Guys and Dolls (1955/I)

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

Jo Swerling (book) and
Abe Burrows (book) ...
(more)

Release Date:

3 November 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy | Romance | Crime

Plot:

In New York, a gambler is challenged to take a cold female missionary to Havana, but they fall for each other, and the bet has a hidden motive to finance a crap game.

Plot Keywords:

Dressing Room | Cheesecake | Womanizer | Cat | Humidifier

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Aug. 29

2:30 PM

TCM

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Sky Masterson
Jean Simmons	...	Sergeant Sarah Brown
Frank Sinatra	...	Nathan Detroit
Vivian Blaine	...	Miss Adelaide
Robert Keith	...	Lt. Brannigan
Stubby Kaye	...	Nicely-Nicely Johnson
B.S. Pully	...	Big Jule
Johnny Silver	...	Benny Southstreet
Sheldon Leonard	...	Harry the Horse
Danny Dayton	...	Rusty Charlie (as Dan Dayton)
George E. Stone	...	Society Max
Regis Toomey	...	Arvide Abernathy
Kathryn Givney	...	General Cartwright
Veda Ann Borg	...	Laverne
Mary Alan Hokanson	...	Agatha
Joe McTurk	...	Angie the Ox
Kay E. Kuter	...	Calvin (as Kay Kuter)
Stapleton Kent	...	Mission Member
Renee Renor	...	Cuban Singer
The Goldwyn Girls	...	Performers
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Barbara Brent	...	Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Jack Chefe	...	Waiter at Mindy's (uncredited)
Jann Darlyn	...	Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Madelyn Darrow	...	Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Sayre Dearing	...	Tough (uncredited)
Larry Duran	...	(uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Spectator at 'Pet Me Poppa' Number (uncredited)
Adolph Faylauer	...	Tourist with Camera (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Street Extra (uncredited)
Rubén de Fuentes	...	Orchestra Leader (uncredited)
Tony Galento	...	(uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	(uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Spectator at 'Pet Me Poppa' Number (uncredited)
Earle Hodgins	...	Pitchman (uncredited)
John Indrisano	...	Liverlips Louie (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Barber (uncredited)
June Kirby	...	Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Extra at Mindy's (uncredited)
Matt Murphy	...	The Champ (uncredited)
Jerry Orbach	...	Barbershop customer (uncredited)
Jack Perry	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Joe Ploski	...	Barber (uncredited)
Frank Richards	...	Man with Packages (uncredited)
Julian Rivero	...	Cuban Waiter (uncredited)
Tony Rosa	...	Man walking poodle (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Diner at Mindy's (uncredited)
Pat Sheehan	...	Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Truck Driver on Street (uncredited)
Larri Thomas	...	Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Harry Tyler	...	Max, waiter at Mindy's (uncredited)
Sandra Warner	...	Twin Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Sonia Warner	...	Twin Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Singing Man in Barber Shop (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writing credits
Jo Swerling		(book for musical play "Guys and Dolls") and
Abe Burrows		(book for musical play "Guys and Dolls")
Damon Runyon		(story "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown")
Joseph L. Mankiewicz		(written by)
Ben Hecht		uncredited

Produced by
Samuel Goldwyn	....	producer

Original Music by
Frank Loesser

Cinematography by
Harry Stradling Sr.		(director of photography) (as Harry Stradling)

Film Editing by
Daniel Mandell

Production Design by
Oliver Smith

Art Direction by
Joseph C. Wright		(as Joseph Wright)

Set Decoration by
Howard Bristol

Costume Design by
Irene Sharaff

Makeup Department
Annabell	....	hair stylist
Ben Lane	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur S. Black Jr.	....	assistant director
Gary Nelson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
Fred Lau	....	sound
Vinton Vernon	....	sound
Larry Gannon	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Warren Newcombe	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Gjon Mili	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Alvord Eiseman	....	color consultant (as Alvord L. Eiseman)

Music Department
Jay Blackton	....	conductor
Jay Blackton	....	music supervisor
Alexander Courage	....	orchestrator
Michael Kidd	....	dances and musical numbers staged by
Skip Martin	....	orchestrator
Cyril J. Mockridge	....	music adaptor: background music
Nelson Riddle	....	orchestrator
Albert Sendrey	....	orchestrator (as Al Sendrey)

Other crew
Cy Feuer	....	producer: stage play
Samuel Goldwyn	....	presenter
Ernest H. Martin	....	producer: stage play

Production Companies

• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1967) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• CBS/Fox (USA) (laserdisc)
• Hallmark Video (video)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

150 min | 152 min (with overture and exit music)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System) (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | West Germany:12 | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #17617) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:PG (cable rating)

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn/Warner Hollywood Studios - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

The audio for each of Brando's musical numbers is constructed from multiple takes.

Goofs:

Continuity: Sky Masterson's handwriting on the back of the Bible verse card changes between shots.

Quotes:

Nathan Detroit: Everybody in the whole world who hates me is now here.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of Jon Lovitz (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I'll Know

"Ummm... Filled with such fun good fellowship..."- Nathan Detroit, "Guys and Dolls"

"Guys and Dolls" is a thoroughly enjoyable example of musical comedy at its very best. The acting is impeccable, and what's more, almost believable (for a musical at least), the singing is pretty decent (well, Marlon Brando is another story, but I'll get to that) and the whole thing is just so amusing and entertaining that you'll be singing the tunes and quoting the lines long after you've finished watching it. Critics and viewers seem to sometimes have a difficult time with taking the film too seriously, by this I mean that a) Marlon Brando was not cast because of his singing voice (which was admittedly not good, but bearable), I like to think it was because he had irresistible charm, b) the whole premise is so unbelievable, to which I say, "name me a musical that IS wholly believable", and c) the movie moves too slowly, which is patently absurd, unless one does not have a taste for the slower pace of old movies and long, well articulated dance numbers, and romantic love scenes. This film pre-dates my existence by some 3 decades, but it still manages to rank among my very favorite pieces of movie-making and is an absolute must-see for musical and non-musical fans alike. 10/10