Well, this movie is definitely from the 30's. The old school charm oozes from this movie. A boy King, Mother and Father separated, evil Prime minister spoiling a happy home, and our Hero, Will Rogers to the rescue with Hometown Americana wisdom to set a small country right. NOT great movie making, but charming nonetheless. The Senator who arrives to relive Mr. Rogers when he gets in hot water could have been the mold for the Mayor of "Nightmare before Christmas", :) One funny scene involves Rogers and the Cabinet of the small country who are playing poker, oblivious to the time, and the demands of Traditional royal ceremonies. It is a soft movie, even though a revolution or two get raged during it, and the parade scenes are incongruous for the costumes of the country the actors wear. No big suds, but nothing incredibly bad either. A nice average movie....
4 Reviews
Dust off those cobwebs!
planktonrules15 February 2008
Will Rogers plays the ambassador from the US to the tiny nation of Sylvania. Instead of being another dull bureaucrat, Bill is very down-to-earth and simple--and approaches the young king and his mother like they are just normal folks as well. This quickly wins over the young king, as he's longing to act like other boys his age.
AMBASSADOR BILL is one of the films of the 1930s that probably did quite well at the time but today seems to have aged very poorly. Now I certainly DON'T think that films this old are bad--in fact, I adore Classic Hollywood. However, the folksy style of this film is something that audiences of the day loved but people today will most likely find very hokey. As for me, I was able to stick with the film but my wife loudly complained that the film was "dull and ridiculous" and soon left the room!
While this film is very short on laughs, it is interesting because the effect this film had on future films, such as the Marx Brothers' DUCK SOUP, is immense. DUCK SOUP is sort of like AMBASSADOR BILL on drugs--as well as being very funny. Heck, even the name of the nation of "Sylvania" was used in both films!
Don't give up on Will Rogers films because AMBASSADOR BILL isn't that great. DOCTOR BULL is a wonderful Rogers film. It's not so much a comedy, but it's a heck of a drama. Rogers could definitely act--but obviously some of his films were hits and some were duds. If seen today, AMBASSADOR BILL is a small but watchable dud.
AMBASSADOR BILL is one of the films of the 1930s that probably did quite well at the time but today seems to have aged very poorly. Now I certainly DON'T think that films this old are bad--in fact, I adore Classic Hollywood. However, the folksy style of this film is something that audiences of the day loved but people today will most likely find very hokey. As for me, I was able to stick with the film but my wife loudly complained that the film was "dull and ridiculous" and soon left the room!
While this film is very short on laughs, it is interesting because the effect this film had on future films, such as the Marx Brothers' DUCK SOUP, is immense. DUCK SOUP is sort of like AMBASSADOR BILL on drugs--as well as being very funny. Heck, even the name of the nation of "Sylvania" was used in both films!
Don't give up on Will Rogers films because AMBASSADOR BILL isn't that great. DOCTOR BULL is a wonderful Rogers film. It's not so much a comedy, but it's a heck of a drama. Rogers could definitely act--but obviously some of his films were hits and some were duds. If seen today, AMBASSADOR BILL is a small but watchable dud.
Interesting, but dated Will Rogers film
bkoganbing9 May 2013
Although Ambassador Bill depends a wee bit too much on the folksy charm of Will Rogers it's still a good introduction to the person who may well have been America's most beloved entertainer. The film also gets a few interesting, but dated barbs at a few topics of the time.
Twenty years later Irving Berlin went over some of the same material in Call Me Madam about an Oklahoma heiress who became a European ambassador. Rogers is an Oklahoma cattle baron who's been appointed an ambassador to the mythical Balkan kingdom of Sylvania. It's being ruled by a boy king Tad Alexander with his mother Marguerite Churchill as regent. In charge of the regency is Gustav Von Seyfertiz and he's our Snidely Whiplash villain.
A little bedroom escapade forced the abdication of the former king Ray Milland and he's coming back to reclaim family and kingdom.
While Milland plots counterrevolution, Rogers teaches the young king about such plebeian pursuits as baseball. He also gets him a cowboy suit and teaches him the art of rope tricks. All this is not making Von Seyfertitz happy as he sees his control slipping.
Providing a convenient target for some of Rogers's amusing barbs is Ferdinand Munier playing a flannel-mouth Senator on an inspection tour. He's a wonderful performer essentially being Rogers's straight man.
It's not the best the work of Will Rogers, but it still is amusing providing you have a knowledge of the world it was made in.
Twenty years later Irving Berlin went over some of the same material in Call Me Madam about an Oklahoma heiress who became a European ambassador. Rogers is an Oklahoma cattle baron who's been appointed an ambassador to the mythical Balkan kingdom of Sylvania. It's being ruled by a boy king Tad Alexander with his mother Marguerite Churchill as regent. In charge of the regency is Gustav Von Seyfertiz and he's our Snidely Whiplash villain.
A little bedroom escapade forced the abdication of the former king Ray Milland and he's coming back to reclaim family and kingdom.
While Milland plots counterrevolution, Rogers teaches the young king about such plebeian pursuits as baseball. He also gets him a cowboy suit and teaches him the art of rope tricks. All this is not making Von Seyfertitz happy as he sees his control slipping.
Providing a convenient target for some of Rogers's amusing barbs is Ferdinand Munier playing a flannel-mouth Senator on an inspection tour. He's a wonderful performer essentially being Rogers's straight man.
It's not the best the work of Will Rogers, but it still is amusing providing you have a knowledge of the world it was made in.
Absouteky fascinating!
JohnHowardReid2 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Producer: Winfield Sheehan. Running time: A mere 68 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Good old Will – I mean Bill – brings the blessings of democracy to strife-torn Sylvania.
COMMENT: This interesting and quite charming movie actually improves immensely on a second viewing. First time around, the story seems not only overly clichéd and sentimental but only sporadically amusing. I also found Ray Milland's rather odd portrait of the ex- king somewhat distracting, and I didn't warm at all to Tad Alexander's eager- beaver child monarch.
Even worse, I thought Sam Taylor's direction routine at best. True it is that Milland didn't improve much on second sight. He's miscast, but does his best and isn't actually on hand a great deal anyway. (Uneasy lies the actor that wears a crown). But everyone and everything else gallops away to glory.
I particularly enjoyed both Rogers' homespun philosophy as well as his rope tricks, and I loved Greta Nissen's engaging femme fatale. Edwin Maxwell also has a delightful role, while Ferdinand Munier and Tom Ricketts also presented some joyous bundles of fun.
Sam Taylor's direction, whilst unobtrusive (except for a couple of royally splashy dolly shots) rates as a most skillful achievement, making a brilliantly effective use of sound effects as well as setting off the film's rich production values (particularly its awesome sets, attractive costumes and first-class cinematography) to great advantage.
Guy Bolton's sly screenplay, despite its obvious bias, also comes over quite nicely as both a chuckle-some - if not downright hilarious event - which is also absolutely fascinating and hold the viewer's rapt attention from first to last!
SYNOPSIS: Good old Will – I mean Bill – brings the blessings of democracy to strife-torn Sylvania.
COMMENT: This interesting and quite charming movie actually improves immensely on a second viewing. First time around, the story seems not only overly clichéd and sentimental but only sporadically amusing. I also found Ray Milland's rather odd portrait of the ex- king somewhat distracting, and I didn't warm at all to Tad Alexander's eager- beaver child monarch.
Even worse, I thought Sam Taylor's direction routine at best. True it is that Milland didn't improve much on second sight. He's miscast, but does his best and isn't actually on hand a great deal anyway. (Uneasy lies the actor that wears a crown). But everyone and everything else gallops away to glory.
I particularly enjoyed both Rogers' homespun philosophy as well as his rope tricks, and I loved Greta Nissen's engaging femme fatale. Edwin Maxwell also has a delightful role, while Ferdinand Munier and Tom Ricketts also presented some joyous bundles of fun.
Sam Taylor's direction, whilst unobtrusive (except for a couple of royally splashy dolly shots) rates as a most skillful achievement, making a brilliantly effective use of sound effects as well as setting off the film's rich production values (particularly its awesome sets, attractive costumes and first-class cinematography) to great advantage.
Guy Bolton's sly screenplay, despite its obvious bias, also comes over quite nicely as both a chuckle-some - if not downright hilarious event - which is also absolutely fascinating and hold the viewer's rapt attention from first to last!
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