Monsieur Beaucaire (1946 film)

Monsieur Beaucaire is a 1946 American historical comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Bob Hope, Joan Caulfield and Patric Knowles. Hope portrays the title character, the barber of King Louis XV of France.[2] It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Booth Tarkington. It is a remake of the 1924 Rudolph Valentino silent film of the same name Monsieur Beaucaire.

Monsieur Beaucaire
Directed byGeorge Marshall
Written byMelvin Frank
Norman Panama
Frank Tashlin
Based onMonsieur Beaucaire by Booth Tarkington
Produced byPaul Jones
StarringBob Hope
Joan Caulfield
Patric Knowles
CinematographyLionel Lindon
Edited byArthur P. Schmidt
Music byRobert Emmett Dolan
Production
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Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • September 4, 1946 (1946-09-04)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3.5 million (US rentals)[1]

Plot

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King Louis XV of France is invited by his rival King Philip V of Spain to choose a suitable husband for Philip's daughter, Princess Maria, as a gesture of unity between their two nations. Louis's choice is the Duc le Chandre, but the duke fancies Madame Pompadour, as does the king.

Louis' bumbling barber, Beaucaire, becomes tangled in a web of deceit along with Mimi, a chambermaid he loves. Both end up exiled from France, and after Beaucaire assists the duke in hiding Madame Pompadour, all must ward off General Don Francisco who is planning to overthrow Philip so that he can rule Spain.

After a series of mistakes and misadventures, Beaucaire shows his bravery in a sword fight with Don Francisco, and is rewarded by the duke coming to his rescue. Beaucaire and Mimi emigrate safely to the American Colonies, where Mimi gives birth to a baby that has Bob Hope's adult face.

Cast

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References

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Bibliography

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  • Zoglin, Richard. Hope: Entertainer of the Century. Simon and Schuster, 2014.
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