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 songs "A Woman in Love", "Pet Me Poppa" and "Adelaide" were written for the screen version and were not in the original Broadway show. On Broadway, Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) doesn't sing in the title song. That was added for the film to increase Sinatra's singing part.

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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

Big Jule: Well, I used to be bad when I was a kid, but ever since then I've gone straight, as has been proved by my record: Thirty-three arrests and no convictions!

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Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #8.105 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"A Woman in Love"
(1950) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Played during the opening credits and sung by an offscreen chorus
Reprised in Spanish by an unidentified man in Havana
Played by the band in the Havana restaurant
Sung by Renee Renor in the Havana restaurant
Danced by patrons of the restaurant, including Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons
Sung by Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons back in New York
Played as background music at the wedding

User Reviews

The Best Parts Still Shine

It almost seems like they went out of their way to muck up this film as best they could. First they dropped several great songs from the original score ("Bushel And A Peck", "I've Never Been In Love Before", "More I Cannot Wish You", "Marry The Man Today") and replaced them with songs that are distinctly inferior. Then they badly miscast Marlon Brando in the lead (his one great moment in the film is when he delivers the line, "Dad, I've got cider in my ear!") and tampered with the ending, in effect eliminating the final punchline of the show.

But what makes "Guys And Dolls" ultimately different from other Broadways shows mucked up by the movies is that the parts that are great elevate the film so much that you can be charitable for the mistakes made. Jean Simmons' lack of vocal training hurts "I'll Know" but she redeems herself wonderfully on "If I Were A Bell" and gives a great performance overall as Sister Sarah Brown. And thank goodness Stubby Kaye's memorable "Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat" was transferred intact. Great sets and other supporting characters also help too.