Elaine, Queen of Langenstein, is passionately in love with her neglectful husband, Rudolph XIV, but leaves him on their one-year anniversary when, on the advice of his consul, he refuses to shave off his beard, which the queen detests. In her absence, Rudolph meets film star Carlo Rocco, who convinces him to shave off his beard to save his marriage. Discovering they look exactly alike, Carlo offers to impersonate the king while the king goes off to sew “a very mild wild oat.” The king, under the guidance of the opportunistic Count Josef “Peppi” von Schlapstaat, vacations in Vienna with Peppi and his assistant, Fraülein Mimi, who adores the king. When Elaine sees Rudolph’s beardless picture in the paper, she rushes home and finds her “husband” agreeable in appearance, but cold to her advances. Carlo does all he can to forestall making love to the beautiful queen until she, believing the Lord Chamberlain, Baron Kraemer, is conspiring to keep her husband and her apart, asks Carlo to meet her in Grinzinger, where she and Rudolph had their honeymoon. Carlo then flies to Vienna to retrieve the king. There, Peppi has engaged Carlo to sing for the Viennese, which he does, finishing in time to take Rudolph to Grinzinger. Unable to find the king, who is sleeping in an adjoining room, Carlo goes ahead to Grinzinger and dances with Elaine in the garden until Rudolph arrives and, while Elaine’s eyes are closed, takes Carlo’s place. More on Wikipedia or Mubi
Festival Film- Awards & Festivals
Academy Awards, 1936- Nominee: Best Dance Direction
Watch All the King’s Horses (1935)
