Carousel (1956)

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Phoebe Ephron (screenplay)
Henry Ephron (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 February 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Curtain up...on a wonderful new world of entertainment!

Plot:

Billy Bigelow asks for permission to be sent down "from above" for one day to try and make amends for mistakes he made in life...

Plot Keywords:

Return To Earth | Domestic Violence | Based On Hungarian Play | Impatience | Based On Stage Musical

Awards:

2 nominations

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Gordon MacRae	...	Billy Bigelow
Shirley Jones	...	Julie Jordan
Cameron Mitchell	...	Jigger Craigin
Barbara Ruick	...	Carrie Pipperidge
Claramae Turner	...	Cousin Nettie
Robert Rounseville	...	Mr. Enoch Snow
Gene Lockhart	...	Starkeeper / Dr. Selden
Audrey Christie	...	Mrs. Mullin
Susan Luckey	...	Louise Bigelow
William LeMassena	...	Heavenly Friend
John Dehner	...	Mr. Bascombe
Jacques d'Amboise	...	Louise's 'Starlight Carnival' Dancing Partner

Also Known As:

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 6-Track Stereo (premiere only)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (PCA #17724) | Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | Canada:G | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Augusta, Maine, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Frank Sinatra was cast as Billy, but backed out because each scene had to be shot twice (once in 35mm, once in 55mm). Three weeks after he left, they found a way to film the scene once on 55mm, then transfer it onto 35mm.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As Jigger (Cameron Mitchell) first talks to Billy (Gordon MacRae) about a robbery, the sound of an outboard motor can faintly be heard in the harbor.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Heavenly Friend: Bigelow...
Billy Bigelow: [impatiently] Well, what'd I do now?
Heavenly Friend: Nothing. I just thought you'd wanna know - there's trouble.
Billy Bigelow: Huh! Thought you said I didn't do nothin'.

Movie Connections:

Featured in My Favorite Things: Julie Andrews Remembers (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

If I Loved You (Reprise)

Beautiful and inspiring

Shirley Jones is very believable as Julie Jordan, the lovely and ever patient mill worker who falls for a carousel barker, Billy Bigelow. With such heart felt ballads as "If I Loved You" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" it definitely ranks as one of the essential Hollywood musicals. I also like Carousel because it's just about the only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that deals with darker themes (i.e. date rape, domestic abuse). One could say that it even argues in favor of birth control (unless this is just my sick overactive mind again). Carousel will never look dated because its themes are timeless and apply to the human spirit no matter what year it is. Everybody can identify with Billy to a degree and everybody can not help but feel a deep respect for Julie by the end of it. If you're looking for a love story to inspire and touch you, this is the one. Fans of musical drama will treasure Carousel for years to come.