Tower of London (1939) on Netflix
Approved19391h 32mDramaHistory
In 15th century England, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, wants the crown his brother King Edward IV wears. His club-footed executioner Mord removes those ahead of him in the succession.
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- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb6.6/102,547 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes83%
Plot summary
The crown of England rests with King Edward IV, and his brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, intends to have it. Several men stand closer to the throne than Richard does, and he has them killed one after another, aided by Mord, an executioner with a club foot. Each death is marked in a dollhouse that Richard keeps, a copy of a throne room, where a small figurine stands for every man in line ahead of him; as each murder is done, one figure is taken out. Among the court are Queen Elyzabeth, the Duke of Clarence, Lord Hastings, Anne Neville and Lady Alice Barton.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Tower of London (1939)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The battles of Bosworth and Tewkesbury called for over 300 extras and a shoot 20 miles north of Hollywood, at a ranch in Tarzana; strong winds made the fog machines useless, and rain machines made the extras' cardboard helmets fall apart.
- Brian Donlevy was tested for the lead role of Richard III and George Sanders was signed to it a week later, but neither casting worked out; director Rowland V. Lee instead turned to Basil Rathbone, who had already worked with him on The Sun Never Sets and Love from a Stranger.
- Universal ordered Rowland V. Lee to cut Tower of London's child marriage scene, which he fought, and the two sides agreed to shoot the higher-salaried actors' scenes first, starting with Boris Karloff; the film wrapped on September 4, nearly $80,000 over budget.
- Art director Jack Otterson built a 75-foot recreation of the Tower of London on the studio backlot, consulting historical records and original blueprints of the 13th-century building; the set was later reused in other Universal productions.
- After a preview screening in early November 1939, Universal heads demanded new music, but with no time left the film used music from Frank Skinner's Son of Frankenstein, with the title theme slightly altered; Hans J. Salter had written the original score using authentic period music.
- The role of Mord the Executioner was made for Boris Karloff, who had signed with the studio for two more features after Son of Frankenstein; the character was first planned with a full black beard but ended up nearly hairless.
