Lady Godiva of Coventry ** (1955, Maureen O’Hara, George Nader, Victor McLaglen, Eduard Franz, Torin Thatcher, Robert Warwick, Rex Reason, Rhodes Reason) – Classic Movie Review 7013

Maureen O’Hara.

Director Arthur Lubin’s 1955 historical adventure, or rather unhistorical adventure, is a poorly written, weakly played, blatantly inaccurate, boring biopic with Maureen O’Hara starring forlornly as the streaker-pioneer who rides nude through Coventry town, ignored by all but one citizen who is blinded by stout-hearted Grimald (Victor McLaglen). Eduard Franz plays King Edward the Confessor who wants the Saxon Lord Leofric  (George Nader), who rules Coventry, to marry a despised Norman woman in 11th-century England, but instead he marries Lady Godiva (O’Hara).

A fleeting uncredited appearance in his third film by the young Clint Eastwood, credited as ‘First Saxon’, ironically a man with no name, is worth watching out for, but otherwise this medieval malarkey is a film perilously low on attractive features, though it is remarkable that O’Hara does get to play a militant leadership role. Both Rex Reason (as Harold) and Rhodes Reason (as Sweyn) are in the cast, two other Reasons to watch, perhaps.

Being the Fifties, of course, there is not even any nudity to jolly it up as O’Hara remains tactfully draped, wearing a leotard, with her long hair covering everything. Nevertheless, Godiva’s ride through Coventry was shot on a closed set. McLaglen gives a boorish, unappealing performance. Eastwood was 25, making his third feature in his debut year in the cinema, following Tarantula and Francis in the Navy. English actor Alec Harford, who plays Tom the Tailor, died eight months before the film’s release, aged 66.

Also in the cast are Torin Thatcher, Robert Warwick, Rex Reason, Rhodes Reason, Arthur Gould-Porter, Robert Warwick, Grant Withers, Sim Iness, Arthur Shields, Anthony Eustrel, Kathryn Givney and Thayer Roberts.

Lady Godiva of Coventry [Lady Godiva] is directed by Arthur Lubin, runs 89 minutes is made and released by Universal International Pictures, is written by Oscar Brodney (story and screenplay) and Harry Ruskin (screenplay), is shot in Technicolor by Carl E Guthrie, is produced by Robert Arthur and is scored by Hans J Salter and Frank Skinner (uncredited), with Art Direction by Robert F Boyle and Alexander Golitzen.

Universal described the script as ‘semi-historical’. Lubin did not want to direct but the studio said it would put him under suspension if he refused. He later judged it ‘a bad picture’.

O’Hara objected to Lex Barker was reportedly going to play the male lead, claiming audiences would see him only as Tarzan, so Jeff Chandler was signed, but then Chandler was replaced by Nader as Chandler wanted a break between films.

Rex Reason was previously acting for Universal as ‘Bart Roberts’ but the studio allowed him to use his real name.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7013

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