  the guardsman is a 1931 film based on the play testÅr by ferenc molnÃ¡r. it stars alfred lunt, lynn fontanne, roland young and zasu pitts. it opens with a stage re-enactment of the final scene of maxwell anderson's elizabeth the queen, with fontanne as elizabeth and lunt as the earl of essex, but otherwise has nothing to do with that play. the movie was adapted by ernest vajda (screenplay) and claudine west (continuity) and was directed by sidney franklin.the american film institute catalog feature films: 1931-40 by the american film institute, Â© 1993 lunt and fontanne were husband and wife and a celebrated stage acting team. this movie was based upon the roles they had played on broadway in 1924 and it was their only starring film role together. they were nominated for best actor in a leading role and best actress in a leading role respectively.the guardsman as produced on broadway, garrick theatre, october 13, 1924 to december 1925; ibdb.com ==plot== the story revolves around a husband-and-wife acting team. simply because he is insecure, the husband suspects his wife could be capable of infidelity. the husband disguises himself as a guardsman with a thick accent, woos his wife under his false identity, and ends up seducing her. the couple stays together, and at the end the wife tells the husband that she knew it was him, but played along with the deception. ==cast== *alfred lunt - the actor *lynn fontanne - the actress *roland young - bernhardt the critic *zasu pitts - liesl, the maid *maude eburne - mama *herman bing - a creditor ;unbilled *ann dvorak - fan *geraldine dvorak - operagoer *michael mark - the actor's valet *eric mayne - theatregoer ==remakes== *in 1941, the plot was used for the film version of oscar straus's operetta the chocolate soldier, starring risÃ« stevens and nelson eddy. the stage production had used the plot of george bernard shaw's arms and the man, b
1930s_comedy_films 1931_films American_comedy_films American_films Black-and-white_films English-language_films Films_based_on_works_by_Ferenc_MolnA!r Films_directed_by_Sidney_Franklin Hungarian_literature Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer_films