June 14, 21, 1936
The pageantry in Harriet King Walker’s Under Richard’s Banner added a special touch to this tale of Crusaders under the banner of Richard the Lionhearted.
Rain, rain on the maidenhair ferns,
Oh how we wished it would stop.
But it came down apace,
Right into our face,
And it never lessened one drop.
“‘Postponed on account of rain’ was true for the first time in fourteen seasons but the sun came out on the two succeeding Sundays in June to shine on Under Richard’s Banner.
“Written by Harriet King Walker, a playwriting Mountaineer as well as a star player, Under Richard’s Banner brought forth onto the stage of The Forest Theater gracious, noble ladies and gallant, chivalrous knights to fight for their King in the siege of Acre, and when the mighty towers had fallen and the din of battle had cleared away, Acre was once more in the hands of the Christians. Once again nobility of character and courage of heart won the fair lady and a young warrior was knighted for his bravery.
“And once again the laurels were placed on the brows of the Mountaineers Players for having the courage of heart and the dauntless spirit to face the uncertainties of June weather in the fickle Puget Sound country and produce a play to add to their banner roll of successful plays in The Forest Theater.”
From Claire M. McGuire in The Mountaineer, 1936
Note: Only in 1936, 1942 and 1948 has a performance been postponed because of rain.
The University of Washington has made available through their digital collection some film snippets from this production. They are in three parts and you view them by clicking on the following links below.
