My Friend the King
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| My Friend the King | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jerry Verno (centre) and Eric Pavitt (right)[1] | |
| Directed by | Michael Powell |
| Written by | John Jefferson Farjeon |
| Produced by | Jerome Jackson |
| Starring | Jerry Verno |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Faithfull |
| Edited by | Arthur Seaborne |
| Distributed by | Film Engineering |
Release date |
|
Running time | 47 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
My Friend the King is a lost 1932 British comedy film, directed by Michael Powell and starring Jerry Verno.[2] It was written by John Jefferson Farjeon.
The film was a follow-up to Two Crowded Hours (1931), Powell's directorial debut, with comedian Verno reprising his role as a chirpy Cockney taxi driver who gets mixed up in shady doings. This film however was less well-received[citation needed], with Powell recalling it as "a complete failure",[1] also noting that he worked on six films during 1932 and that "they couldn't all be good...and they weren't".[citation needed]
The British Film Institute has classed My Friend the King as a lost film.[1] Its National Archive holds a collection of stills but no film or video materials.[2] It is one of eleven quota quickies directed by Powell between 1931 and 1936 of which no print is known to survive.
Plot
Taxi driver Jim befriends Ruritanian child King Ludwig while the latter is on a visit to London. A plot is afoot by sinister forces to kidnap Ludwig, and Jim becomes caught up in the drama. After the child is abducted Jim uses all his ingenuity, including cross-dressing as a countess and becoming involved in a car chase, to rescue him from his captors.
Cast
- Jerry Verno as Jim
- Robert Holmes as Captain Felz
- Tracy Holmes as Count Huelin
- Eric Pavitt as King Ludwig
- Phyllis Loring as Princess Helma
- Luli Deste as Countess Zena
- Harold Saxon-Snell as Karl
- Victor Fairley as Josef