Androcles And The Lion (1952)
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64% of users liked it
(62 ratings)
With George Bernard Shaw safely in his grave, RKO chief Howard Hughes had no qualms about twisting and bending Shaw's Androcles & the Lion to accommodate his own notions of entertainment. Happier, wiser heads prevailed before the Hughes-commissioned "Vestal Virgins" sequence, complete… More With George Bernard Shaw safely in his grave, RKO chief Howard Hughes had no qualms about twisting and bending Shaw's Androcles & the Lion to accommodate his own notions of entertainment. Happier, wiser heads prevailed before the Hughes-commissioned "Vestal Virgins" sequence, complete with near-naked dancing girls, was foisted on the public. Originally, Harpo Marx was to have played Androcles, the simple-hearted Christian tailor whose friendship with a lion saves himself and his friends from martyrdom in the Roman Colosseum. A few days into shooting, however, Harpo was replaced by Alan Young, who was okay but not in Marx's league. RKO habitués Jean Simmons and Victor Mature co-star as, respectively, a courageous Christian girl and the bullheaded Roman captain who falls in love with her. Every Shaw play has one character who acts as the playwright's alter ego; in Androcles, it's none other than Caesar himself, here wittily essayed by Maurice Evans. Director Chester Erskine co-adapted the play for the screen with Ken Englund; serving as producer was Gabriel Pascal. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Chester Erskine
- Written By
- Chester Erskine, Ken Englund
- Genres
- Drama, Faith & Spirituality, Classics, Comedy
PG,
- In Theaters
- Jan 9, 1953 Wide
- Studio
- Criterion Collection
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Cast
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Jean Simmons
as Lavinia
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Alan Young
as Androcles
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Victor Mature
as Captain
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Robert Newton
as Ferrovius
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Maurice Evans
as Caesar
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Elsa Lanchester
as Megaera
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Reginald Gardiner
as Lentulus
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Gene Lockhart
as Menagerie keeper
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Alan Mowbray
as Editor
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Noel Willman
as Spintho
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John Hoyt
as Cato
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Jim Backus
as Centurion
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Lowell Gilmore
as Metelius
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Woody Strode
as The Lion
