Irishchatter I thought it was really funny at the beginning when the princess had a couple of sleeping pills, and then, being dragged by the pilots who found her not waking up. Seriously, Olivia de Havilland done that scene so well that I cant believe shes still alive today and is 100 years old! She really reminds me of Audrey Hepburn and her love interest on this, Robert Cummings reminds me of Frank Sinatra. They both really are a good match like it was a good idea to have them on together in this!Im glad it even won an Oscar, although I wouldn't expect it to get that far but De Havilland I think really made this film shine! Its very good, please watch this if you like royal romance films!

twhiteson As others have noted, this 1943 film bears more than a passing resemblance to William Wyler's 1953 film, "Roman Holiday" which turned its leading actress, Audrey Hepburn, into an Oscar-winning, overnight star. "Roman Holiday" is considered a classic of the romantic comedy genre, but its predecessor, "Princess O'Rourke" has been forgotten with the exception of occasional showings on TCM.The plot: lonely, unhappy Princess Maria (a lovely Olivia De Havilland) is on an American public relations tour during the midst of WWII while her exiled family remains in the UK. Her uncle (Charles Coburn) gruffly supervises her every minute. Frustrated and bored with her structured schedule and her very limited social circle, Maria sees herself as a caged bird. That all changes when she plans to travel to the west coast and due to series of misunderstandings is drugged with a host of sleeping pills. As a result, she passes out on her plane's pilot, Eddie O'Rourke, (Bob Cummings) who has no idea who she is due to her traveling incognito. She wakes to find herself in Eddie's bed and even wearing his pajamas! Intrigued by what occurred the previous night because she can't recall, Maria agrees to go out on a date with Eddie and his two married friends (Jack Carson and Jane Wyman). Maria keeps her true identity secret while romantic sparks fly with Eddie, who feeling the pinch of time with his about to join the service and feeling sorry for this "poor refugee" recklessly asks her to marry him?!?! Of course, Maria knows she can't marry an American commoner, but there is the possibility that wartime contingencies could make an exception.If you've ever seen "Roman Holiday" then a lot of the above plot synopsis should sound familiar. Everything from the lonely princess to the inadvertent drugging to the meeting by chance the handsome young American to her waking in his bed wearing his pajamas to keeping her identity secret while enjoying a typical date to the princess knowing her obligations prevent her from following her heart appeared to have been taken from this film and imported to "Roman Holiday." However, Norman Krasna, who wrote "Princess O'Rourke" and received an Oscar for that script, is not credited for "Roman Holiday." Nor is there any evidence of a lawsuit being initiated for copyright infringement even though it appears it would have been a slam-dunk case."Roman Holiday" is a superior film. "Princess O'Rourke" is even fluffier than that romantic film. It also bogs down with WWII propaganda and really loses its way with its unbelievable happy ending. It appears the creators of "Roman Holiday" recognized the stuff that worked, but also were smart enough to ditch the stuff that didn't. "Roman Holiday's" bittersweet ending is one of the big reasons it's remembered as a classic, but "Princess O'Rourke" couldn't resist giving its WWII audience a cheap smile at the end which is probably a big reason why it's forgotten.

Neil Doyle Norman Krasna wrote a delightful script that is played to the hilt by Olivia de Havilland, Robert Cummings, Jane Wyman and Jack Carson--not to mention Charles Coburn. Interesting to note that de Havilland and Wyman would be up for Best Actress Oscars three years later (To Each His Own, The Yearling). Wyman was so impressive as Jack Carson's wise-cracking wife that Billy Wilder decided to use her for 'The Lost Weekend' in a more dramatic role. De Havilland's sleeping pill scene early on gets the film off to a breezy start--she even lapses into a little French (long before she became a Parisian in real life). All in all, she does a wonderful job as the Princess in love with commoner (Robert Cummings)and facing a few twists and turns of plot before the ending. John Huston, her boyfriend at the time, was said to have coached her in the role. Jack Carson and Jane Wyman have good supporting roles--and Charles Coburn has some amusing scenes as de Havilland's overprotective uncle. Ten years later, 'Roman Holiday' gave us another variation on this theme. One of de Havilland's better comedy roles.

David Atfield Pre-dating "Roman Holiday" by ten years is this charming little comedy about a runaway princess, this time in New York, falling in love with a commoner. Like "Roman Holiday" the part of the princess is played to perfection, this time by Olivia De Havilland. And she's matched well by Robert Cummings, with a brilliant supporting cast headed by Charles Coburn, Jack Carson and Jane Wyman.Unlike "Roman Holiday" this film opts for an overly-simplistic solution that is neither believable or satisfying. It's quite fun though being in the White House and watching FDR's dog play an important role in the drama. And the Oscar winning script is pretty good until the finale.But it is De Havilland that makes the film work. Early in the film she takes a number of sleeping pills, and her drugged acting is superb. She also has a very raunchy scene in a bath! She achieves a perfect balance between comedy and drama, and once again proves that she was one of the best actors of her generation.