Director Robert Z. Leonard brought his 31-year association with MGM to a rousing close with
The King's Thief
. Set in England during the reign of Charles II (drolly portrayed by George Sanders), the film stars Edmund Purdom as Michael Dermott, who sets about to steal the crown jewels on behalf of his king. The current possessor of the gems is the wicked duke of Brampton, played with relish by a cast-against-type David Niven. Ann Blyth is a decorative heroine, while one of Michael Dermott's cohorts is played by a young, muscular Roger Moore. The plot of
, purportedly based on fact, is merely an excuse for the nonstop swashbuckling of star Edmund Purdom.