Only Flynn had the verve the producers required, and the job was his.

Because Flynn's price was considered too high by the studio, the dashing swordplay and roguish charm of Miles Hendon was almost portrayed by Patric Knowles ( The Charge of the Light Brigade, 1936) or George Brent ( Dark Victory, 1939). Based on Mark Twain's story of a youthful prince who exchanges identities with a pauper boy, The Prince and the Pauper stars Montagu Love ( The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938) as King Henry VIII, Claude Rains ( Casablanca, 1942) as the treacherous Earl of Hertford, twins Bobby and Billy Mauch as Prince Edward and pauper lookalike Tom Canty, and Errol Flynn as Miles Hendon, a soldier of fortune who befriends the prince and restores him to his rightful throne.ĭirected by Warner Brothers veteran William Keighley, The Prince and the Pauper was released in 1937, coinciding neatly with the fanfare surrounding the coronation of King George VI of England.

The Prince and the Pauper (1937) is a classic adventure yarn, from the storybook opening sequence to scenes of 16th century palace life, royal intrigue and, of course, dashing swordplay between Errol Flynn and every miscreant who crosses his path. Finally, the true Edward is crowned, Hertford is banished, Miles is recognized for his bravery, and Tom is made a ward of the court. The coronation is in progress, but Edward proves himself by revealing the whereabouts of the Great Seal of England. Soon the King dies, and Edward manages, with Miles's help, to escape Tom's vicious father, John Canty, and return to the palace. The boy is befriended by Miles Hendon, a soldier of fortune who indulges the boy's 'fantasies' that he is Prince of England. When the Earl of Hertford, the King's scheming advisor who hopes to be appointed Edward's Lord High Protector, discovers the switch, he seizes the opportunity to control the throne by forcing Tom to continue the pretense, allowing him to order the murder of the real Edward. In the midst of a game, the Captain of the Guard mistakes Edward for the beggar-boy and throws him out of the palace.

One night, when Tom hides in the palace yard to escape a driving rain, the two boys meet, realize there is a striking resemblance between them, and playfully exchange clothes. As Tom grows, he studies with Father Andrew and dreams of a life apart from the beggers and thieves that surround him, while Edward, pampered by the luxuries of royal life, becomes curious about the real England. On the same day in 1537 that Edward Tudor, the son of King Henry VIII, is born in London, a poor boy named Tom Canty is born in the slums of London.

The prince and the pauper 1881