Pittsburgh (1942)

Charles 'Pittsburgh' Markham rides roughshod over his friends, his lovers, and his ideals in his trek toward financial success in the Pittsburgh steel industry, only to find himself ... See full summary »

Director:

Lewis Seiler

Writers:

Kenneth Gamet (screenplay), Tom Reed (screenplay)

Stars:

Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, Randolph Scott

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marlene Dietrich	...	Josie Winters
Randolph Scott	...	Cash Evans
John Wayne	...	Pittsburgh Markham
Frank Craven	...	'Doc' Powers
Louise Allbritton	...	Shannon Prentiss
Shemp Howard	...	Shorty
Thomas Gomez	...	Joe Malneck
Ludwig Stössel	...	Dr. Grazlich
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Morgan Prentiss
Paul Fix	...	Mine Operator
William Haade	...	Johnny
Charles Coleman	...	Butler
Nestor Paiva	...	Barney

Storyline

Charles 'Pittsburgh' Markham rides roughshod over his friends, his lovers, and his ideals in his trek toward financial success in the Pittsburgh steel industry, only to find himself deserted and lonely at the top. When his crash comes, he finds that fate has dealt him a second chance.

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Plot Keywords:

coal mining | coal miner | boxing match | pittsburgh pennsylvania | 

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Taglines:

Life Was a Merry-Go-Round to This Honkie, But She Knew the Man She Wanted (Print Ad-Philadelphia Inquirer, ((Philadelphia, Penna.)) 9 May 1943)

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on April 12, 1943 with Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne and Randolph Scott reprising their film roles.

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Goofs

The policeman seen at the mine gate looks distinctly British going by his uniform and particularly his helmet as do the other policemen nearby.

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Connections

Referenced in Svengoolie: The Invisible Woman (2012)

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Soundtracks

Light Cavalry Overture
Written by Franz von Suppé
Heard during the cinema sequence

User Reviews

Love Triangle: Dietrich, Wayne, Scott

My DVD is part of the Marlene Dietrich collection and this film is set against the backdrop of the coal and coking industry, the typical American story about starting with nothing and ending a tycoon.

But, of course, for business partners John Wayne - who bulldozes his way through and over anybody and everything and Randolph Scott, who is socially conscience the way to the top is interspersed with the, as always, beguiling Marlene Dietrich.

The production values are good, directed by Lewis Sellar and there's some smart dialogue - 'he's so crooked, he could hide behind a corkscrew' and to Dietrich 'a Christmas tree is dead until it's all lit up' but the story fairly rattles along that each piece and chapter are dealt as briefly and bluntly as Wayne's character (he's called Pittsburgh, or 'Pitt', as well as the story set in the city of the same name) and it's frankly hard to keep up.

This bamboozles any prospective romances to blossom and there's an awful lot of technical talk about unflattering by-products from coal - slag, sulphur, clinker - making this a movie that's not for those looking for a lot of Dietrich or romance. She is good, when she is seen, but Pittsburgh is more a sparring duet between Randolph Scott and John Wayne.

So 6/10; not a bad film but not a particularly good one, either.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 December 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pittsburgh

Filming Locations:

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charles K. Feldman Group, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1