Lady in the Iron Mask *** (1952, Louis Hayward, Patricia Medina, Alan Hale Jr, Judd Holdren, Steve Brodie) – Classic Movie Review 8904

Louis Hayward, who had been The Man in the Iron Mask (that is Prince Philippe of Gascony, the nice twin brother of despotic French King Louis XIV) in the 1939 film, this time stars as French musketeer D’Artganan, while Patricia Medina plays both Princess Anne and her lookalike sibling Louise, in director Ralph Murphy’s cheap but jolly, and highly colourful 1952 gender-swap Lady in the Iron Mask version of the tale by Alexandre Dumas Père.

D’Artganan and the Three Musketeers come to the rescue when when French Princess Anne is abducted, incarcerated and bound in an Iron Mask, and replaced by her prodigal twin sister, Louise.

Feisty support turns by Alan Hale Jr, Judd Holdren and Steve Brodie as the Three Musketeers, Porthos, Aramis and Athos, help to enrich this fast-paced, entertaining swashbuckler, effectively reinventing and reinvigorating the yarn.

Also in the cast are John Sutton, Hal Gerard, Lester Matthews, John Dehner, Gavin Muir, Marlo Dwyer, Paul Cavanagh, Tor Johnson, Keith Hitchcock and Esther Howard.

Producer Wanger sacked Barbara Payton a week before the film went into production and replaced her with Patricia Medina.

Lady in the Iron Mask is directed by Ralph Murphy, runs 78 minutes, is made by Walter Wanger Productions, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Jack Pollexfen and Aubrey Wisberg, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas Père, is shot in Supercinecolor (as Natural Color) by Ernest Laszlo, is produced by Walter Wanger and Eugene Frenke, is scored by Dimitri Tiomkin, and is designed by Martin Obzina.

It was shot at Motion Picture Center Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Warren William played D’Artganan in James Whale’s The Man in the Iron Mask (1939), in which Alan Hale Sr played Porthos.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8904

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