The Howards of Virginia

The Howards of Virginia
File:Howards of Virginia.jpg DVD cover
Directed by	Frank Lloyd
Produced by	Frank Lloyd Jack H. Skirball (associate producer)
Screenplay by	Sidney Buchman
Based on	The Tree of Liberty 1939 novel by Elizabeth Page
Starring	Cary Grant Martha Scott Cedric Hardwicke
Music by	Richard Hageman
Cinematography	Bert Glennon
Edited by	Paul Weatherwax
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	September 19, 1940 (1940-09-19)
Running time	122 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Howards of Virginia is a 1940 film released by Columbia Pictures and based on the book The Tree of Liberty written by Elizabeth Page. The Howards of Virginia live through the American Revolutionary War, with Cary Grant starring as Matt Howard, Martha Scott starring as his wife Jane Peyton Howard, and Alan Marshal and Sir Cedric Hardwicke starring as Jane's brothers Roger and Fleetwood Peyton. Fleetwood Peyton is Jane’s elder brother, the patriarch of his family, and a member of the Tidewater aristocracy. The film includes a look at the young Matt Howard, Thomas Jefferson, and Jane Peyton.

Much of the film was shot at Colonial Williamsburg, much of which had only been recently restored or reconstructed at the time of the production. The Capitol, Raleigh Tavern and Governor's Palace are prominently featured.

Plot summary

Against the backdrop of the events leading up to the American Revolution, Matt Howard (Cary Grant) builds a fine plantation, Albemarle, in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia out of love for his wife (Martha Scott), only to see it crumble under the strain of events and differences in their upbringing.

Cast

• Cary Grant as Matt Howard
• Martha Scott as Jane Peyton Howard
• Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Fleetwood Peyton
• Alan Marshal as Roger Peyton
• Richard Carlson as Thomas Jefferson
• Paul Kelly as Captain Jabez Allen
• Irving Bacon as Tom Norton
• Elisabeth Risdon as Aunt Clarissa
• Anne Revere as Mrs. Betsy Norton
• Tom Drake (as Richard Alden) as James Howard at 16
• Phil Taylor as Peyton Howard at 18
• Rita Quigley as Mary Howard at Age 17
• Libby Taylor as Dicey
• Richard Gaines as Patrick Henry
• George Houston as George Washington
• Ralph Byrd as James Howard
• Dickie Jones as Matt Howard at 12
• Buster Phelps as Thomas Jefferson at 11
• Wade Boteler as Uncle Reuben
• Mary Field as Susan Howard
• R. Wells Gordon as Colonel Jefferson
• Charles Francis as Mr. Douglas
• Burton McEvilly as Alexander Hamilton
• Peter Cushing as Leslie Stephens (uncredited)
• Walter "Boots" Fannin as wedding groom
• Vernon Downing as John Walker
• Leyland Hodgson as British Officer

Awards

• 1940 Academy Awards: 2 Nominations: for Best Original Score (Richard Hageman) and Best Sound Recording (Jack Whitney).

Notes

• Hollywood Reporter: February 15, 1939
• Los Angeles Times: April 13, 1940
• Variety: September 4, 1940
• New York Times: September 27, 1940

External links

• The Howards of Virginia at IMDb
• The Howards of Virginia at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Howards of Virginia at AllMovie
• The Howards of Virginia at the TCM Movie Database
• The Howards of Virginia at the American Film Institute Catalog