Bing Crosby’s Stardom and the Depiction of Legend in Paramount’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

This chapter discusses the 1949 film A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, starring Bing Crosby. This later film does not adapt the Rodgers and Hart musical; instead, it acts as a star vehicle for Crosby and features new songs by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. Less influential and enduring than the other works featured within this book, this 1949 film nonetheless provides an interesting counterpoint to the Rodgers and Hart revival of a few years before. The film was a commercial success, and this chapter considers it in that light. Furthermore, the author examines the role of Bing Crosby and considers the purpose of this musical film as a star vehicle. With Crosby singing in four of the five surviving songs within the film, the music utilizes the crooner’s voice and star persona in order to tell the story and sell the film.

Parody and the Role of Song in Monty Python and the Holy Grail

This chapter deals with the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. As Monty Python’s first full-length film, Holy Grail combines the sketch comedy style of the troupe with a loose interpretation of Arthurian legend. Although chock-full of anachronisms and outright mockery, Monty Python’s version of Arthurian legend nonetheless represents a valuable addition to the retellings of the story in the twentieth century. While the literature on the Holy Grail offers a foundation for considering the film as an adaptation of Arthurian legend, little work has been done on the film’s music and how it enhances the story. This chapter will emphasize the role of the music, especially the songs written by Neil Innes, arguing that they not only provide atmosphere but augment the narrative (such as it is). In this way, this chapter will also lay the groundwork for examining Holy Grail as the basis for Eric Idle’s later musical, Spamalot.

Conclusion

Traditional stories based on Arthurian legend continue to be told, and alongside these tales of romance and chivalry, a comedic tradition exists. This centuries-long tradition holds cultural resonance around the world, including having a strong presence in American popular culture. The musical as a genre has proven to be fertile ground for the insertion of American perspectives into the British legend. The use of song, in particular, can shape the way audiences understand familiar characters as well as the story itself. Given this context, the existence, popularity, and influence of Arthurian musicals represents an important contribution to the annals of myth.

Musical Storytelling and Revision in Rodgers and Hart’s A Connecticut Yankee

This short chapter examines Mark Twain’s novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and its relationship to “classical” Arthurian legend. Twain blends time periods in a more sustained way than either T. H. White’s or even Monty Python’s Arthurian world, both of which already are rife with anachronisms and modern intrusions. In “transporting” a contemporary character into ancient Camelot, Twain uses the tale to comment on society and technology in very obvious ways. As an opening prelude to the first section of this book, an examination of Twain’s approach and characterization form a foundation for later retellings. Indeed this overt melding of time periods has made the novel a popular work to adapt.

Naiveté and the Depiction of Arthur’s Childhood in Disney’s The Sword in the Stone

This chapter examines Disney’s animated feature film The Sword in the Stone (1963), based on T. H. White’s account of the future king’s childhood. The final film features six songs written by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, designed to add to the tone of Disney’s adaptation as a fantasy for children. This chapter considers how the Disney version alters the characters depicted in White’s book. Unsurprisingly, the animated film abridges White’s story for its seventy-nine-minute runtime. Despite the numerous changes, The Sword in the Stone contributes to the musical retellings of T. H. White’s interpretation that enter into popular culture in the 1960s.

Prelude

Mark Twain’s 1889 novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court offers a fascinating beginning to the study of musical adaptations of Arthurian legend. Similar and yet vastly different to the other sources considered in this book, Mark Twain harnesses the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table for a nineteenth-century American reader. Unlike ...

Interpretation and Characterization in Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot

This chapter looks at how Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe adapt T. H. White’s The Once and Future King in both original 1960 Broadway stage production and the 1967 Hollywood film adaptation. Specifically, this chapter looks at how the musical Camelot interprets White’s version of Arthurian legend, tracking the changes Lerner and Loewe made and especially how song affects characterization. Drawing on archival research completed at the Library of Congress, this chapter examines the process of adapting this long unwieldy myth into a musical. Although Loewe did not work on the 1967 film, Lerner wrote the screenplay. Since the film version remains fixed and widely available, it is worth investigating how the changes made to it further adapt the tale. Since Lerner and Loewe chose to focus on the love triangle between Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot, this chapter pays particular attention to how Lerner and Loewe alter their characters.

Notions of Place, Legend, and Broadway in Monty Python’s Spamalot

This chapter shifts to the Broadway musical Monty Python’s Spamalot (2005). As an adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot adds numerous songs written by Eric Idle and John du Prez. These songs not only send up Arthurian legend but common musical theater tropes, augmenting the “meta” tone of the show for fans of musical theater history as well as Monty Python. Furthermore, the musical incarnation increases many of the roles from the original film and includes new characters, extending the connections to the world of Arthurian legend. The musical’s expanded pantheon of references and musical theater send-ups highlight the interpretive layering in a meaningful way. The author’s analysis triangulates the legend with Holy Grail and Spamalot, arguing that while Monty Python may play fast and loose with ideas of fidelity, their versions of Arthurian legend remain true to the malleable spirit of the tale.