Porgy and Bess (1959)

A woman whose past is scorned by nearly everyone around her meets a man who'd love her regardlessly- if only everyone else would allow them to.

Directors:

Otto Preminger, Rouben Mamoulian (uncredited)

Writers:

Dorothy Heyward (play), DuBose Heyward (libretto)

Stars:

Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr.

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sidney Poitier	...	Porgy
Dorothy Dandridge	...	Bess
Sammy Davis Jr.	...	Sportin' Life
Pearl Bailey	...	Maria
Brock Peters	...	Crown
Leslie Scott	...	Jake
Diahann Carroll	...	Clara
Ruth Attaway	...	Serena Robbins
Claude Akins	...	Detective
Clarence Muse	...	Peter
Everdinne Wilson	...	Annie
Joel Fluellen	...	Robbins
Earl Jackson	...	Mingo
Moses LaMarr	...	Nelson
Margaret Hairston	...	Lily

Storyline

In this legendary Gershwin opera set among the black residents of a fishing village in 1912 South Carolina, Bess - a woman with a disreputable history - tries to break free from her brutish lover Crown after he becomes wanted for murder. The only person willing to overlook her past and offer her shelter is the crippled Porgy. Their relationship is threatened by the disapproval of the townspeople, the presence of her old drug supplier Sportin' Life - and the threatened return of Crown.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | f rated | murder | south carolina | drugs | 

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Taglines:

Introducing a new era in motion pictures!

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1959 (France)

Also Known As:

Porgy y Bess

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$3,500,000, 31 December 1959

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two days before filming was slated to begin, a fire broke out and destroyed most of the costumes, props, and sketches.

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Quotes

[Robbins throws the dice and sees that dice is nine]
Robbins: Read 'em, nine spot! Nine right!
Sportin' Life: He made it!
[Robbins grabs the money and Crown seizes his hands]
Crown: Touch that money and meet your god.
[grabs his wrists]
Robbins: Take your hands off me, you lousy hound!
Crown: Nobody's getting away with Crown's money.
[Crown began to fighting and strangling Robbins]

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Alternate Versions

Although this film has never been officially released on any home media format, numerous bootleg copies, running 115 minutes, are available on VHS and DVD-R. The full-length original version runs 138 minutes, not including overture and entr'acte music.

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Connections

Spoofed in Saturday Night Live: Cicely Tyson/Talking Heads (1979)

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Soundtracks

They Pass By Singin'
Music by George Gershwin
Lyrics by DuBose Heyward
Sung by Sidney Poitier (dubbed by Robert McFerrin)

User Reviews

This is one you never forget.

I saw this on television more years ago than I can remember, but never forgot the performance of Sammy Davis, Jr. I just by chance thought to look for it on video. This rendition of Porgy and Bess is a treasure. I would love to see it again and introduce my son to it as well. I just can't imagine why it is not heralded as one of the greatest performances Sammy Davis, Jr. every gave. Whoever is responsible for not bringing this to audiences should be ashamed of his/her ignorance. I will continue to look for it though. Maybe the execs responsible for such things will come to realize the forgotten work of so many African American actors.