vincentlynch-moonoi There are quite a few Bing Crosby films I admire, quite a few of his songs that I enjoy. But this is among my least favorite Crosby films and the songs are hopelessly outdated (even though it's this era of music I most enjoy). In fact, that's the problem with the film overall -- for some reason it seems hopelessly outdated. And I'm not sure why. But man, is it boring.That's not to say it doesn't have its strong points. In 1949, the year this film was produced (as was I), Bing Crosby was # 2 at the box office, beat out only by Bob Hope, but beating out such stalwarts as John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, and Humphrey Bogart! The Technicolor here is beautiful! And enhances the beauty of the leading lady -- Rhonda Fleming. In addition to Crosby and Fleming, Sir Cedric Hardwicke has the role of King Arthur, which is a bore early on, but gets more interesting when "the boys" hit the road. William Bendix is funny as Sir Sagramore, but it gets kinda old kinda fast. The only other thing, cast-wise, to watch for, is Henry Wilcoxon as Sir Lancelot; guess he wasn't always in Biblical epics! Aside from the vagabonds hitting the road, the only other scene I enjoyed was the climax scene; those almanacs...how clever they were.If Bing is your thing, the musicals like "White Christmas", "Holiday Inn", and "High Society" are much better, the road pictures with Bob Hope are much funnier, and "Man On Fire" (if you can find it) and "The Country Girl" are great for dramas.But, this film is still worth a watch...once...to see beautiful Technicolor and rick sets.

sddavis63 I wouldn't call this an example of a great old classic, but as an adaptation of Mark Twain's story it's enjoyable enough. Bing Crosby brings a likable quality to the screen as "Sir Boss" (or Hank Martin) a Connecticut blacksmith in very early 20th century America who by some strange and unexplained phenomenon gets knocked cold after being thrown from a horse and awakens in King Arthur's England 1500 years earlier. Using marvels such as a magnifying glass and matches to start fires, he manages to convince the kingdom that he's a magnificent wizard even greater than Merlin (Murvyn Vye), which helps to save his life since he was originally going to be executed when discovered. Hank falls in love with "Sandy" (the king's niece, played by Rhonda Fleming) and has to do battle with Sir Lancelot (Henry Wilcoxon), to whom she was betrothed. Finally, Hank convinces Arthur (played by Sir Cecil Hardwicke) to disguise himself as a peasant and go out among his people to find out what they're really thinking about him and what their lives are like.It's quite an innocent fantasy, really. There are some amusing moments, and the whole thing, of course, has quite an unbelievable air about it, as befits fantasy. Most obviously, even if one can accept the idea of travelling back 1500 years in time, one then has to figure out how a 20th century American can speak so easily to 6th century Britons, who haven't yet developed anything even close to the modern English language! But that's to think about this too much. One should simply suspend thought with this and just enjoy the fantasy. Since the movie stars Bing Crosby, it is of course a musical adaptation of Twain's story, and that (ironically perhaps since you'd think it would be Crosby's strong suit) was to me the weakest element of the movie. I just wasn't that taken with the songs. They're weren't really memorable, and I would have simply preferred to watch the story without the musical interruptions. (5/10)

writers_reign Some of the posters seem less than gruntled because this is neither Mark Twain nor Rodgers and Hart but clearly it doesn't pretend to be either. You'll look a long time to find a greater Rodgers and Hart fan than me but Burke and Van Heusen weren't exactly chopped liver in addition to which they knew Der Bingle inside out and tailored some great songs - But Beautiful, Moonlight Becomes You, It's Always You, The Day After Forever, etc - to fit his highly personal style and here they come up with yet another fine - and unfairly neglected - ballad, Once And For Always, plus a couple of upbeat philosophy-lite entries in If You Stub Your Toe On The Moon and Busy Doing Nothing. The flimsy plot isn't meant to be taken seriously - why else make Merlin a heavy when in most, if not all, of the other versions he is more a friend/mentor to Arthur - so if you start wondering aloud why Sir Lancelot who has been sold to historians as the epitome of chivalry and uprightness metamorphoses into a schoolyard bully you're not going to get much fun out of what is essentially a fun movie. On balance it does what it sets out to do, entertain, so good luck to it.

lora64 This movie is humorous, charming, and easily becomes a favorite for those who enjoy light entertainment. Hollywood is hardly the place for serious history lessons so I simply accept it as is. Bing, in his usual inimitable style, performs quite well as the blacksmith, Hank Martin, who by accident is transported back to another age, the time of King Arthur. The beautiful Rhonda Fleming is breathtaking as Alisande, or Sandy, the object of Hank's affections although she is betrothed to the brave and formidable Sir Lancelot, played by Henry Wilcoxon.I just love that episode when King Arthur (Cedric Hardwicke), Sir Sagramore (Wm. Bendix), and Hank (Bing Crosby) dress up in tattered clothing and take to the high road with their knapsacks to experience the kingdom at firsthand. King Arthur's comment, "I say, we are not alone" while giving his scruffy garments a good scratch, is one of those hilarious moments in the film. William Bendix's portrayal is superbly ridiculous, not to mention his attempts at quaint "ye Olde English." The story is not deep but it's well done in my opinion and I enjoy it more each time I see it. It's great family entertainment too.