Episode 64: The Rise of Catherine the Great, Produced by Alexander Korda

We return to the depression era to watch the rise of a delightful, curly-haired naif who charms everyone — the help, the military, and her cynical, wealthy new family. No, we’re not doing John Huston’s noted biopic Annie, we’re doing 1935’s The Rise of Catherine the Great.

We explore the many, many links back to the godfather of international cinema Alexander Korda, lavender marriages, Peter the Great’s descendant Peter the Meh, OG nepo baby Douglas Fairbanks Jr., German expressionism, and so much more as we watch this very, very, very old movie. 

The Rise of Catherine the Great was produced by Alexander Korda, directed by Paul Czinner, and stars Elisabeth Bergner as Catherine the Great of Russia, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., as Grand Duke Peter (later Peter III), Dorothy Hale as Countess Olga, Flora Robson as Empress Elizabeth, Gerald du Maurier as Lecocq, Irene Vanbrugh as Princess Johanna von Anhalt-Zerbst, Diana Napier as Countess Vorontzova, Griffith Jones as Grigory Orlov, and Gibb McLaughlin as Bestujhev.

Sources used in the episode include…

Elizabeth and Catherine: Empresses of all the Russias, by Robert Coughlan.

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert Massie.

Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.

Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q

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