Mayerling

"Mayerling" is an episode of the American television series Producers' Showcase made for NBC Television, which was aired on 4 February 1957 and released theatrically as a film in Europe. The film was produced and directed by Anatole Litvak, who had previously directed the French film version of Mayerling (1936) which was an international hit and brought Litvak to Hollywood. The 1957 version stars Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer, Raymond Massey, Diana Wynyard, Basil Sydney, Judith Evelyn, Isobel Elsom, Lorne Greene, Nancy Marchand, David Opatoshu, Suzy Parker, Nehemiah Persoff, Pippa Scott, Monique van Vooren, and Lilia Skala. Synopsis The story of Mayerling is based on the historical Mayerling incident, the tragic love affair between Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his mistress, Baroness Mary Vetsera, and the mystery surrounding their apparent murder/suicide on January 30, 1889, at the imperial hunting lodge in Mayerling, Lower Austria. Production Ferrer and Hepburn were reportedly in negotiation for two and a half years to make the special. It was done live, except for some background footage shot in Vienna.