Robert Morley and Wendy Hiller, The First Gentleman, 1945 (Image, LIFE magazine)
While researching information for my post about the Prince Regent and his strange marriage to Princess Caroline of Brunswick, I ran across this obscure item – a play in two acts about Prinny named The First Gentleman, written by Norman Ginsbury and performed in London in 1945. Robert Morley played Prinny and Wendy Hiller portrayed the doomed Princes Charlotte (who died in childbirth in 1817, the same year that Jane Austen died). I surmise that Frances Waring acted the role of Caroline of Brunswick, but could not confirm this detail. About Wendy Hiller’s performance, Roberth Morley said:
Wendy Hiller as Princes Charlotte hides under the table
She was never afraid of over-acting when she felt instinctively that the role required her to do so and, as Princess Charlotte, she was in turn so fierce and so gentle that, on some evenings, after she had died in the second act it seemed a waste of time continuing with the play.- Dame Wendy Hiller
The play ran in London’s New Theatre for a run of 654 performances. In 1948, a film of the same name was made. This movie, released in 1949, also remains obscure.
Set Design for The First Gentleman, Columbia, 1948
A theatre programme from the pre-West End touring production in Liverpool’s The Royal Court Theatre was recently for sale online. The play’s cast also included Brown Derby, Wilfred Walter, Guy Le Feuvre, Sigrid Landstad, Una Venning, Christina Horniman, Helen Stirling, Catharina Ferraz, Christine Lindsay, Robert Beaumont, Geoffrey Toone, Amy Frank, Mary Masters, Ian Sadler, Beryl Harrison, Pamela Carme, Martin Beckwith, John Baker, Grenville Eves, Robin Christie, Mary Marshall, Sebastian Minton and Valentine Richmond.
The Prince Regent after Charlotte's death
More on the topic:
- LIFE Magazine, 1945 (Images from the magazine) – read a short article about the play in this link
- Film: The First Gentleman, 1948
Jane Austen's World 
Over 600 performances, that’s quite an achievement!
Steamy Darcy
Yes, an amazingly long run, Enid, especially in light of the fact that it was post-war London and people were poor.
What a terrific cast. Robert Morley as Prinny? Oh excellent. I luv the thought of Wendy Hiller as Charlotte even though for all accounts she was far more beautiful and sophisticated than the Princess. I would love to see the movie. Did it have the same cast Vic?
Different cast, LA. I have the Imbd link – no images, and very little publicity, other than the set design. If I had not run across the LIFE mag article, the play would have slipped by me. So sad that this bit of trivia is so rare!
My High School is supposed to be performing “The First Gentleman” this fall. It sounds quite interesting. :)
Have you been able to watch this film? Or read the play by Norman Ginsbury?
They are both hard to find.
Hello
I thought you might be interested to know that the 1961 ITV version of this play (starring Susannah York and Charles Gray) has recently been rediscovered within the archives of the Library of Congress in New York and is due to be shown at BFI Southbank (formerly the NFT) in November.
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I have a copy of the programme for the original production. Caroline of Brunswick was played by Amy Frank. Frances Waring played the part of Queen Charlotte.