Artist/Book Illustrator, Harold Foster started his action/adventure comic strip in 1937. The full color strip was a feature of the weekend Newspapres' Weekend supplements, such as PUCK, The Comic Weekly* of the Hearst Corporation's King Features Syndicate(the Copyright owner).
PRINCE VALIANT, which also has had the subtitle, "In The Days of King Arthur", prospered from the very start. Mr. Harold Foster's excellent draftsmanship, combined with the use of printed text of story and dialog printed under the illustrations, instead of the use of "Word Balloons" gave the strip an appearance of a History Book that's come to life.
Harold Foster was highly experienced at that time as a book illustrator. He also had done illustration for the Black & White Daily Newspaper comic strip adventures of Edgar Rice Borroughs' TARZAN OF THE APES. This was his one and only daily comic strip venture.
By the 1950's the Good Viking Nobleman's career was well known, World Wide. It is at this time that adaptation to the film medium became a reality, bringing the Prince home to untold thousands of previously untapped fans, newly brought to the ranks of the Army of Foster's fictional Viking.** The Film titled simply, PRINCE VALIANT, was given the big time treatment. The filming was done in the 3 strip Technicolor Process,widescreen CinemaScope and Western Electric 4 Track Stereophonic Sound. When combined with the finely designed sets of castles, medieval villages, etc., gave an appearance to its scenes on par with Foster's Sunday Color Panels. Supporting the action and giving a fine mood setting opening theme is the beautiful original score by the old master, Franz Waxman(himself).
A surprisingly good cast presents the story in a very convincing, almost matter of fact manner.(Like, for example, we all have Singing Swords or know someone who does, right?) The plot line involves treachery, betrayal and the problem of finding out just who is the real enemy.
Robert Wagner(with Paige Boy Haircut)portrays Prince Valiant in a most convincing manner. Lovely Janet Leigh is Princess Aleta, Debra Paget(Ilene), James Mason(Sir Brack), Sterling Hayden(Sir Gawain), Tom Conway(Sir Kay)all seen as member Knights of the Round Table. And to preside over the Round Table Boys, we have Brian Aherne as King Arthur.
Rounding out this costumer are such familiar names as Neville Brand, Richard Webb, Don Megowan,Donald Crisp and Primo Carnera(!!). My personal favourite character/scene stealer is Victor McLaglen as Val's old Viking Warrior Buddy, Boltar.
The plot involves states of war between Arthur's Camelot crew and some of its neighbors, both foreign and on the British Isles. (There is even a scene where Val remains mum when asked by Sir Brack, in front of King Arthur (who was a confident and ally of Val's Family) of the whereabouts of Val's Father, the deposed King of Thule, a Kingdom in modern day Norway.)
But even more interesting is the presence of a most dangerous Domestic Enemy in the form of 5th column traitors and spies, who provide the greatest threat to Arthur's benevolent Rule. The leader of this enemy movement is the Black Knight. Evil, treacherous and of an identity unknown, he is the one who presents the greatest threat to peaceful Camelot and the rest of Britain.
And if we stop and make some comparisons, we will find this film very relevant to those 1950's post World War II, Cold War Era. For it was the internal vermin who were the most dangerous in the story. Led by this unknown who desires conquest of Britain by using these collaborators; which is just what the U.S.A. and the Western World was facing up to then. The Black Knight(Joe Stalin & successors Bulgonin, Kruscchev, etc.) pay and use Soviet Spies, Home Grown Reds and "useful Idiots" in certain high positions to try to weaken and eventually defeat the Western Powers.
It seems that this film had some real meaty underlying themes to go along with its value to the Saturday matinée crowd. Either way, it is a film worthy of investing an evening.
* In Chicago's The Herald-American we had PRINCE VALIANT occupying the entire back page of the Color Comics, Puck. Other features seen in the Hearst "funny papers" pages then were BLONDIE, FLASH GORDON, JUNGLE JIM, HI & LOIS, MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN,BRINGING UP FATHER(Maggie & Jiggs),THE PHANTOM, HENRY, BEETLE BAILEY and TIM TYLER's LUCK!
** This begs the question: Just what took Hollywood so long in bringing us a Prince Valaint flick?
FLASH!! UPDATE! DATELINE January 20, 2011. We watched the film the other night on Turner Classic Movies, in digitally restored condition & Letterbox format. We were very impressed, especially with the depth and magnitude of the photography. This, combined with the action of "When Knighthood was in Flower", led us to wonder if there were plans to release it in the 3 D process.
PRINCE VALIANT, which also has had the subtitle, "In The Days of King Arthur", prospered from the very start. Mr. Harold Foster's excellent draftsmanship, combined with the use of printed text of story and dialog printed under the illustrations, instead of the use of "Word Balloons" gave the strip an appearance of a History Book that's come to life.
Harold Foster was highly experienced at that time as a book illustrator. He also had done illustration for the Black & White Daily Newspaper comic strip adventures of Edgar Rice Borroughs' TARZAN OF THE APES. This was his one and only daily comic strip venture.
By the 1950's the Good Viking Nobleman's career was well known, World Wide. It is at this time that adaptation to the film medium became a reality, bringing the Prince home to untold thousands of previously untapped fans, newly brought to the ranks of the Army of Foster's fictional Viking.** The Film titled simply, PRINCE VALIANT, was given the big time treatment. The filming was done in the 3 strip Technicolor Process,widescreen CinemaScope and Western Electric 4 Track Stereophonic Sound. When combined with the finely designed sets of castles, medieval villages, etc., gave an appearance to its scenes on par with Foster's Sunday Color Panels. Supporting the action and giving a fine mood setting opening theme is the beautiful original score by the old master, Franz Waxman(himself).
A surprisingly good cast presents the story in a very convincing, almost matter of fact manner.(Like, for example, we all have Singing Swords or know someone who does, right?) The plot line involves treachery, betrayal and the problem of finding out just who is the real enemy.
Robert Wagner(with Paige Boy Haircut)portrays Prince Valiant in a most convincing manner. Lovely Janet Leigh is Princess Aleta, Debra Paget(Ilene), James Mason(Sir Brack), Sterling Hayden(Sir Gawain), Tom Conway(Sir Kay)all seen as member Knights of the Round Table. And to preside over the Round Table Boys, we have Brian Aherne as King Arthur.
Rounding out this costumer are such familiar names as Neville Brand, Richard Webb, Don Megowan,Donald Crisp and Primo Carnera(!!). My personal favourite character/scene stealer is Victor McLaglen as Val's old Viking Warrior Buddy, Boltar.
The plot involves states of war between Arthur's Camelot crew and some of its neighbors, both foreign and on the British Isles. (There is even a scene where Val remains mum when asked by Sir Brack, in front of King Arthur (who was a confident and ally of Val's Family) of the whereabouts of Val's Father, the deposed King of Thule, a Kingdom in modern day Norway.)
But even more interesting is the presence of a most dangerous Domestic Enemy in the form of 5th column traitors and spies, who provide the greatest threat to Arthur's benevolent Rule. The leader of this enemy movement is the Black Knight. Evil, treacherous and of an identity unknown, he is the one who presents the greatest threat to peaceful Camelot and the rest of Britain.
And if we stop and make some comparisons, we will find this film very relevant to those 1950's post World War II, Cold War Era. For it was the internal vermin who were the most dangerous in the story. Led by this unknown who desires conquest of Britain by using these collaborators; which is just what the U.S.A. and the Western World was facing up to then. The Black Knight(Joe Stalin & successors Bulgonin, Kruscchev, etc.) pay and use Soviet Spies, Home Grown Reds and "useful Idiots" in certain high positions to try to weaken and eventually defeat the Western Powers.
It seems that this film had some real meaty underlying themes to go along with its value to the Saturday matinée crowd. Either way, it is a film worthy of investing an evening.
* In Chicago's The Herald-American we had PRINCE VALIANT occupying the entire back page of the Color Comics, Puck. Other features seen in the Hearst "funny papers" pages then were BLONDIE, FLASH GORDON, JUNGLE JIM, HI & LOIS, MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN,BRINGING UP FATHER(Maggie & Jiggs),THE PHANTOM, HENRY, BEETLE BAILEY and TIM TYLER's LUCK!
** This begs the question: Just what took Hollywood so long in bringing us a Prince Valaint flick?
FLASH!! UPDATE! DATELINE January 20, 2011. We watched the film the other night on Turner Classic Movies, in digitally restored condition & Letterbox format. We were very impressed, especially with the depth and magnitude of the photography. This, combined with the action of "When Knighthood was in Flower", led us to wonder if there were plans to release it in the 3 D process.