Her starring role in Jezebel (1938) won her a second Best Actress Oscar. Davis would go on to star in many popular films during the 1940s including Dark Victory (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), and Now, Voyager (1942). In 1950 she starred as Margo Channing in All About Eve (1950), a role she is probably most identified with today. Other popular films include The Old Maid (1939), All This and Heaven Too (1940), Mr. Skeffington (1944), and The Corn is Green (1945).

Of Human Bondage trivia:

• Bette Davis begged Jack Warner to let her out of her contract so she could star in the film.
• Katherine Hepburn, Ann Sheridan, and Irene Dunne all turned down the part of Mildred.
• Leslie Howard was not happy that an American was cast as Mildred, but Davis eventually won him over.
• The film premiered at Radio City Music Hall on June 28, 1934.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on Zoom on January 26, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will get an invitation with links to the discussion.

Questions for discussion:

1. Why do you think Philip was drawn to Mildred?
2. Why did Philip choose Mildred over Norah?
3. Davis’s performance was considered a tour de force when released. Do you think it holds up by today’s acting standards?
4. This movie was made during the pre-Code era. Did you notice things in this film that you didn’t see in films released after 1934?

10 Things You May Not Know About Joel McCrea

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was one of the most underrated stars from Hollwyood’s Golden Age, in my opinion. Unfairly labeled as the poor man’s Gary Cooper, McCrea was a talented actor in his own right. Here are some things about McCrea that you may not know.

1. Joel McCrea was Cecil B. DeMille’s paperboy.

I wonder if Cecil B. DeMille was a good tipper.

2. As a high school student he worked as a stunt double for silent movie cowboys William S. Hart and Tom Mix.

3. He was the first actor to play “Dr. Kildare” on the screen in Internes Can’t Take Money (1937).

McCrea was the first actor to portray Dr. Kildare.

4. When Gary Cooper turned down the part of the hero in Foreign Correspondent (1940), McCrea got one of his best known roles in the iconic Alfred Hitchcock thriller.

5. Writer-director Preston Sturges wrote Sullivan’s Travels (1941) and The Palm Beach Story (1942) with McCrea in mind for the male leads.

6. He starred in six films with Barbara Stanwyck; their first film together was the pre-Code Gambling Lady (1934).

7. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933; they were married for 57 years (his death).

McCrea and Dee were considered one of the most glamorous couples in Hollywood.

8. He and his wife had three sons: David, Peter, and Jody.

9. Due to his shrewd financial and real-estate investments, he was a multi-millionaire by the end of the 1940s.

10. McCrea was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame in 1968.

Val Lewton Blogathon Begins Here!

Boo! You’ve come to the right place. Check out my post below and then click on the links to posts by other bloggers to get their take on Val Lewton, his films, and his legacy. Be sure to leave comments on the various posts and let us know what you think!

Stronger Heroine: Betsy Connell shines in I Walked With A Zombie
One of the things that distinguishes Val Lewton’s horror films from his contemporaries is the strong roles he created for his leading ladies. Lewton’s heroines aren’t just around to scream and cling to their male costars. Lewton’s women are independent and can think and take care of themselves. Nurse Betsy Connell (Frances Dee) in I Walked With a Zombie (1943) is one of the strongest.

Told in flashback, the film begins in Ottawa, Canada, where Betsy learns about her new job—taking care of a sick woman, Jessica Holland, (Christine Gordon) the wife of the owner of a Caribbean sugar plantation. As the interviewer describes the position, we see snow falling outside the window, a stark contrast to the climate Betsy is about to encounter on the island of St. Sebastian.

Traveling alone to the island by ship, Betsy encounters Paul Holland (Tom Conway), the plantation owner and her new boss. Betsy is dazzled by the beauty she’s encountering, but is cautioned by Paul who says,“…everything seems beautiful because you don’t understand. Those flying fish—they’re not leaping for joy; they’re jumping in terror. Bigger fish want to eat them.” A few moments later Betsy glimpses a falling star. Paul continues by saying, “Everything good dies here, even the stars.” That “warm” welcome foreshadows what is to come.

On her carriage ride to the plantation at Fort Holland, the driver gives Betsy a brief history of St. Sebastian. He talks about slaves being brought there long ago. Is the island living under a curse because of its slave-trader past? Not moved by the driver’s comments, Betsy can only see the natural beauty around her.

Jessica and Betsy on their “walk”

Beauty quickly fades to reality when Betsy discovers that her patient is a “mental case,” something she wasn’t prepared for. The rumor among the servants at Fort Holland is that Mrs. Holland is a zombie. Voodoo is vigorously practiced on St. Sebastian and some suggest the voodoo priest can heal zombies. Jessica seems alive, but she doesn’t speak or seem to have any sense of what is going on around her. Along with the suggestion that Jessica is a zombie, we learn that there was a love triangle between Paul, Jessica, and Paul’s stepbrother, Wesley Rand (James Ellison). Wesley who still loves Jessica blames Paul for Jessica’s present condition. Mrs. Rand (Edith Barrett), mother of both Paul and Wesley, desperately wants peace in the family, but there is none to be found.

Like Jane Erye longing for Mr. Rochester, Betsy finds herself having romantic feelings for Paul. Instead of giving into her feelings, Betsy channels them into diligently trying to care for Jessica. She goes so far as enlisting the island’s medical doctor and advocating for a controversial procedure that has been successful with similar cases. When that procedure doesn’t work, Betsy tries something much more risky.

With the help of Fort Holland servant Alma, (Theresa Harris), Betsy takes Jessica to a voodoo ceremony at the Houmfort (voodoo temple). In the dark of night, Betsy escorts Jessica through the fields of sugar cane. This famous Lewton walk, all done on an RKO studio soundstage is almost lyrical in its execution. With no music and only the sounds of nature as a background, it’s one of the most compelling scenes in the entire Lewton canon. When Betsy encounters Carrefour (Darby Jones), a giant of a zombie, guarding the Houmfort, she is surprised and frightened, but she continues and walks past him with Jessica.

Dr. Maxwell, Betsy, and Paul discuss Jessica’s condition

Betsy observes the voodoo ceremony respectfully with Jessica. She then notices people walking up to a small building at the Houmfort where folks ask “someone” for help. Betsy waits her turn and explains Jessica’s case. Instead of a word through the door, Betsy is ushered into the structure. Inside she discovers Mrs. Rand. Instead of shrieking in horror or surprise, Besty inquires what all this means. Mrs. Rand, the widow of a missionary, tells her it was easier to reach and teach the natives about sanitation and health precautions if she mixed her advice with a little voodoo.

Betsy returns to the St. Sebastian estate with Jessica, setting a series of events in motion. The voodoo worshipers are convinced that Jessica is a zombie and summon her. Before long Carrefour walks to Fort Holland in search of Jessica. Mrs. Rand, who seems to have control over the zombie, commands him to stop. Carrefour listens and returns to the Houmfort. Although frightened, Betsy is not hysterical. After this event, it becomes clear that Paul is falling in love with Betsy.

The action begins to pick up with Jessica heeding the summons of the voodoo worshipers. She walks toward the locked gate, going no farther until Wesley opens it to let her go. After removing an arrow from a figurehead in the courtyard of the estate, Wesley follows Jessica. Wesley pierces Jessica with the arrow and then carries her lifeless body into the ocean where he commits suicide. The next scene is of spear-fishermen who discover Jessica’s body, floating face up in the water. This is another beautifully shot piece of film the likes of which you’re not likely to see in a horror film. The movie ends with the bodies of Jessica and Wesley being carried to Fort Hollard with a voice-over of what sounds like an island native: “O Lord God most holy. Deliver them from the bitter pain of eternal death. The woman was a wicked woman, and she was dead in her own life. Yea, Lord, dead in selfishness of her spirit. And the man followed her. Her steps led him down to evil. Her feet took hold on death. Forgive him, O Lord, who knowest the secret of all hearts. Yea, Lord, pity them who are dead and give peace and happiness to the living.”

Betsy and Paul share a tender moment together

Although the story begins after Jessica’s illness and her affair with Wesley, the contrast between Besty and Jessica is clearly set. Paul, like Maxim de Winter, doesn’t love his “dead” wife. And Wesley, like Jack Favell, believes that Jessica loved him, not Paul. Betsy, unlike the second Mrs. de Winter isn’t lacking in self-confidence; she more than holds her own in the Holland/Rand household. She doesn’t need to be saved by Paul. Betsy can stand on her own, but chooses to love Paul in spite of his past, or maybe because of it.

Frances Dee’s performance as Betsy is one of her best in a career that spanned over six decades. Never a major movie star, Dee was often cast in supporting roles. As Betsy Connell, Dee had a role that required her to carry the picture and she did so most capably. As Lewton heroines go, Betsy is stronger than most. Unusual for a horror heroine in 1943, she has a career, is independent, and strong-minded. She doesn’t shun men or romance, but she’s perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet and making her own decisions. Betsy Connell is a true Lewton heroine in every sense of the word.


Below are more contributions celebrating the extraordinary talent of Val Lewton. You’ll find fascinating and interesting posts written by some of your favorite—or soon to be favorite—classic movie bloggers. And if you want to read more Lewton posts—you know you want to read more—be sure to check out Kristina’s Speakeasy blog; she’s cohosting this event with me. Be sure to check her interesting take on the classic The Ghost Ship. Some blog links may not be up immediately, so check back regularly for updates. Enjoy!


She Blogged by Night  – The Body Snatcher

Old Movies Nostalgia – Man in the Shadows: A Biography of Val Lewton  @moviesnostalgia

The Stop Button – Mademoiselle Fifi @thestopbutton

Journeys in Classic Film – Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie

@NitrateDiva – Lewton’s use of Point of View & Voice-Over

50s Westerns – Apache Drums

Kellee Pratt - Lewton’s Influence on the Horror genre @irishjayhawk66

Classic Becky’s Brain food – I Walked With A Zombie 

Critica Retro – Tale Of Two Cities Lewton the Producer @startspreading

Jen Garlen – Bedlam

Can’t Stop the Movies – Bedlam talks about what insanity is and how it was “used” in this story @mr_sheldrake

CP’s  Classical Gas – Isle Of The Dead looks at the value of a great script and whether or not the film was as Lewton itself called it, an unholy mess


More posts! Check out Kristina’s blog to get their links.

Once Upon a Screen – Cat People not only a great analysis of the film but of Lewton’s “important role of bridging the gap in horror films between Universal’s golden era to the resurgence of the genre”

Thrilling days of Yesteryear –  The Seventh Victim  an extensive look at the movie’s controversial subject, its influence and its cast @igsjr

Furious Cinema – Isle Of The Dead  Pete reviews director Mark Robson’s work and the movie’s influence on the modern psychological thriller @furiouscinema

Laura’s Misc Musings – The Leopard Man  as one of the lesser known but not less spooky & enjoyable Lewton movies @laurasmiscmovie

Craig of Viking Samurai – Body Snatcher @craigr3521

The Last Drive-in (Monster Girl) – Curse Of The Cat People  through the themes of the feline, the fearsome female and the fearing child in 2 posts!   part 1  and part 2 @thelastdrivein

Lasso the Movies – Cat People @lassothemovies

Classic Movie Gab – The Body Snatcher all about Karloff’s performance, the real life background of the story & more @pinkpetalz


Classic Screen Screams!
Looking for some classic films to watch during Halloween? Check out these Val Lewton classics by clicking the link here.

A creepy scene from The Leopard Man

Fright School Recap

Lewton’s Legacy
My presentation of I Walked With A Zombie at midnight on October 15, 2011 was well-received by the Facets Fright School attendees. Although many in the audience were familiar with director Jacques Tourneur, most had never heard of producer Val Lewton, or his horror film legacy.

Fright School audience

I enjoy introducing classic films to folks who have never seen them before and last night was no exception. I also enjoyed the reactions and comments from first-time viewers of I Walked With A Zombie.

Literate Audience
The audiences at Facets are generally very literate when it comes to film and last night’s attendees didn't disappoint me. Several made insightful observations and brought to light things I hadn’t noticed, which gives me some more reasons to watch the film again (like I needed any)!

Dee Delights

Frances Dee and Tom Conway in Zombie

Many admired the production and the complexity of the plot for what was supposed to be a horror “programmer” for RKO. One viewer was impressed with Frances Dee’s (1909-2004) performance, which is one of her best in a long film career that started in 1929.

For more information on the rest of the films in the Fright School series, please check the Facets Film School Web site.

Fright School at Facets Multi-Media

The Return of Fright School
Fright School, Facets midnight-movie horror series, returns for a third year. The series begins September 30, 2011. Films will be screened every Friday and Saturday night at midnight through October 29.

Fright School is a great way to learn about all types of horror films, from exploitation to classic. Films are introduced by local film experts with Q & A afterwards. It’s a crash course on the horror genre. Plus, there are raffles, prizes, and other give-a-ways. Admission is only $5, free for Facets members.

Fright School schedule 

Facets Multi-Media is located at 1517 West Fullerton. For more information, please visit their Web site.

I Walked With A Zombie to be Screened October 15
Stephen Reginald, aka The Classic Movie Man will present producer Val Lewton’s horror classic on Saturday, October 15, 2011 as part of the Facets Multi-Media “Fright School.” Directed by Jacques Tourneur (Cat People 1942), I Walked With A Zombie was the second collaboration between the producer and director and supposedly Tourneur’s favorite of all his films.

Jane Eyre in the West Indies
Set in the West Indies, Zombie feels like a contemporary version of Jane Eyre. Frances Dee plays Betsy Connell, a young nurse who leaves her native Canada to care for Jessica Holland (Christine Gordon), the sick wife of wealthy businessman, Paul Holland (Tom Conway). Holland runs a sugar plantation on the island of Saint Sebastian and lives at Fort Holland with his mother and half-brother, Wesley Rand (James Ellison). On the island, Betsy discovers the conflict between the voodoo beliefs of the island’s natives and the small white community of medical workers and officials that have settled there. Believing that her employer’s wife may be a zombie, she brings the woman to a voodoo ceremony hoping they will have a cure for her condition. Betsy’s bold action sets in motion a series of events, which reveal family secrets and the mystery behind Jessica’s “sickness.”

Literate Horror
Producer Val Lewton was tasked with creating a horror unit at the RKO studios to rival Universal. Universal hit box office gold with horror hits like Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Wolf Man. Instead of copying Universal’s movie monsters, Lewton created horror films that combined literate scripts with believable characters and seemingly plausible plots. These elements, plus good production values, intensified the suspense and packed movie houses throughout the 1940s. I Walked With A Zombie was Lewton’s second horror film at RKO and one of his very best.