Prince Of Players (1955)

A noted Shakespearean actor by the name of Junius Brutus Booth (Raymond Massey) has sunk into alcoholism and despair but he has two actor sons who will carry the family name to both glory and infamy: Edwin Booth (Richard Burton) and John Wilkes Booth (John Derek). Based on the non fiction book by Eleanor Ruggles (and adapted for the screen by Moss Hart no less) and directed by Philip Dunne (BLUE DENIM). A stodgy biographical movie that gives us no insight into the dynamics of the Booth dynasty, just the usual film biography cliches. Eleanor Ruggles, the author of the biography researched it for four years so I'll assume it's mostly factual though the movie's ending seems hokey but this film adaptation seems like a retread of the sub genre. The film is crammed with scenes from Shakespeare so we get to see Burton play Romeo, Richard III and Hamlet. So much Shakespeare that the director Dunne blamed the film's failure on too much Shakespeare in the movie. There's an excellent underscore by Bernard Herrmann. With Maggie McNamara, Charles Bickford, Elizabeth Sellars and in her film debut, the legendary theatre actress Eva Le Gallienne.