The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) on Netflix
London, 1911. Elsie Marina, a minor American player in the music hall show The Coconut Girl, is invited to a private midnight supper by the Prince Regent of Carpathia.
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Trailer
Plot summary
In June 1911, the coronation of George V brings dignitaries to London from across Europe, among them the royal family of Carpathia, a Balkan state the British government is anxious to keep on its side amid rising tensions in Europe. Northbrook, a civil servant, is assigned to look after the visitors: the teenage King Nicholas VIII, his father the Prince Regent Charles, and the Queen Dowager. Northbrook takes Charles to a performance of the music hall show The Coconut Girl. Backstage the Regent meets the cast and fixes his attention on Elsie Marina, a minor American player. He sends her a formal invitation to dine with him at the Carpathian Embassy. Elsie arrives expecting a large party and finds the supper is for two.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Director and co-star Laurence Olivier openly disliked Marilyn Monroe and her acting coach Paula Strasberg during filming, at one point evicting Strasberg from the set, which prompted Monroe to refuse to keep shooting until Strasberg was allowed back; costar Jean Kent said Olivier's clashes with Monroe aged him "15 years."
- Costar Richard Wattis reportedly started drinking heavily during the shoot because so many of his scenes with Monroe had to be redone take after take, and cinematographer Jack Cardiff had such an uneasy relationship with her that Olivier privately called her a "bitch."
- This film's difficult production later became a story in its own right: the 2011 film My Week with Marilyn is based on assistant Colin Clark's own memoirs and depicts a brief, semi-romantic friendship he had with Monroe while she was shooting this movie.
