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

Delbert Mann had no idea who to cast in the lead role, so asked his friend Robert Aldrich. Aldrich immediately suggested Ernest Borgnine. Mann was skeptical, as Borgnine was only known for playing heavies, but Aldrich convinced him. Borgnine regularly says that he owes his career to Robert Aldrich.

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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

Aunt Catherine: College girls are one step from the street, I tell you. My son Joseph wife, she type on the typewriter - one step from the street!

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Connections

Referenced in Quiz Show (1994)

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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

Great, Touching and Timeless

I love movies of the 1950's and this is a prime example of the quality today's movies seem to lack.

Being Italian myself I can relate to Marty's situation. Marty's mother and aunt are aging widows and Italian families are extremely close. Sadly, Marty's mother any aunt are feeling old and useless and in many ways try to sabotage their son's happiness. This is sad but true speaking as a bachelor myself. At one point your mother asks you, when are you ever going to get married and when they are older they want to live with you because they too are lonely.

I found myself deeply moved by the decency of Marty and the young teacher he meets at a singles dance. These are truly special people that life has passed by, but not for long. They discover each other and Marty calls the girl in spite of the reservations of his mother and friends.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Marty and his young lady are the truly beautiful people in this poignant love story.

I would rate this movie 50 stars if I could.

Wonderful, funny at times and unforgettable.

A must see and a must have in any movie collection.