Ep# 59 - King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table in the 60s

What was it about Arthurian legends that so captivated 1960s audiences? Depending on who’s doing the retelling, and the century they’re living in, the tales of King Arthur and his knights vary wildly from stodgy conservative fables, to shockingly taboo love triangles, to intriguing surrealistic sorcery. When Lerner and Loewe’s play Camelot arrived on the scene in 1960 it quickly became a smash hit – an adaptation of T. E. White’s Freudian-heavy text, it starred Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and put Robert Goulet on the map. Camelot was further imprinted onto the public consciousness in 1963 when, after the assassination of her husband, Jackie Kennedy went on record to say it was one of Jack’s favorite soundtracks.

In this episode, Bart and Jenna dive headfirst into a world of myth, magic, legend and a whole lot of jousting. As they weave their way through a series of largely mediocre films that seem like they should’ve been made for children – y’know, if it wasn’t for all that nudity and violence – they look ever forward. Moving towards a shining ideal that they can see but cannot reach. For, like the Knights of the Round Table before them, they seek out the one true film that will unlock the truth and righteousness. A holy object that will single-handedly bring back the glory that was once known as… !!!

The following films are discussed:

• The Magic Sword (1962)
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
Starring Basil Rathbone, Estelle Winwood, Gary Lockwood

• Lancelot and Guinevere (1963)
Directed by Cornel Wilde
Starring Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace, Brian Aherne

• Siege of the Saxons (1963)
Directed by Nathan Juran
Starring Janette Scott, Ronald Lewis, Ronald Howard

• The Sword in the Stone (1963)
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Voices by Rickie Sorensen, Sebastian Cabot, Karl Swenson

• Willy McBean and his Magic Machine (1965)
Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr.
Voices by Larry D. Mann, Billie Mae Richards, Alfie Scopp

• Camelot (1967)
Directed by Joshua Logan
Starring Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero