The Helen Morgan Story (1957)

Torch singer Helen Morgan rises from sordid beginnings to fame and fortune only to lose it all to alcohol and poor personal choices.

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Oscar Saul (original screenplay), Dean Riesner (original screenplay)

Stars:

Ann Blyth, Paul Newman, Richard Carlson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ann Blyth	...	Helen Morgan
Paul Newman	...	Larry Maddux
Richard Carlson	...	Russell Wade
Gene Evans	...	Whitey Krause
Alan King	...	Benny Weaver
Cara Williams	...	Dolly Evans
Virginia Vincent	...	Sue
Walter Woolf King	...	Florenz Ziegfeld
Dorothy Green	...	Mrs. Wade
Edward Platt	...	Johnny Haggerty
Warren Douglas	...	Mark Hellinger
Sammy White	...	Sammy White
The De Castro Sisters	...	Singers
Jimmy McHugh	...	Jimmy McHugh
Rudy Vallee	...	Rudy Vallee

Storyline

The 1920's and 30's career of singer Helen Morgan is followed from her early days singing outdoors in a carnival, through her speak-easy and chorus-girl days, to her stardom on Broadway in Ziegfeld's "Show Boat". Her involvement with Larry Maddux, a gin-runner and con-man, and Russell Wade, a prominent, married New York lawyer, and her decline thanks to these failed romances and alcohol are punctuated by performances of many of the songs she made famous.

---

Plot Keywords:

manipulative female | possessive female | character name as title | helen morgan character | four word title | 

---

Taglines:

HELEN MORGAN - her songs...her sins. They called her the Goddess of the Jazz Age...He was the twisted brutish Larry, with the roar of the '20s in his shoulder holsters...

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

LeRoy Prinz, who choreographed the musical numbers in this film, also choreographed the dances in the 1936 film version of "Show Boat", which featured the real Helen Morgan, along with Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, and Paul Robeson.

---

Goofs

When Larry robs the liquor warehouse, he pulls out a crate at the top of a stack. The crate directly beneath it partially pulls out under it, too, and it tilts down slightly. If the case was filled with full liquor bottles, as it supposedly would have been, it would have been too heavy to have moved in this way.

---

Quotes

Larry Maddux: Do yourself a favor. Hire the kid.
Whitey Krause: I hope your hooch is better than your suggestion, Larry. What's the canary to you.
Larry Maddux: Nuthin'. I'm just a music lover. Besides, I don't go for that sad stuff she sings.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Carol Burnett Show: TV Commercials/Friends/Lucky Lady/The Old Folks (1974)

---

Soundtracks

April in Paris
(uncredited)
Music by Vernon Duke
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Performed by Ann Blyth (dubbed by Gogi Grant) at Les Ambassadeurs

User Reviews

Soap opera masquerading as truth

Mostly fictional, miscast biographical hogwash of hard luck songtress Morgan. Ann Blyth, in her last theatrical feature, was the wrong actress for the title role, many were considered she was probably the least suitable, so the film starts off with a major flaw from the get go. Judy Garland whose style especially when young was compared to Morgan's would have been ideal. Another shortcoming is that although Blyth was a singer whose voice was relatively close to the real Helen Morgan's she is dubbed by Gogi Grant, also a fine singer but completely different from Morgan in sound and technique. If they were going to dub her why not use Helen Morgan's voice? Curtiz direction is unremarkable here, a few of his more customary florid touches would have helped greatly. Paul Newman who was just starting out when this was made is adequate but missing that loutish air that is needed for the reptile he is playing either Kirk Douglas or Robert Ryan would have been more suitable. The real Morgan story is a compelling one so this comes off as a wasted opportunity.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Jazz Age

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1