And the Jeopardy Question is? It is the last film of real interest and amusement that starred Ronald Colman, and the first of two he did with Vincent Price.
Answer: CHAMPAGNE FOR CAESAR.
Ronald Colman had an amusing charm that meant that many of his dramatic films had comic moments. In BULLDOG DRUMMOND he is in great danger from his enemy Dr. Lakington, but manages to embarrass the Doctor by suggesting that Lakington has bad breath. In LOST HORIZON he does a brief imitation of H.B.Warner's Chang. But he rarely appeared in a sharp comic spoof. It is interesting that it was near the end of his career that he finally got one.
CHAMPAGNE FOR CAESAR is about Beauregard Bottomley, a brilliant man who is not gainfully employed, and is annoyed at a popular quiz show that is hosted by Art Linkletter (a rare film appearance for the radio and television personality), and that is sponsored by "Milady's Soap", a company run by one Burnbridge Waters (known to his "friends" as "Dirty" Waters). Waters is played by Vincent Price.
Bottomley goes on the quiz show, and is so smart that he wins the money. But instead of taking the prize at the end (as is usually the case) he says he wants to come back. As each prize is double of the last prize in money, as Beauregard keeps winning, the amount of the next bet is even more than usual (it is going from say $100.00 to $200.00 to $400.00 to $800.00 to $1,600.00 to $3,200.00 to $6,400.00 to $12,800.00 to $25,600.00...etc.).
Price is getting upset as the unbeatable Beauregard ... and worried about how far the betting will keep going. Theoretically it could go to the total fortune that Waters has! So Price, in typical diabolical form, decides to wreck the Bottomley train as it progresses. He gets harder and harder questions about every subject imaginable (like obscure Chinese emperors, and even a tricky section of Einstein's relativity theory). He uses a femme fa-tale named Flame O'Neal (Celeste Holm) to be Delilah to Colman's "Samson".
But it looks like Colman is going to get the whole enchilada. And then he learns that a local seer (Peter Brocco) foresees he won't answer the last question. Is it true, or is it to be shrugged off?
It was a very funny film, with Price enjoying a villain who was outrageously comic - watch him when he momentarily thinks he can push an unsuspecting Colman into a vat of soap at the factory. Colman is not as blatantly funny, but has his moments too - like when he reveals that Holms has what he calls "Bottomley trouble". Linkletter in his only film performance of note does well spoofing his then known hosting of the quiz show "Truth or Consequences", and then shows up as an unexpected suitor of Colman's younger sister (Barbara Britten). But the courting is when Colman is winning tens of thousands of dollars! And "Caesar"? He turns out to be an unexpected connecting link between Colman and Price - one that shows that even film villains like Vincent Price can occasionally have soft spots in their persona's.
Answer: CHAMPAGNE FOR CAESAR.
Ronald Colman had an amusing charm that meant that many of his dramatic films had comic moments. In BULLDOG DRUMMOND he is in great danger from his enemy Dr. Lakington, but manages to embarrass the Doctor by suggesting that Lakington has bad breath. In LOST HORIZON he does a brief imitation of H.B.Warner's Chang. But he rarely appeared in a sharp comic spoof. It is interesting that it was near the end of his career that he finally got one.
CHAMPAGNE FOR CAESAR is about Beauregard Bottomley, a brilliant man who is not gainfully employed, and is annoyed at a popular quiz show that is hosted by Art Linkletter (a rare film appearance for the radio and television personality), and that is sponsored by "Milady's Soap", a company run by one Burnbridge Waters (known to his "friends" as "Dirty" Waters). Waters is played by Vincent Price.
Bottomley goes on the quiz show, and is so smart that he wins the money. But instead of taking the prize at the end (as is usually the case) he says he wants to come back. As each prize is double of the last prize in money, as Beauregard keeps winning, the amount of the next bet is even more than usual (it is going from say $100.00 to $200.00 to $400.00 to $800.00 to $1,600.00 to $3,200.00 to $6,400.00 to $12,800.00 to $25,600.00...etc.).
Price is getting upset as the unbeatable Beauregard ... and worried about how far the betting will keep going. Theoretically it could go to the total fortune that Waters has! So Price, in typical diabolical form, decides to wreck the Bottomley train as it progresses. He gets harder and harder questions about every subject imaginable (like obscure Chinese emperors, and even a tricky section of Einstein's relativity theory). He uses a femme fa-tale named Flame O'Neal (Celeste Holm) to be Delilah to Colman's "Samson".
But it looks like Colman is going to get the whole enchilada. And then he learns that a local seer (Peter Brocco) foresees he won't answer the last question. Is it true, or is it to be shrugged off?
It was a very funny film, with Price enjoying a villain who was outrageously comic - watch him when he momentarily thinks he can push an unsuspecting Colman into a vat of soap at the factory. Colman is not as blatantly funny, but has his moments too - like when he reveals that Holms has what he calls "Bottomley trouble". Linkletter in his only film performance of note does well spoofing his then known hosting of the quiz show "Truth or Consequences", and then shows up as an unexpected suitor of Colman's younger sister (Barbara Britten). But the courting is when Colman is winning tens of thousands of dollars! And "Caesar"? He turns out to be an unexpected connecting link between Colman and Price - one that shows that even film villains like Vincent Price can occasionally have soft spots in their persona's.