His Fourth Wife
Description
In 1538, King Henry VIII seeks a new wife to cement a political alliance. His minister, Thomas Cromwell, proposes Anne of Cleves and urges painter Hans Holbein to embellish her likeness. But when Henry sees her true appearance, Cromwell’s career and life are threatened as the king’s dissatisfaction spirals into a desire for divorce.
Court painter, Hans Holbein is commissioned by Henry VIII to produce the portraits of Anne of Cleves and Christina of Denmark. From the two portraits, the king will choose his next wife. Hans’ ability to paint the ladies’ faces—as well as their innermost feelings—makes Henry’s choice simple and deadly.
In 1538, King Henry VIII wants to marry again to strengthen ties with another country. His advisor Thomas Cromwell suggests Anne of Cleves and tells artist Hans Holbein to make her portrait look better than she really does. When Henry meets her and sees what she actually looks like, Cromwell's job and his life are in danger because the angry king wants to end the marriage.
CBS Radio Mystery Theater is a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS Radio Network affiliates from 1974 to 1982, and later in the early 2000s was repeated by the NPR satellite feed. In New York City it was not aired by the then all-news WCBS but by its originating station, WOR, which produced and announced it as simply Radio Mystery Theater.
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