Remembering A LION IN WINTER on its 50th Anniversary

It opened 50 years ago today, at the Ambassador Theatre.

Written by James Goldman, it starred the great Robert Preston as well as Rosemary Harris, along with a young Christopher Walken and a pre-HAIR James Rado. Harris won the Best Actress Tony for her role, and Katherine Hepburn won the same for her portrayal in the film (which featured Peter O'Toole and a young Anthony Hopkins).

I must confess I'm entirely unfamiliar with the story, even through the movie.

Production Photos:

one if my favorites, but I've never seen a live production, just the film.

Those are some amazing photos! Robert Preston was truly a talented and versatile actor, was there anything he could not do?! I had zero knowledge of him originating the role of Henry on Broadway.

What a great cast! James Rado?!? Wow - - - I had no idea he did anything prior to HAIR, especially not this.

Thanks for sharing!

Would love to have seen this one. Great cast & photos are awesome

The O'Toole/Hepburn is my favorite movie of all time. My family has favorite quotes that we pull out at appropriate moments - primary among them "Well, what family doesn't have its ups and downs." Brilliant. The Patrick Stewart/Glenn Close version sounded good on paper but was dreadful. I'm sure Channing was wonderful but wasn't interested in seeing my 23rd Great Grandfather played by Fishburne (subject for a different post). Saw a community theater production years ago, don't remember much. I will watch it any time it's on TCM and will sit down as a family and watch at Christmas time - it is, by far, the greatest Christmas movie every made (no sarcasm). I love it. O'Toole was robbed at the Oscars. Thanks for posting this.

I first watched the movie recently, and to be honest I found it a bit sour for my taste. The characters were all so nasty and vindictive that I didn't get much fun out of their sparring (witty and pacy though it was), and once I realised (spoiler?) that each and every one of them was quite happy to repeatedly betray any of the others and switch alliances at the drop of a hat, the dramatic stakes dropped because I knew that any apparent relationship or power 'developments' would be tossed out again in another five minutes. Maybe all that was intentional and it was meant to be a depressing commentary on power or something. On the other hand, great cast and great performances. Ah well, it just goes to show how subjective taste is.

I've never seen it on stage, but I love the movie. I just looked this up and was surprised to realize the original production only played 92 performances! Not a success at all. I guess the popularity of the film is what really gave it such a long afterlife.

Love the script. Never saw any production but the film. Why oh why has no-one ever turned this into a musical? It seems custom made for Sondheim's brand of literate bitchery.

Are you guys aware that the first season of the TV show EMPIRE is entirely patterned after The Lion in Winter? The king is dying, the queen has just been released from prison, and the 3 sons (a brainiac, a gay one, and an immature baby) are vying for the throne.

I've always thought Judith Light would do wonders with Eleanor

CarlosAlberto said: "James Rado?!? Wow - - - I had no idea he did anything prior to HAIR, especially not this."

Not just The Lion in Winter -- Rado had lived several lives before HAIR. In his college days, he co-authored three musical revues (Interlude and Interlude II at University of Maryland, Cross Your Fingers at the Catholic University of America), and all of his early songs were both written and composed by him.

When he moved to NY, he supported himself by writing and recording pop songs [as "James Alexander and the Argyles"] while he studied acting with Lee Strasberg, and then he landed roles in such shows as Marathon '33, Luther, Hang Down Your Head and Die (where he met Gerome Ragni), and the Chicago company of The Knack.

In fact, when HAIR was about to enter production with Joe Papp Off-Broadway, Rado had just been cast in Hallelujah Baby with Leslie Uggams, meriting a NY Post story with his picture announcing his sudden elevation to "stardom." He had to choose between Broadway and HAIR, and he chose HAIR -- which eventually got him to the same place anyway, so all's well that ends well.

Updated On: 3/5/16 at 10:25 AM

PS Robert Preston as Henry II? He must have been great!