Marty (1955)

A middle-aged butcher and a school teacher who have given up on the idea of love meet at a dance and fall for each other.

Director:

Delbert Mann

Writers:

Paddy Chayefsky (story), Paddy Chayefsky (screenplay)

Stars:

Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti

Won 4 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

Stuck as the last of six children at home with an overbearing Italian mother, the only child still unmarried, 34 year old socially awkward Bronx butcher Marty faces middle age with no prospects of marriage, and he faces permanent bachelorhood. But when he is goaded by his mother into going to the Stardust Ballroom one Saturday night, Marty unexpectedly meets Clara, a lonely teacher. Suddenly, Marty's future seems bright.

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Plot Keywords:

dance hall | love | butcher | teacher | overbearing mother | 

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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:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 1955 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Marty

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 94 min (alternate)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film historians have credited this film with demonstrating the viability of low budget, independently-produced films in the United States and with the proliferation of such films. Studio executives were well aware that low budget, independent, and realistic films had been successful in Europe for many years, but most studios were skeptical that such successes would occur in the United States. Marty's profitable returns and critical acclaim demonstrated that low budget productions with lesser-known casts could be remunerative in the United States and could compete with European art-house productions on an artistic level. The film cemented United Artists' reputation as a haven for daring, independent producers, and inspired rival studios such as MGM and 20th Century Fox to delve into a similar brand of film-making with some of their productions.

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Goofs

In the opening scene in the butcher shop, Marty is shown facing the camera and using a knife to cut between the bones of a roast (to make chops). He does not finish cutting all of the chops, but sets his knife down on the ledge of the counter to his right (our left). In the next shot, from the reverse angle (that is, with Marty's back to the camera), Marty again has the knife in his hand, and is cutting through the remainder of the roast. After he has finished cutting, he takes up a meat cleaver to complete the task of making chops.

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Quotes

Marty Pilletti: Listen Angie, I been looking for a girl every Saturday night of my life. I'm 34 years old. I'm just tired of looking, that's all. I like to find a girl. Everybody's always telling me get married, get married, get married. Don't you think I wanna get married? I wanna get married. Everybody drives me crazy.

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Alternate Versions

When Marty drops off Clara at her home after their evening out, there is an additional 5-minute sequence where she visits her parents in their bedroom and discusses her date with Marty (included in the CBS FOX VHS and the 2014 Kino Lorber releases, but deleted from the MGM Vintage Classics VHS and DVD).

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Connections

Featured in The O'Reilly Factor: Episode dated 18 January 2008 (2008)

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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

A Dog's Life

Ernest Borgnine is terrific as "Marty". A self-admitted "fat, ugly" thirty-something man who lives with his mother. The film is lovely in that it stars an admittedly unattractive person, and deals with his feelings of loneliness and insecurity. Mr. Borgnine doesn't just stumble into this performance; he is given the part of his lifetime, and gives it everything he's got, creating a marvelous simple, but complicated, character.

Now, I agree this is an excellent film, and I know, for the time, being single and middle-aged must have been devastating - but there is a very distracting flaw in this movie - Betsy Blair is no "dog" of a woman. I don't think, during any time, men would think of her as ugly. Ms. Blair is just not homely, and it does detract from an otherwise excellent script. Blair also has a job/profession; I would consider her a prime "catch" for most of the men in this movie. Blair does her best, though... you'll just have to imagine her as someone you'd have to give a man $5.00 to take home.

******** Marty (4/11/55) Delbert Mann ~ Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti