Prince of Players

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Prince of Players
Original film poster
Directed by	Philip Dunne
Produced by	Philip Dunne
Written by	Moss Hart Eleanor Ruggles (book)
Starring	Richard Burton Maggie McNamara John Derek Raymond Massey Charles Bickford Elizabeth Sellars Eva Le Gallienne
Music by	Bernard Herrmann
Cinematography	Charles G. Clarke
Editing by	Dorothy Spencer
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	11 January 1955
Running time	102 min
Country	USA
Language	English
IMDb profile

Prince of Players is a 1951 20th Century Fox biographical film about the great 19th century American actor Edwin Booth. The film was directed and produced by Philip Dunne from a screenplay by Moss Hart, based on the book by Eleanor Ruggles. The music score was by Bernard Herrmann and the cinematography by Charles G. Clarke. The film was made in CinemaScope.

The film starred Richard Burton, Maggie McNamara, John Derek with Raymond Massey, Charles Bickford, Elizabeth Sellars and Eva Le Gallienne.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film depicts the eminent American tragedian Edwin Booth (Richard Burton), whose life and career are thrown into turmoil after his younger brother John Wilkes Booth (John Derek) assassinates Abraham Lincoln. The film begins as the younger Edwin assists his alcoholic, ailing father Junius Brutus Booth (Raymond Massey) during a tour of the American hinterlands. When Junius dies just before a performance, Edwin goes on in his stead, thereby launching his own starring career. In danger of becoming as much of a drunk and carouser as his father, Edwin eventually pulls himself together, but his brother's act of violence turns the audience against the name of Booth. Almost booed offstage during a performance of Hamlet, Edwin stands his ground, finally earning the respect of his rowdy audience.