A king finds himself with no purpose in his reign, abdicates his throne to return to the wife and child he left many years ago when he was called to duty to be the king of his country.A king finds himself with no purpose in his reign, abdicates his throne to return to the wife and child he left many years ago when he was called to duty to be the king of his country.A king finds himself with no purpose in his reign, abdicates his throne to return to the wife and child he left many years ago when he was called to duty to be the king of his country.
Alan Birmingham
- Baron Munsie
- (uncredited)
Betty Blythe
- Mrs. Clarence Langley
- (uncredited)
Allan Cavan
- Royal Page
- (uncredited)
Charles Coleman
- Thompson
- (uncredited)
Gino Corrado
- Headwaiter
- (uncredited)
Carrie Daumery
- Luncheon Guest
- (uncredited)
Charles E. Evans
- James
- (uncredited)
Helena Phillips Evans
- Comtesse De La Shayne
- (uncredited)
Douglas Gerrard
- Count Gouvain
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia"The King's Vacation" had its world premiere January 19, 1933 at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It was the second film ever to play at the Music Hall, the first having been "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" a week earlier.
- SoundtracksDrink to Me Only with Thine Eyes
(1616) (uncredited)
Music by R. Melish (1780 ?)
Played during the opening credits and often as background music as a leitmotif for the love of the king and queen
Played on piano twice by Florence Arliss
Featured review
Wonderful tale of love, pride and sacrifice
In "The King's Vacation," George Arliss has lost all touch of any hammy acting carried over from silent films. This excellent British actor of stage and screen was in his 60s by the time of sound movies, and he had less than a decade left before his retirement. Still, we have more than a dozen very good films in which Arliss starred in the 1930s.
Cinephiles will know of Arliss from our love of all things to do with films, and study of the silver screen history. The only way most people today would know of Arliss would be to see him in his films. And this is a good one to introduce audiences to an actor who could emote better than all other actors to his time. What Arliss didn't have in physical appearance or handsome stature, he more than made up for in his acting talent. His looks, his facial expressions, and his gestures alone spoke countless lines better than those spoken with voice by many another actor.
This film has a simple, slower and more deliberate plot than is the usual fare for Hollywood. As such, it was an excellent vehicle just to showcase the outstanding talent of Arliss, as well as that of the other actors, including his wife, Florence Arliss who plays his queen, Margaret. Arliss is Phillip, king of a fictitious eastern European country. Marjorie Gateson plays Helen, the love of his early life and mother of their daughter Millicent who is played by Patricia Ellis. The other major players are Dudley Digges as Lord Chamberlain, a very young Dick Powell as John Kent who is in love with Millicent, Vernon Steels as Barstow who is in love with Lady Helen, and O.P. Heggie who plays Thorpe, Phillip's faithful and loyal attendant.
While a simple story, "The King's Vacation" packs of lot of lesson and morality. This is a tale of love, pride and sacrifice. Other reviews may comment on the plot, but I think the great enjoyment is in seeing it play out. Some critics panned Arliss's roles in some of the many biographical movies he played. He certainly comes across as very hammy in those silent and some early sound biopics. But to see and enjoy the real talent of this great actor, one should watch any of a handful of very good films we still have with us. Among these are many of the films he made in 1932 starting with "The Man Who Played God." Besides "The King's Vacation," other excellent Arliss films include "The Working Man" in 1932, "The House of Rothschild" in 1934, "The Last Gentleman" in 1934, "Cardinal Richelieu" in 1935, and "Mister Hobo" in 1935.
Cinephiles will know of Arliss from our love of all things to do with films, and study of the silver screen history. The only way most people today would know of Arliss would be to see him in his films. And this is a good one to introduce audiences to an actor who could emote better than all other actors to his time. What Arliss didn't have in physical appearance or handsome stature, he more than made up for in his acting talent. His looks, his facial expressions, and his gestures alone spoke countless lines better than those spoken with voice by many another actor.
This film has a simple, slower and more deliberate plot than is the usual fare for Hollywood. As such, it was an excellent vehicle just to showcase the outstanding talent of Arliss, as well as that of the other actors, including his wife, Florence Arliss who plays his queen, Margaret. Arliss is Phillip, king of a fictitious eastern European country. Marjorie Gateson plays Helen, the love of his early life and mother of their daughter Millicent who is played by Patricia Ellis. The other major players are Dudley Digges as Lord Chamberlain, a very young Dick Powell as John Kent who is in love with Millicent, Vernon Steels as Barstow who is in love with Lady Helen, and O.P. Heggie who plays Thorpe, Phillip's faithful and loyal attendant.
While a simple story, "The King's Vacation" packs of lot of lesson and morality. This is a tale of love, pride and sacrifice. Other reviews may comment on the plot, but I think the great enjoyment is in seeing it play out. Some critics panned Arliss's roles in some of the many biographical movies he played. He certainly comes across as very hammy in those silent and some early sound biopics. But to see and enjoy the real talent of this great actor, one should watch any of a handful of very good films we still have with us. Among these are many of the films he made in 1932 starting with "The Man Who Played God." Besides "The King's Vacation," other excellent Arliss films include "The Working Man" in 1932, "The House of Rothschild" in 1934, "The Last Gentleman" in 1934, "Cardinal Richelieu" in 1935, and "Mister Hobo" in 1935.
helpful•60
- SimonJack
- Jun 6, 2014
Details
- Runtime1 hour 1 minute
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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