Guys and Dolls (1955/I)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

Jo Swerling (book) and
Abe Burrows (book) ...

Release Date:

16 January 1956 (Brazil)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy | Romance | Crime

Plot:

In New York, a gambler is challenged to take a cold female missionary to Havana, but they fall for each other, and the bet has a hidden motive to finance a crap game.

Plot Keywords:

Gambler | Bet | Craps | Mission | Missionary

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Sky Masterson
Jean Simmons	...	Sergeant Sarah Brown
Frank Sinatra	...	Nathan Detroit
Vivian Blaine	...	Miss Adelaide
Robert Keith	...	Lt. Brannigan
Stubby Kaye	...	Nicely-Nicely Johnson
B.S. Pully	...	Big Jule
Johnny Silver	...	Benny Southstreet
Sheldon Leonard	...	Harry the Horse
Danny Dayton	...	Rusty Charlie (as Dan Dayton)
George E. Stone	...	Society Max
Regis Toomey	...	Arvide Abernathy
Kathryn Givney	...	General Cartwright
Veda Ann Borg	...	Laverne
Mary Alan Hokanson	...	Agatha

Also Known As:

Blanches colombes et vilains messieurs (France) [fr]
Bulli e pupe (Italy) [it]
Eles e Elas (Portugal) [pt]
Ellos y ellas (Spain) [es]
Enkeleitä Broadwaylla (Finland) [fi]
Faceci i laleczki (Poland) [pl]
Guys and Dolls (Denmark) [da]
Manges kai koukles (Greece) [el]
Pysar och sländor (Sweden) [sv]
Schwere Jungen, leichte Mädchen (Austria) [de]
Schwere Jungs - leichte Mädchen (West Germany) [de]

Runtime:

150 min | 152 min (with overture and exit music)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System) (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | West Germany:12 | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #17617) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:PG (cable rating)

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn/Warner Hollywood Studios - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

After a tryout in Philadelphia, the play opened on Broadway on 24 November 1950 and closed on 28 November 1953 after 1200 performances. The play won a Tony for best musical and another for best choreography for Michael Kidd, who staged the dances and musical numbers in this movie. Original cast members included Robert Alda (father of Alan Alda) as Sky Masterson, Isabel Bigley as Sarah Brown, and Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit. Vivian Blaine as Adelaide, Stubby Kaye as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, B.S. Pully as Big Jule and Johnny Silver as Benny Southstreet all appeared in their original Broadway roles for the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: Sky Masterson's handwriting on the back of the Bible verse card changes between shots.

Quotes:

Sky Masterson: [after observing that Sarah's mission is doing poorly] Do I give you a fair rundown?
Sergeant Sarah Brown: I wouldn't know. I've never had a rundown.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Broadway: The American Musical: Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin': 1943-1960 (#1.4)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

I'll Know

A Disappointing Adaptation of a Nearly Perfect Musical

I saw the 1992 revival of "Guys and Dolls" on Broadway when Nathan Lane and Faith Prince were playing the roles of Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide. That show was so colorful, vibrant and pulsing with energy, that it made Joseph L. Mankiewicz's screen version pale greatly in comparison.

Mankiewicz replaces Damon Runyon's cartoon world of stylized sets and goofy gangsters with what passed for realism in the 1950s. Much of the original musical's score is gone (even the well-known "A Bushel and a Peck"), in some cases replaced by forgettable tunes written expressly for the film. The stunt casting of Marlon Brando in the role of Sky Masterson works better than you might expect; Brando displays a humorous and charming side to his personality that he hadn't yet shown on screen. Frank Sinatra is too smooth and collected for the addled Nathan Detroit; Jean Simmons is bland as missionary worker Sarah Brown. Vivian Blaine nails the role of Adelaide -- every ditzy blonde role since owes at least a trifle to her performance.

The film never comes alive. You would think Mankiewicz would be a perfect choice for directing screen adaptations of stage material; his films always felt more like plays anyway, and his strength lay in directing actors through long passages of witty dialogue. But he's not up to the task of directing a musical -- the numbers just sit on the screen; there's no snap to them.

A worthy effort, but one that doesn't meet its potential.

Grade: B-