Coney Island (1943)

Set at the turn of the century, smooth talking con man Eddie Johnson weasels his way into a job at friend and rival Joe Rocco's Coney Island night spot. Eddie meets the club's star ... See full summary »

Director:

Walter Lang

Writer:

George Seaton (original screen play by)

Stars:

Betty Grable, George Montgomery, Cesar Romero

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Betty Grable	...	Kate Farley
George Montgomery	...	Eddie Johnson
Cesar Romero	...	Joe Rocco
Charles Winninger	...	Finnigan
Phil Silvers	...	Frankie
Matt Briggs	...	William 'Willie' Hammerstein
Paul Hurst	...	Louie
Leo Diamond	...	Solidaires Leader (as Leo Diamond and His Solidaires)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hal K. Dawson	...	Cashier (scenes deleted)
Bert Hanlon	...	Saloon Patron (scenes deleted)
Sam Harris	...	Saloon Patron (scenes deleted)
Bud Jamison	...	Bartender (scenes deleted)
George Lloyd	...	Saloon Patron (scenes deleted)
Matt McHugh	...	Saloon Patron (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Set at the turn of the century, smooth talking con man Eddie Johnson weasels his way into a job at friend and rival Joe Rocco's Coney Island night spot. Eddie meets the club's star attraction (and Joe's love interest), Kate Farley, a brash singer with a penchant for flashy clothes. Eddie and Kate argue as he tries to soften her image. Eventually, Kate becomes the toast of Coney Island and the two fall in love. Joe then tries to sabotage their marriage plans.

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Plot Keywords:

rival | singer | music hall | amusement park | dance | 

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Taglines:

RAGTIME RHYTHMS! TOPS IN ENTERTAINMENT! (print ad - Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Tech Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - September 22, 1944 - all caps)

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the time they made this film together, both Betty Grable and George Montgomery were on the ascendant and both under contract to 20th Century-Fox. Within a year, Grable rose to the #1 position on the Top Ten Box Office Stars list, while Montgomery would eventually catch on as a leading man, but in Westerns rather than musicals. Both would enjoy successful careers for decades to come.

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Goofs

When one in NYC refers to "Brooklyn" especially in the late 19th century, they are referring to downtown Brooklyn, just off the Brooklyn Bridge. In New York City, the boroughs are made of small towns, so when they talk of where a New Yorker is from, they say "Flushing" or Brighton Beach" etc. So the character referring to Brooklyn as implying being far, it is a typical New Yorker way, and the area they speak of is about 10 miles, pretty far for horse and buggy or steam train.

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Quotes

Joe Rocco: [after his wedding proposal has been rejected] Honey, there's no figuring these things - You look at a guy and you either get heartburn, or you don't!

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Connections

Featured in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

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Soundtracks

Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey (I Never Knew Any Girl Like You)
Music by Albert von Tilzer
Lyrics by Junie McCree
Performed by Betty Grable

User Reviews

"Cuddle Up A Little Closer, Lovey Mine"

Color films were at a premium during the war years, but when one of the reigning sex symbols of the era was starring in a film, the technicolor cameras were rolling. In Coney Island, the better to catch Betty Grable's blond All Americans looks and those gorgeous legs of her's, on prominent display as a turn of the last century entertainer working in a club in Coney Island.

A few years earlier the roles played by George Montgomery and Cesar Romero would have gone to Tyrone Power and Don Ameche. But both these guys would never have been second billed to Betty Grable now and this film is strictly her show.

Romero is a club owner in Coney Island where former partner and rival George Montgomery tries to chisel in. But one look at Grable who Romero considered his and they become rivals in love as well as business.

Montgomery totally had Ty Power's hero/heel character right down to perfection. It's so obvious that his part was originally written for Power. 1943 was the year Power went in the Marines so I really think it likely.

Brooklyn had two landmarks of note that the world knew about. One was Ebbets Field where the Dodgers played and the other was that entertainment mecca, Coney Island. The Dodgers are gone and Coney Island looks a bit frayed around the edges, but you can still see some traces of the glamor of the period that Betty and the cast are portraying. At least Nathan's Hotdogs is still operating though they wouldn't come into being until long after the era that this film is set in was over.

Coney Island had some original songs written by the former Paramount team of Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger, but the interpolated period songs gave Betty Grable her best vocal opportunities. Her rendition of Cuddle Up A Little Closer is a classic and the song after almost 40 years enjoyed a bit of a revival then. Betty didn't join in it though because Darryl Zanuck banned his stars from commercial recordings. Scoring the whole business was done by Alfred Newman who received an Academy Award nomination for his work. He actually won an Oscar that year, but for scoring the dramatic picture, The Song Of Bernadette.

The plot is thin, but the players put it over and Coney Island is one of Betty Grable's best films from the height of her career.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Coney Island

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,620,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1