The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)

Strung-out junkie deals with daily demoralizing drug addiction while crippled wife and card sharks continue to pull him down.

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Walter Newman (screenplay), Lewis Meltzer (screenplay),

Stars:

Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak

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

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Frank Sinatra	...	Frankie Machine
Eleanor Parker	...	Zosch Machine
Kim Novak	...	Molly
Arnold Stang	...	Sparrow
Darren McGavin	...	Louie
Robert Strauss	...	Schwiefka
John Conte	...	Drunky
Doro Merande	...	Vi
George E. Stone	...	Sam Markette
George Mathews	...	Williams
Leonid Kinskey	...	Dominiwski
Emile Meyer	...	Detective Bednar

Storyline

Frankie Machine is a skilled card dealer and one-time heroin addict. When he returns home from jail, he struggles to find a new livelihood and to avoid slipping back into addiction.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | card dealer | heroin | drug addiction | drug dealer | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 1956 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Der Mann mit dem goldenen Arm

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Otto Preminger Films, Carlyle Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frank Sinatra is mentioned twice in Nelson Algren's 1949 novel on which the film is based.

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Goofs

At the start of the the scene where Frankie is forced to return to card-dealing, the boom mic can be seen near the light fixture.

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Quotes

Frankie Machine: I'll do anything for ya, Molly, but right now, you gotta help me. I need a shot...
Molly: You mustn't take that dirty stuff no more...

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Connections

Referenced in White Irish Drinkers (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Jazz sequences"
Played by Shorty Rogers and His Giants with Shelly Manne

User Reviews

A film about moving on.

I loved that this movie takes place on an imaginary block of an imaginary city. You could say the streets represents a state of mind just like the title of

Chinatown did two decades later. Here degeneracy and addiction are the

norm. This place sucks you in and wont let go. It's here that Sinatra must face his demons when he returns home after getting clean at a rehab clinic. The film ends up being just as much about moving on from the past as it does about drug addiction.

Sinatra's junky is a bit amorphous, we never really learn whether he grew up here or what led him to his addictions. However, the story is strong and told with a nice brisk pace. There are some real memorable moments (the Gambling

sequence, Frankie coming off smack, etc). Preminger's direction is great, some subtle camera work adds a lot to a number of scenes. Elmer Berstein's score

and Saul Bass' titles perfectly set the mood. Overall, an endearing film you should check out.