The Vagabond King (Paramount) provides a multimillion-dollar answer to a question that nobody has been asking: Where are the snores of yesteryear? In 1901, the short, unhappy life of François Villon, the notorious balladist of 15th century France, was rewritten by Playwright Justin McCarthy as a long, claptrappy rapier romance that held the stage for decades and made E. H. Sothern the most famous scenery-chewer of his time.
In 1925, when audiences went sour on all the high-flown words, Operettist Rudolf Friml sweetened them up with some pleasant, sugary music. The Vagabond King...
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