THE HOWARDS OF VIRGINIA

 

What better way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America than to watch a movie that revolves around the War for Independence? Now, what if I told you the movie stars Cary Grant, of all people, as a rugged Colonial frontiersman? 

That movie happens to be THE HOWARDS OF VIRGINIA, a 1940 Columbia release that was produced and directed by Frank Lloyd. I recently purchased it on DVD at a discount from Edward R. Hamilton. 

Cary Grant stars as Matt Howard, a brash fellow in 1760s Virginia who wants nothing more than to travel to the untamed Ohio territory to carve out a place for himself. Matt starts to do some surveying for various upper class Virginia families, and he falls in love with the daughter of one esteemed household--Jane Peyton (Martha Scott). In true old movie fashion, Matt annoys the prim and proper Jane until she agrees to marry him. The couple starts to build a new life together, but the tensions between the Colonies and England affects their happiness, as Matt chooses to fight for an independent country while Jane wants her family to avoid conflict altogether. 

The main topic when it comes to THE HOWARDS OF VIRGINIA is the casting--or miscasting--of Cary Grant in the lead role. Why anyone at Columbia thought having Grant in this movie is beyond me. There were plenty of other leading men in 1940 Hollywood that would have been much more suitable, such as Randolph Scott (who actually was a native Virginian), Joel McCrea, and John Wayne. Grant looks distinctly uncomfortable in 18th Century colonial garb, and his performance is uncomfortable as well. Grant overplays the role, yelling most of his dialogue and using what at times sounds like an Irish-Scottish accent. Grant's Matt Howard is so brash and demonstrative that one wonders if he's under the influence of colonial-era uppers. 

Martha Scott's Jane is so prim & proper that she comes off as strident, and she and Grant are not much of a romantic couple. The first part of THE HOWARDS OF VIRGINIA deals with Matt and Jane trying to get used to one another during the early years of their marriage (at one point Matt takes part in a rambunctious hoedown). In the second part of the film the story gets away from the soap opera elements and starts to follow the historical events leading up to the Revolution, as Matt is elected to the House of Burgesses and starts to be more of a firebrand. This bothers his wife and her disdainful, snooty brother (Cedric Hardwicke), a dyed-in-the-wool Tory who never wanted his sister to marry Matt in the first place. 

Eventually, Matt joins the Continental Army, and his two sons (who seemingly have grown into teenagers overnight) visit their father at Valley Forge to join up as well. The entire Howard family is finally happily reunited just before the Battle of Yorktown. 

Among the major historical characters who have "cameos" in THE HOWARDS OF VIRGINIA are George Washington, Patrick Henry, Baron von Stuben, and the Marquis de Lafayette. One founding father actually has a major supporting role: Thomas Jefferson, as played by Richard Carlson. Jefferson happens to be Matt's best friend (Howard calls him "Tom"). Thomas Jefferson is one of the most intriguing figures in American history, but here he's just the main character's sidekick. 

(I need to point out that my favorite actor, Peter Cushing, is in this film for one scene. If you're looking for him, he shows up right after the beginning sequence, when Thomas Jefferson introduces Matt to a number of prominent Virginians at a tavern.) 

Frank Lloyd directed a number of historical epics in his career, including the 1935 version of MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY. He keeps the story moving here but so many incidents go by so quickly that it's hard at times to remember how many years have passed from one scene to another. THE HOWARDS OF VIRGINIA has more than a few things in common with DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK, but that John Ford epic was a much better film, and it was in color. 

If THE HOWARDS OF VIRGINIA had a different leading man and leading lady, and if it had spent more time and effort detailing history, it would have come out more successfully. The Revolutionary War is filled with all sorts of amazing figures and amazing incidents, but the entertainment industry has never really been able to capture it in a dramatic and interesting fashion.