Mary of Scotland (1936)
-
53% of users liked it
(1,478 ratings)
Maxwell Anderson's blank-verse play Mary of Scotland was adapted for the screen by Dudley Nichols and directed with a surprising paucity of verve by John Ford. Katharine Hepburn, in one of the "icy" roles that would later earn her the onus of "box office poison", stars as… More Maxwell Anderson's blank-verse play Mary of Scotland was adapted for the screen by Dudley Nichols and directed with a surprising paucity of verve by John Ford. Katharine Hepburn, in one of the "icy" roles that would later earn her the onus of "box office poison", stars as Mary Stuart, who serves as the Queen of Scotland until she is jealously put out of the way by her British cousin, Queen Elizabeth I (Florence Eldredge). Sold out by the Scots nobles, Mary is sentenced to the chopping block for treason. Elizabeth is willing to pardon Mary if only the latter will renounce all claims to the British throne, but Mary refuses, marching to her death with head held high (the Mary/Elizabeth confrontation scene was purely the product of Maxwell Anderson's imagination; in real life, the two women never met). RKO contractee Ginger Rogers dearly coveted the role of Queen Elizabeth, but the studio refused to allow her to play so secondary a role. To prove to the RKO executives that she would be ideal for the part, Ginger secretly arranged for a screen test, in which she was convincingly made up as Elizabeth (even to the point of cutting her hair into a high-foreheaded widow's peak). Contemporary reports indicate that Ginger's audition was brilliant; still, RKO would not consider casting her in the part, so the role of Elizabeth went to Florence Eldridge, the wife of Fredric March, who was cast in Mary of Scotland as Mary's fearless protector the Earl of Bothwell. On the whole, Mary of Scotland is a snoozefest, save for the scenes featuring Douglas Walton as Mary's cowardly husband Darnley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Ford
- Written By
- Maxwell Anderson, Dudley Nichols
- Genres
- Drama, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Aug 28, 1936 Limited
- Studio
- RKO Radio Pictures
No Critic Reviews Found…
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
UltraViolet Retailers
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Katharine Hepburn
as Mary Stuart
-
Fredric March
as Earl of Bothwell
-
Florence Eldridge
as Elizabeth Tudor
-
Douglas Walton
as Darnley
-
John Carradine
as David Rizzio
-
Robert H. Barrat
as Morton
-
Gavin Muir
as Leicester
-
Ian Keith
as James Stuart Moray
-
Moroni Olsen
as John Knox
-
William Stack
as Ruthven
-
Ralph Forbes
as Randolph
-
Alan Mowbray
as Trockmorton
-
Frieda Inescort
as Mary Beaton
-
Donald Crisp
as Huntley
-
David Torrence
as Lindsay
-
Molly Lamont
as Mary Livingston
-
Anita Colby
as Mary Fleming
-
Jean Fenwick
as Mary Seton
-
Lionel Pape
as Burghley
-
Alec Craig
as Donal
-
Mary Gordon
as Nurse
-
Monte Blue
as Messenger
-
Leonard Mudie
as Maitland
-
Brandon Hurst
as Arian
-
Wilfred Lucas
as Lexington
-
D'Arcy Corrigan
as Kirkcaldy
-
Frank Baker
as Douglas
-
Cyril McLaglen
as Faudoncide
-
Doris Lloyd
as Fisherman's wife
-
Robert Warwick
as Sir Francis Knollys
-
Murray Kinnell
as Judge
-
Lawrence Grant
as Judge
-
Ivan Simpson
as Judge
-
Nigel De Brulier
as Judge
-
Barlowe Borland
as Judge
-
Walter Byron
as Sir Francis Walsingham
-
Wyndham Standing
as Sergeant-at-Arms
-
Earl Foxe
as Earl of Kent
-
Paul McAllister
as Du Croche
-
Lionel Belmore
as English Fisherman
-
Gaston Glass
as Frenchman
-
Neil Fitzgerald
as Nobleman
-
Robert E. Homans
as Jailer
-
Bobby Watson
as Fisherman's son
