The Goldwyn Follies (1938)

Director:

George Marshall
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Writers:

Ben Hecht (story)
Sid Kuller (special sequences: Ritz Brothers) ...
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Release Date:

4 February 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Romance

Tagline:

And now the aristocrat of the fun shows

Plot:

Movie producer chooses a simple girl to be "Miss Humanity" and to critically evalute his movies from the point of view of the ordinary person...

Plot Keywords:

Movie Producer | Cat | Penguin | Hollywood California | Cook

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Adolphe Menjou	...	Oliver Merlin (as Adolph Menjou)
The Ritz Brothers	...	The Ritz Brothers
Vera Zorina	...	Olga Samara
Kenny Baker	...	Danny Beecher
Andrea Leeds	...	Hazel Dawes
Edgar Bergen	...	Himself
Charlie McCarthy	...	Himself
Helen Jepson	...	Leona Jerome
Phil Baker	...	Michael Day
Bobby Clark	...	A. Basil Crane Jr.
Ella Logan	...	Glory Wood
Jerome Cowan	...	Director
Charles Kullmann	...	Alfredo in 'La Traviata'
The American Ballet of the Metropolitan Opera	...	Ballet Dancers
Nydia Westman	...	Ada
Frank Shields	...	Assistant Director
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ernie Alexander	...	Olga's Hairdresser (uncredited)
Vivian Austin	...	'Gorgeous' Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Lynne Berkeley	...	'Gorgeous' Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Ted Billings	...	Studio Grip (uncredited)
Joseph Crehan	...	Theatre Manager (uncredited)
Harold De Becker	...	Man in Diner (uncredited)
Marjorie Deanne	...	'Gorgeous' Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
William Dollar	...	Ballet Dancer (uncredited)
Betty Douglas	...	'Gorgeous' Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Roland Drew	...	Roland, Igor in 'Forgotten Dance' (uncredited)
Judith Ford	...	'Gorgeous' Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Anne Graham	...	'Gorgeous' Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Jane Hamilton	...	'Gorgeous' Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Al Herman	...	The Tailor (uncredited)
Leonard Kibrick	...	Violinist at Radio Station (uncredited)
Alan Ladd	...	First Auditioning Singer (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Prop Man (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer	...	Man in Audience at Opera (uncredited)
Alfred Newman	...	Musical Director (uncredited)
Barry Norton	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Jack Raymond	...	Extra in Casting Office (uncredited)
Buddy Roosevelt	...	Cowboy Actor (uncredited)
Maclovia Ruiz	...	Ballet Dancer (uncredited)
Walter Sande	...	Westinghouse - Third Auditioning Singer (uncredited)
Fred Santley	...	Basil, Second Auditioning Singer (uncredited)
Evelyn Terry	...	'Gorgeous' Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Russell Wade	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Gloria Youngblood	...	'Gorgeous' Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
George Marshall
H.C. Potter		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Ben Hecht		(story and screen play)
Sid Kuller		(special sequences: Ritz Brothers) and
Ray Golden		(special sequences: Ritz Brothers)
Sam Perrin		(additional comedy sequences) and
Arthur Phillips		(additional comedy sequences)

Produced by
Samuel Goldwyn	....	producer
George Haight	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Gregg Toland		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Sherman Todd		(film editor)

Set Decoration by
Julia Heron		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Omar Kiam		(costumes by)

Makeup Department
Max Factor	....	color harmony makeup ensembles

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edmond F. Bernoudy	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Richard Day	....	designer in color
Henri Jaffa	....	associate color art director: Technicolor (as Henri C. Jaffa)
Natalie Kalmus	....	color art director: Technicolor

Sound Department
Frank Maher	....	sound recorder

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Coburn	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Ira Gershwin	....	lyricist
Paul Neal	....	music recorder
Alfred Newman	....	musical director
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Alfred Newman	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
David Raksin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
George Balanchine	....	ballet conceiver and stager
Samuel Goldwyn	....	presenter
Ray Rennahan	....	photographic advisor: Technicolor
Nicholas Kopeikine	....	assistant: George Balanchine (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Distributors

• United Artists (1938) (USA) (theatrical) (released through)
• Film Classics (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (19??) (USA) (DVD)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Television (????) (USA) (TV)

Other Companies

• Max Factor  makeup supplier (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:115 min (TCM print) | 122 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #3926) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

This was the last film for George Gershwin, who died before filming had begun. He and his brother Ira Gershwin had been hired to write the songs, which were not yet completed. Composer Vernon Duke took his place and co-wrote "Spring Again" with Ira, as well as the music for "Romeo and Juliet Ballet" and "Water Nymph Ballet." In his autobiography, Duke also claims to have worked on the hit song "Love Is Here to Stay."

Quotes:

Oliver Merlin:I'm a producer of movies. I get my wagonloads of poets and dramatists, but I can't buy common sense - I cannot buy humanity!
Hazel Dawes:Well, I don't know why, Mr. Merlin. There's an awful lot of it.
Oliver Merlin:Yes, I know, but the moment I buy it, it turns into something else, usually genius, and it isn't worth a dime. Now, if you could stay just as simple as your are, you'd be invaluable to me. I'll put you on my staff. I'll give you a title, "Miss Humanity". Don't rush, you can finish your ice cream soda.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fantasia (1940)

Soundtrack:

Love Walked In

Gershwin, Vera Zorina... what's not to like about this film?

A sweet romance, good character actors, vivid Technicolor, a little behind-the-scenes work at a major studio, and great songs make this a pleasant way to spend two hours. It's also interesting historically because it marks the transition between the end (for only a few decades, thankfully) of tap and the beginning of ballet in film musicals.