''At Sword's Point'', also known as ''The Sons of the Three Musketeers'', is a 1952 American

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

action adventure film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...

directed by Lewis Allen and starring

Cornel Wilde Cornel Wilde (born Kornél Lajos Weisz; October 13, 1912 – October 16, 1989) was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. Wilde's acting career began in 1935, when he made his debut on Broadway. In 1936 he began making small, uncredited ap ...

and

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for pl ...

. It was shot in

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films running through a special ...

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

. The film was completed in 1949, but was not released until 1952.

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

' offsprings of

Aramis René d'Herblay, alias Aramis, is a fictional character in the novels '' The Three Musketeers'' (1844), '' Twenty Years After'' (1845), and '' The Vicomte de Bragelonne'' (1847-1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers, ...

, Porthos,

D'Artagnan Charles de Batz de Castelmore (), also known as d'Artagnan and later Count d'Artagnan ( 1611 – 25 June 1673), was a French Musketeer who served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard. He died at the siege of Maastricht in the Fr ...

and Claire, the daughter of

Athos Athos may refer to: Fictional or mythical characters * Athos (character), one of the title characters in the novel ''The Three Musketeers'' (1844) by Alexandre Dumas père * Athos (mythology), one of the Gigantes in Greek mythology * Athos Fadi ...

, are reunited by the ageing Queen Anne to halt the villainy of her treacherous nephew, the Duc de Lavalle.

Plot

The sons (and a daughter) of the original Four Musketeers ride to the rescue of besieged Queen Anne in 1648 France. D'Artagnan and his companions are alerted that the terminally ill Queen (Gladys Cooper) is being pressured by the evil Duc de Lavalle (Robert Douglas) into agreeing to a marriage with Princess Henriette (Nancy Gates). Too old (or dead) to respond, their sons (and one daughter) race to Court to help. After much derring do – including episodes of imprisonment and betrayal, with a burgeoning love sub-plot between D'Artagnan Jr. and Claire, daughter of Athos (Maureen O'Hara) thrown in for good measure – they succeed.

Cast

as Claire * Robert Douglas as Duc de Lavalle * Gladys Cooper as Queen Anne * June Clayworth as Comtesse Claudine *

Dan O'Herlihy Daniel Peter O'Herlihy (May 1, 1919 – February 17, 2005) was an Irish actor of film, television, and radio. With a distinguished appearance and rich, resonant speaking voice, O'Herlihy's best known-roles included his Oscar-nominated portraya ...

as Aramis * Alan Hale Jr. as Porthos *

Blanche Yurka Blanche Yurka (born Blanch Jurka, June 19, 1887 – June 6, 1974) was an American stage and film actress and director. She was an opera singer with minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera and later became a stage actress, making her Broadway deb ...

as Madame Michom *

Nancy Gates Nancy Gates (February 1, 1926Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. .P. 471. – March 24, 2019) was an American film and television actress. Early ...

as Princess Henriette *

Edmund Breon Edmund Breon (born Iver Edmund de Breon MacLaverty; 12 December 1882 – 24 June 1953) was a Scottish film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1907 and 1952. Life and career Born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Br ...

as Queen's Chamberlain *

Peter Miles Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a ...

as Young

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ve ...

* George Petrie as Chalais *

Moroni Olsen Moroni Olsen (June 27, 1889November 22, 1954) was an American actor. Life and career Olsen was born in Ogden, Utah to Latter-day Saint parents Edward Arenholt Olsen and Martha ( Hoverholst) Olsen, who named him after the Moroni found in the ...

as Porthos *

Lucien Littlefield Lucien Littlefield (August 16, 1895 – June 4, 1960) was an American actor who achieved a long career from silent films to the television era. He was noted for his versatility, playing a wide range of roles and already portraying old men befor ...

as Cpl. Gautier (uncredited)

Production

In 1947

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

announced they had purchased a script, ''Sons of the Musketeers'' by Aubrey Wisberg and Jack Pollexfen.

Eagle Lion Eagle Lion 1985-2013 was an event horse that has competed at the highest level of the sport with great success. He stood 16.1 hh (169 cm). Eagle Lion was out of the famous mare Stream Lion, a producer of excellent event horses, incl ...

also announced they would make a film called ''Sons of the Musketeers'' which concerned MGM who were making a version of ''The Three Musketeers''. Eventually the project went to RKO where it was set up as a vehicle for

. Lewis Allen was announced as director on 15 November 1949. Filming started 14 December 1949. MGM had some difficulties depicting

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

in ''

'' so the filmmakers decided to not show

Cardinal Mazarin Cardinal Jules Mazarin (, also , , ; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino () or Mazarini, was an Italian cardinal, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis ...

, even though he was in the original script.

Notes

* Porthos in ''At Sword's Point'' is played by Moroni Olsen, who played that character in his younger days in the 1935 film of the original 1844

Alexander Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer. ...

novel, ''

'' while Alan Hale Jr. plays the son of Porthos. His father, Alan Hale, Sr., appeared in '' The Man in the Iron Mask'' (1939) as an aging Porthos. * In another Three Musketeers movie, '' The Fifth Musketeer'' (1979), which retells the story of The Man in the Iron Mask, two of the young Musketeers from ''At Sword's Point'' reappear in the roles of their own fathers: Cornel Wilde stars as D'Artagnan and Alan Hale Jr. as Porthos.

References

External links

* * * {{Lewis Allen 1952 films 1950s action adventure films 1950s historical films American action adventure films American historical films Films directed by Lewis Allen RKO Pictures films Films scored by Roy Webb Films based on Twenty Years After Films set in Paris Films set in France Films set in the 1640s Cultural depictions of Louis XIV Films with screenplays by Aubrey Wisberg 1950s English-language films 1950s American films