Ambassador Bill (1931)

When newly appointed ambassador “Bill” (Will Rogers) arrives in the war-torn European kingdom of Sylvania, he immediately gets as a clue as to what he is in for when he meets his predecessor - the nervous wreck that is “Littleton” (Tom Ricketts). With shelling and gunfire all around he promptly goes to the palace to meet the young king (Tad Alexander) and his regent mother (Marguerite Churchill). She is trying to thwart the dynastic ambitions of “Prince de Polikoff” (Gustav von Seyffertitz) whilst also denying that she is still in love with her ex-husband, the former king “Lothar” (Ray Milland) who appears to have fled the conflict and into the arms of another woman. The American has a mission. He is to try and secure contracts for his country to built a railway, but amidst all this chaos he starts to take a shine to a young monarch stifled by his responsibilities and so starts to treat him like a boy - much to the bemusement of his uniformed retainers. He responds to this paternal behaviour, and as his father makes an unexpected reappearance, there might just be some hope that the royal family will once again reign happily. I thought Rogers on amiable form here with a fun story that moves along quickly and with a minimum of romantic clutter. Milland is barely recognisable with his pencil-moustache, and the baddie reminded me of Sir C. Aubrey Smith as this country embarks on what has to be the most confusing revolution of republicans v monarchists v Republicans you’re ever likely to see. In the end, it’s all about Rogers doing his own version of the “Prisoner of Zenda” meets “Shane” and I quite enjoyed it.