Guys and Dolls (1955)

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.

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

Jo Swerling (book), Abe Burrows (book),

Stars:

Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

All the hot gamblers are in town, and they're all depending on Nathan Detroit to set up this week's incarnation of "The Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York"; the only problem is, he needs $1000 to get the place. Throw in Sarah Brown, who's short on sinners at the mission she runs; Sky Masterson, who accepts Nathan's $1000 bet that he can't get Sarah Brown to go with him to Havana; Miss Adelaide, who wants Nathan to marry her; Police Lieutenant Brannigan, who always seems to appear at the wrong time; and the music/lyrics of Frank Loesser, and you've got quite a musical. Includes the songs: Fugue for Tinhorns, "Luck Be a Lady", "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat".

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Plot Keywords:

craps | bet | gambler | police | missionary | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 1956 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Eles e Elas

Filming Locations:

The Lot - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, West Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min 152 min (with overture and exit music)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "blank dice" gag is a reference to an old gambler's trick in which the sides of a pair of dice are altered so that only odd numbers come up on each die when you make a roll, so that both dice make an even number.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Nathan Detroit: If a guy did not have a doll, who would holler on him?

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Connections

Referenced in Boston Legal: Guise 'n Dolls (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Fugue for Tinhorns"
(1950) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Sung by Stubby Kaye, Johnny Silver, and Danny Dayton

User Reviews

flawed classic

As much as I like this film I can still see the missed opportunities. It does work, Brando has a certain charm as Sky Masterson but be honest, he cant really do justice to the multitude of classic songs he has got. This is where the dilemma lies. Sinatra is a fantastic Nathan Detroit, but he doesnt get many songs. Sinatra could easily play both roles but Brando would not make a good Detroit. However getting these to together in a film as well as the unlikely opportunity of getting Brando singing and dancing in a musical (!!!) is its saving grace. Any other actor and it may have seemed as bizarre as it really was. However its carried off with style. Its lunacy is its backbone, heres an established "serious" actor crooning and dancing, while the serious singer acts more than he sings. Its not often you see Sinatra taking a back seat; albeit reluctantly! A great film for what it is, but if it had been given to a musical director I think it would have been in a completely different league.