The Prince and the Pauper (1937)

★ 6.8 1h 58m IMDb

Drama Fantasy Adventure Family

Two boys – the prince Edward and the pauper Tom – are born on the same day. Years later, when young teenage Tom sneaks into the palace garden, he meets the prince. They change clothes with one another before the guards discover them and throw out the prince thinking he's the urchin. No one believes them when they try to tell the truth about which is which. Soon after, the old king dies and the prince will inherit the throne.

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Cast

Errol Flynn as Miles Hendon Died 1959 · Hobart, Tasmania, Australia Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (June 20, 1909 - October 14, 1959) was an Australian-American actor and writer. He is popularly remembered as a charismatic romantic hero in the eight films he starred in wi...

Claude Rains as Earl of Hertford Died 1967 · Clapham, London, England, UK Claude Rains was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 47 years; he later held American citizenship. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The In...

Henry Stephenson as Duke of Norfolk Died 1956 · Granada, British West Indies From Wikipedia Henry Stephenson Garraway (16 April 1871 – 24 April 1956), sometimes credited as Harry Stephenson, was a British stage and film actor. He portrayed friendly and wise Gentleman in many...

Barton MacLane as John Canty Died 1969 · Columbia, South Carolina, USA Barton MacLane graduated from Wesleyan University, where he displayed a notable aptitude for sports, in particular football and basketball. Not surprisingly, his physical prowess led to an early role...

Billy Mauch as Tom Canty Died 2006 · Peoria, Illinois, USA

Director William Keighley

Cast Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, Henry Stephenson, Barton MacLane, Billy Mauch, Robert J. Mauch, Alan Hale, Eric Portman, Lionel Pape, Leonard Willey

CinemaSerf 7/10 Jun 20, 2022

So Henry VIII finally has his beloved son - the Prince Edward whom he protects at all costs. All the walls and guards, though, don't stop the wandering urchin "Tom Canty" from getting into his apartment. The two boys chat and decide it might be a bit of fun to swap clothes as the King is throwing a fancy dress party that night. Their roles now reversed, the wrong boy now comes a cropper at the hands of his own guards and is turfed out leaving "Tom" to fill some rather luxurious britches. Despite his protestations that he's not the Prince, he isn't believed - not even by his own ailing father (Montagu Love) - a fact that the scheming Hertford (Claude Rains) plays to his full advantage when the king dies and he gets himself appointed the Lord Protector. If "Tom" thinks he's having it bad, just wait and see what the real Prince is having to deal with. Clad in rags and proclaiming his true status, everyone just thinks he's a bit bonkers. About to get a sound beating, he is saved by soldier of fortune "Miles Hendon" (Errol Flynn) who takes the boy under his wing. Initially, he's no more convinced about the tales of royalty either, but gradually he begins to believe and together they have to find a way to stop the coronation before the wrong boy is crowned and Hertford lops of the head of the Duke of Norfolk (Henry Stephenson) and rules the roost. Now, the pair have quite a few adventures and along the way the boy realises some of the iniquities of his kingdom, vowing that he will be a better king if he ever gets the chance. Will he? Flynn is on good form here but it's really the two Mauch twins - Robert is the Prince and Billy is the pauper, who steal the show. They look like they are having good fun playing their way through parts that were probably every boy's dream. Eric Portman and Alan Hale pop up now and again too and there's precisely no romance at all to clutter up the swash, buckle, duplicity and entertainment. It's one of Mark Twain's better stores, I think, and this is the best version made for the silver screen.