Marty (1955)

Two lonely people have almost resigned themselves to never being truly loved.

Director:

Delbert Mann

Writer:

Paddy Chayefsky (story)

Stars:

Esther Minciotti, Augusta Ciolli, Betsy Blair

Won 4 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Esther Minciotti	...	Mrs. Piletti
Augusta Ciolli	...	Aunt Catherine
Joe Mantell	...	Angie
Karen Steele	...	Virginia
Jerry Paris	...	Tommy
Betsy Blair	...	Clara
Ernest Borgnine	...	Marty Piletti

Storyline

Marty is a 34-year-old butcher whose Italian family is constantly after him to get married. He meets plain-looking schoolteacher Clara. They are both lonely, unglamorous people who have resigned themselves to their unloved lives. But they manage, in time, to grope their way to love.

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Plot Keywords:

butcher | teacher | love | marriage | ed sullivan | 

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Taglines:

A wonderful guy . . . once you've met him, you'll never forget him!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 1955 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Marty - Vita di un timido

Filming Locations:

The Grand Councourse, The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$343,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hecht-Lancaster Productions, Steven Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 94 min (alternate)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Approved by Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Certificate No. 17297.

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Goofs

The opening scene shows men in a bar in the middle of the afternoon. One patron says that the Yankees won both games of a double header that day. However, even in the 1950s games took about 2.5 hours to play so it is unlikely that a double header would have been finished by mid-afternoon when the scene is set.

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Quotes

Angie: What do you wanna do tonight?
Marty Pilletti: I dunno, Angie. What do you wanna do?

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Connections

Features The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)

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Soundtracks

"Marty"
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Paddy Chayefsky (uncredited)
Played during the opening credits and throughout the picture
Sung by male voices during the closing cast credits

User Reviews

Out on its own .................

I have known, loved and seen this film many times in the past fifteen years and finally bought it recently on DVD in the UK. The story is timeless and I am very surprised that no-one has yet attempted a plausible re-make of it. Stangely made in black and white ( for economic reasons I suppose, as color was widespread enough in 1954 ), the film depicts the horrors of trying to find a soul-mate with family pressures on hand to boot. No doubt italo-Americans will appreciate even more. I found Betsy Blair extremely attractive although she is supposed to be portraying someone "ugly" - the subject is fascinating and endlessly complex as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The general impression given was one of a depiction of a real-life situation, which is of course to the credit of the film !! I remained hungry at the end and would have liked the film to continue just a little more to show the genesis of their amorous relationship !! But some would argue that at the end of a film you should be left wanting for more .......... I also loved the theme music which is actually sung at the end over the credits where they show the name of the actor plus a view of the actor from the film - this is a technique used all too little nowadays - and this absence is most regrettable as it enabled you to put a face to a name !! I was both surprised and amused that in the 1950's, ugly people were referred to as "dogs" - sounds so funny now - but I think the word "squares" or "cornballs" was also used disparagingly !! Definitely a most original film and which (exceptionally) seems to have attracted a unanimity of positive reviews on IMDb !!