The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)
- Starring:
- Marilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier, (more)
- Director(s):
- Laurence Olivier
- Format(s):
- DVD
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Synopsis of The Prince and the Showgirl
The title of the Anglo-American The Prince and the Showgirl could well have alluded to the genuine stations in life of stars Sir Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe. Based on the Terence Rattigan play The Sleeping Prince, the film casts Olivier as Charles, prince regent of Carpathia, who is in London to attend the 1911 coronation of King George V. Monroe is deceptively dizzy American chorus girl Elsie Marina, who while performing in a West End revue catches Charles' eye. The prince arranges for Elsie to attend an "intimate supper" at his hotel suite. Though Elsie successfully wards off Charles' advances, she drinks too much bubbly and ends up falling asleep. Comes the dawn, and Prince Charles is anxious to show the awkward Elsie the door. She, however, has fallen in love with the prince, and sticks around long enough to upset a plan to overthrow the Carpathian throne, and to patch up a feud between Charles and his son Nicholas (Jeremy Spencer). Olivier directed as well as starred in The Prince and the Showgirl; he knew he had his work cut out for him in dealing with the mercurial Marilyn Monroe, but he managed to hold his temper and to extract a delightful comic performance from the actress. Alas, the film was a box-office disappointment, leading many Hollywood insiders to moan and wail that Monroe was "washed up" in films -- at least until her spectacular comeback in Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 117 mins
Complete Cast of The Prince and the Showgirl
- Marilyn Monroe - Elsie Marina
- Sybil Thorndike - Queen Dowager
- Jeremy Spenser - Prince Nicholas
- Esmond Knight - Col. Hoffman
- Aubrey Dexter - The Ambassador
- Harold Goodwin - Call Boy
- Daphne Anderson - Fanny
- Vera Day - Betty
- Charles Victor - Theatre Manager
- Gladys Henson - Dresser
- Laurence Olivier - Grand Duke Charles
- Richard Wattis - Northbrooke
- Paul Hardwick - Major Domo
- Rosamond Greenwood - Maud
- Maxine Audley - Lady Sunningdale
- Jean Kent - Maisie Springfield
- Gillian Owen - Maggie
- Margot Lister - Lottie
- David Horne - The Foreign Officer
- Andrea Malandrinos - Valet with Violin
- Director(s):
- Laurence Olivier
- Writer(s):
- Terence Rattigan
- Producer(s):
- Laurence Olivier
- 1957 - National Board of Review - Best Supporting Actress
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