Anything Goes (1956)

Director:

Robert Lewis

Writers:

Guy Bolton (play) &
P.G. Wodehouse (play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

April 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Plot:

Bill Benson and Ted Adams are to appear in a Broadway show together and, while in Paris, each 'discovers'...

Plot Keywords:

Show | Based On Play

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Bill Benson
Donald O'Connor	...	Ted Adams
Zizi Jeanmaire	...	Gaby Duval (as Jeanmaire)
Mitzi Gaynor	...	Patsy Blair
Phil Harris	...	Steve Blair
Kurt Kasznar	...	Victor Lawrence
Richard Erdman	...	Ed Brent
Walter Sande	...	Alex Todd
Archer MacDonald	...	Otto
Argentina Brunetti	...	Suzanne
Alma Macrorie	...	French Baroness
Dorothy Neumann	...	German Woman
James Griffith	...	Paul Holiday
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Linda Bennett	...	Ann (uncredited)
John Benson	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Ship's Passenger (uncredited)
Albert Carrier	...	Assistant Purser (uncredited)
Robert Carson	...	Backstage Party Guest (uncredited)
Lesley-Marie Colburn	...	Little Girl (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Ship's Passenger (uncredited)
Marcel Dalio	...	Ship's Captain (uncredited)
Jann Darlyn	...	Girl (uncredited)
Jean Del Val	...	French Luggage Man (uncredited)
John Erman	...	Boy (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Ship's Passenger (uncredited)
Emily Heath	...	Young American Girl (uncredited)
Tom Hernández	...	Frenchman (uncredited)
Craig Hill	...	Danny (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Parisian Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Ship's Passenger (uncredited)
Lucille Knox	...	Party Girl (uncredited)
Nancy Kulp	...	Autograph Seeker (uncredited)
Ruta Lee	...	Girl (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Edward Manouk	...	French Sailor (uncredited)
Thomas Martin	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Philo McCullough	...	Audience Spectator (uncredited)
Virginia McDowall	...	English Usherette (uncredited)
Don Megowan	...	Henri (uncredited)
Torben Meyer	...	French Waiter (uncredited)
Buzz Miller	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Ship's Passenger (uncredited)
Alberto Morin	...	Captain of Waiters (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Audience Spectator (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Doris Packer	...	English Woman in Audience (uncredited)
Howard Parker	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Jack Pepper	...	Man (uncredited)
Tracey Roberts	...	Blanche (uncredited)
Tony Russel	...	French Sailor (uncredited)
Autumn Russell	...	Party Girl (uncredited)
Paul Wexler	...	Autograph Seeker (uncredited)
Marc Wilder	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Lewis

Writing credits
Guy Bolton		(play) &
P.G. Wodehouse		(play)
Sidney Sheldon

Produced by
Robert Emmett Dolan	....	producer

Original Music by
Van Cleave		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
John F. Warren		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Frank Bracht

Art Direction by
J. McMillan Johnson		(as Joseph MacMillan Johnson)
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Grace Gregory

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John R. Coonan	....	assistant director (as John Coonan)

Sound Department
Gene Garvin	....	sound recordist
Gene Merritt	....	sound recordist
Bill Wistrom	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tom Keogh	....	costume designer: ballet

Music Department
Nick Castle	....	stager: musical numbers
Joseph J. Lilley	....	conductor
Joseph J. Lilley	....	music arranger
Van Cleave	....	special orchestral arranger

Other crew
Ernie Flatt	....	stager: "Anything Goes"
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant
Roland Petit	....	stager: Jeanmaire ballet and "I Get a Kick of You"

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1966) (USA) (TV) (original airing)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Anything Goes opened at the Alvin Street Theater on November 21, 1934 with Ethel Merman and ran for 420 performances.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the "Ya Gotta Give The People Hoke" number Bing Crosby and Donald O'Connor go into a prop room, pick up a prop, go on stage, do a "bit" and go back to the prop room. About midway through, Bing comes out on stage wearing a Fireman's hat. There is a pile of brownish debris and several piles of white material that were not there a second before, indicating that one or more "bits" had been cut after filming.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Year of the Dog (2007/I)

Soundtrack:

You're The Top

Good middle-of-the-road entertainment

I haven't met a musical that I couldn't find something to like about it, so although the story is somewhat bland one can still enjoy the good highlights. It's wonderful to see these stars in their prime -- Bing, Mitzi, Donald, Jeanmaire, and Phil Harris as the father figure.

The dance routines of "You're the Top" and "It's Delightful" are great musical show stoppers. Basically Bing and Donald play the part of two showmen who unknowingly sign two different dancers, Mitzi and Jean, to be the star in their musical. Obviously they have some sorting out to do on this matter while all are sailing back to America.

In my later years I'm learning to appreciate Bing's movies more than when I was young. All in all this is pleasant entertainment that leaves you with a good feeling.