Tower of London **** (1939, Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Barbara O’Neil, Ian Hunter, Vincent Price, Nan Grey, John Sutton, Leo G Carroll, Miles Mander) – Classic Movie Review 4,438

Basil Rathbone stars in the 1939 film Tower of London as Richard Duke of Gloucester, the 15th century villain who kills those in his way to become English King Richard III.

Producer-director Rowland V Lee’s stirring 1939 Universal horror movie Tower of London successfully reworks William Shakespeare’s play Richard III as a rousing Gothic historical chiller, shot by cinematographer George Robinson in classy black and white.

It is fascinating to consider that in the year 1939 Tower of London was both an American historical film starring Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff, and an English fortress preparing for the outbreak of World War Two to defend against Germany. It is worth a pause for reflection.

Basil Rathbone stars in Rowland V Lee’s film as Richard Duke of Gloucester, the 15th century villain who kills those in his way in succession to the throne in order to become English King Richard III. After Richard murders, he removes another figurine from a throne-room dollhouse!

Boris Karloff plays his (fictional) club-footed executioner Mord, Vincent Price is the Duke of Clarence, Barbara O’Neil is Queen Elizabeth I, Ian Hunter is King Edward IV, Nan Grey is Lady Alice Barton, John Sutton is John Wyatt, Miles Mander is King Henry VI and Leo G Carroll is Lord Hastings.

Tower of London is good gory, over-the-top fun, with the top-notch players enjoying themselves greatly in deliciously fruity performances – and their lip-smacking performing pleasure is infectious.

It is a great pity it does not press the horror buttons much harder, but it still towers above Roger Corman’s 1962 largely unconnected remake Tower of London, also with Price, here as the Duke of Clarence, but now promoted to Richard Duke of Gloucester and King Richard III. Corman’s film reuses some of the 1939 film’s battle scenes.

The original screenplay is Robert N Lee, the score is by Charles Previn and the production is designed by Jack Otterson.

Rowland V Lee travelled to England to research a British history epic, and then his brother, Robert N Lee proposed developing a film about Richard III of England, Universal Pictures gave their film a $500,000 budget with a 36-day shoot starting on 11 August 1939.

Art director Jack Otterson re-created the 13th-century tower in the studio’s backlot at a height of 75 feet. The staging of historic battles at Bosworth and Tewkesbury needed more than 300 extras and meant that the production had to travel 20 miles north of Hollywood to a ranch in Tarzana in the San Fernando Valley. Strong winds caused problems with fog machines and rain machines made the extras’ cardboard helmets collapse.

Universal studio heads disliked Hans J Salter’s authentic period music score and replaced it with Frank Skinner’s music from Son of Frankenstein, with a slightly altered title theme.

The film finished shooting on 4 September 1939 and was released by Universal Pictures on 17 November 1939.

Universal pressured Lee to cut costs after his last two films for them had exceeded their budgets, but he still went over budget by nearly $80,000.

Brian Donlevy was tested so star as Richard III and then George Sanders was signed to the role at the start of August 1939, but instead Lee sought Basil Rathbone, with whom he had worked on The Sun Never Sets and Love from a Stranger. For the first week Rathbone was simultaneously filming the crime film Rio.

Being King proved a poisoned chalice. Richard III reigned only a couple of years. in August 1485, Henry Tudor’s forces defeated Richard III’s army near the Leicestershire town of Market Bosworth. Richard was slain, aged 32, the last English king to die in battle. Henry Tudor became Henry VII.

Also in the cast are Lionel Belmore, Rose Hobart, Ralph Forbes, Frances Robinson, Ernest Cossart, G P Huntley, John Rodion, Ronald Sinclair, Donnie Dunagan, John Herbert-Bond, Wather Tetley, Georgia Caine, Ivan Simpson, Nigel De Brulier, Holmes Herbert, Charles Miller, Venetia Severn, Yvonne Severn, Louise Brien, Jean Fenwick, Michael Mark, C Montague Shaw, Don Stewart, Reginald Barlow, Robert Greig, Ivo Henderson, Charles Peck, Harry Cording, Jack C Smith, Colin Kenny, Arthur Stenning, Evelyn Selbie, Denis Tankard, Dave Thursby, Claire Whitney, Ernie Adams, Russ Powell and Ann E Todd.

Tower of London is directed by Rowland V Lee, runs 92 minutes, is made and released by Universal Pictures, is written by Robert N Lee (original screenplay), is shot in black and white by George Robinson, is produced by Rowland V Lee, is scored by Frank Skinner (uncredited), Hans J Salter ((uncredited composer stock music and orchestrator), and Charles Previn (musical director), and is designed by Jack Otterson.

The cast

The cast are Basil Rathbone as Richard Duke of Gloucester, Boris Karloff as Mord, Barbara O’Neil as Queen Elyzabeth, Ian Hunter as King Edward IV, Vincent Price as Duke of Clarence, Nan Grey as Lady Alice Barton, Ernest Cossart as Tom Clink, John Sutton as John Wyatt, Leo G Carroll as Lord Hastings, Miles Mander as King Henry VI, Lionel Belmore as Beacon, Rose Hobart as Anne Neville, Ronald Sinclair as Boy King Edward, John Herbert-Bond as Young Prince Richard, Ralph Forbes as Henry Tudor, Frances Robinson as Duchess Isobel, G P Huntley as Wales, John Rodion [Rodion Rathbone] as Lord DeVere, Walter Tetley as Chimney Sweep, Donnie Dunagan as Baby Prince, Lionel Belmore, Rose Hobart, Ernest Cossart, John Herbert-Bond, Wather Tetley, Georgia Caine, Ivan Simpson, Nigel De Brulier, Holmes Herbert, Charles Miller, Venetia Severn, Yvonne Severn, Louise Brien, Jean Fenwick, Michael Mark, C Montague Shaw, Don Stewart, Reginald Barlow, Robert Greig, Ivo Henderson, Charles Peck, Harry Cording, Jack C Smith, Colin Kenny, Arthur Stenning, Evelyn Selbie, Denis Tankard, Dave Thursby, Claire Whitney, Ernie Adams, Russ Powell and Ann E Todd.

‘John Rodion’ is Basil Rathbone’s son Rodion Rathbone. He also has a small, uncredited speaking role as spokesman in his father’s film The Dawn Patrol (1938).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4,438

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