Red, Hot and Blue (1949)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

John Farrow

Writers:

Charles Lederer (story)
Hagar Wilde (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

5 September 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

We've widened the aisles so you can roll in 'em ... at the Years's LAFFIEST, DAFFIEST FUN-SHOW!

Plot:

An aspiring actress finds herself in a jam when a gangster, who is backing the show she is in, is found dead in her apartment.

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Killing | Gangster | Publicity | Trouble

Cast

Betty Hutton	...	Eleanor Collier aka Yum-Yum
Victor Mature	...	Danny James
William Demarest	...	Charlie Baxter, Press Agent
June Havoc	...	Sandra
Jane Nigh	...	Angelica Roseanne aka No-No
Frank Loesser	...	Hair-do Lempke
William Talman	...	Bunny Harris
Art Smith	...	Laddie Corwin
Raymond Walburn	...	Alex Ryan Creek
Onslow Stevens	...	Captain Allen
Barry Kelley	...	Lieutenant Gorman
Jack Kruschen	...	Steve
Joseph Vitale	...	Carr
Percy Helton	...	Mr. Perkins, Stage manager
Ernö Verebes	...	Waiter
Philip Van Zandt	...	Louie, Head waiter
Henry Guttman	...	Frankie
Don Shelton	...	Hamlet
Herschel Daugherty	...	Laertes
Dorothy Abbott	...	The Queen
Julia Faye	...	The Housekeeper
John Marchak	...	Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julie Adams	...	Starlet (uncredited)
Frank Alten	...	Karl Müller (uncredited)
Roscoe J. Behan	...	Perrina Club Bartender / Customer / Detective (uncredited)
Phil Boutelje	...	Crosland (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Waiter (uncredited)
James Burke	...	Joe, Doorman (uncredited)
Bill Burt	...	Gunman (as Billy Burt) (uncredited)
Bruce Carruthers	...	Newsman (uncredited)
Douglas Carter	...	Piano tuner (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
James Cornell	...	Waiter / Theater group member (uncredited)
Fairy Cunningham	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Billy Daniel	...	Dancer (uncredited)
James Davies	...	Theater group member (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Drugstore Manager / Workman (uncredited)
Jimmie Dundee	...	Charlie, Gangster (uncredited)
Roy Engel	...	Extra at Perrin's (uncredited)
Billy Engle	...	Piano tuner (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Al Ferguson	...	Piano tuner (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Woman in Nightclub (uncredited)
Maxine Gates	...	Waitress (uncredited)
Joseph J. Greene	...	Producer (uncredited)
William Hall	...	Kowalski (uncredited)
Fred Haney	...	Baseball Announcer (uncredited)
Len Hendry	...	Cigar Clerk (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Don House	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Arlene Jenkins	...	Newspaper woman (uncredited)
Geraldine Jordan	...	Customer (uncredited)
Lorna Jordon	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Russ Kaplan	...	Gangster (uncredited)
Virginia Keiley	...	Miss Loring (uncredited)
Robert Kellard	...	Police switchboard operator (uncredited)
Paul Lees	...	Theater group member playing Ogilvy (uncredited)
Edith Leslie	...	Mrs. Creek (uncredited)
Rita Lupino	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Noel Neill	...	Theater group member (uncredited)
Jacqueline Park	...	Reporter / Drug Store Hostess / Showgirl (uncredited)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Piano tuner (uncredited)
Steve Pendleton	...	Detective (uncredited)
Pepito Pérez	...	Waiter at Perrin's (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Cop (uncredited)
Joey Ray	...	Theater group member (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgeway	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Cyril Ring	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Harry Rosenthal	...	Piano Player (uncredited)
Tim Ryan	...	Brad Williams, the Stranger (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
John Sheehan	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Douglas Spencer	...	Theater group member (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Diane Stewart	...	Customer / Cigar Clerk (uncredited)
Tommy Summers	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Harry Templeton	...	Newsman (uncredited)
Marie Thomas	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Harland Tucker	...	Saunders (uncredited)
Bobby Watson	...	Barney Stratum (uncredited)
Joe Whitehead	...	Building Manager (uncredited)

Directed by
John Farrow

Writing credits
Charles Lederer		(story)
Hagar Wilde		(screenplay) and
John Farrow		(screenplay)

Produced by
Robert Fellows	....	producer

Cinematography by
Daniel L. Fapp

Film Editing by
Eda Warren

Art Direction by
Franz Bachelin
Hans Dreier

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ross Dowd

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Charles Boerner	....	makeup artist
Hedy Mjorud	....	hair stylist (as Hedvig Mjorud)
Gertrude Reade	....	hair stylist
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
William Woods	....	makeup artist (as Bill Wood)

Production Management
Charles Woolstenhulme	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herbert Coleman	....	assistant director (as William H. Coleman)

Sound Department
Gene Garvin	....	sound
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Haskell B. Boggs	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Jack Koffman	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Irving Newmeyer	....	grip (uncredited)
Roy Roberts	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Music Department
Joseph J. Lilley	....	musical director
Troy Sanders	....	associate orchestrator
Van Cleave	....	orchestrator
Joseph J. Lilley	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Frank Skinner	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)

Other crew
Billy Daniel	....	choreographer (as Billy Daniels)
Charles Morton	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Restless Angel (USA) (working title)
The Broadway Story (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Soundtrack:

I WAKE UP

For Betty Hutton fans mainly/only

There's not much to this film other than star Betty Hutton herself. The production values are minimal, the storyline (about a small theatre company trying to hit the big time) is simultaneously convoluted and unengaging. And your guess is as good as mine as to what the title has to do with anything (taken from a relatively successful Cole Porter stage production, there is *nothing* here by Cole Porter).

But, if you like Betty Hutton, you'll probably enjoy the film. It isn't as key a film in her career as "Annie Get Your Gun," "The Perils of Pauline," or "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek," but it certainly gives her plenty of room to showcase her manic comic ability and her own (shall we say) unique way of putting over a number. You just haven't experienced Betty Hutton until you've seen her perform a four-minute musical encapsulation of "Hamlet." Fasten your seat belts and hold onto the arm rests, because she is dialed up to eleven throughout the piece. Everytime you think she can't get anymore over the top, she manages to push even farther! This number alone makes the entire film worthy of some interest.