strictly dishonorable ( 1951 film )
ezio pinza and janet leigh kiss in a scene from the film' strictly dishonorable', 1951 .
william ricciardi is the only actor who also appeared in the broadway production of strictly dishonorable .
ezio pinza and janet leigh kiss in a scene from the film' strictly dishonorable', ...
strictly dishonorable was in production from mid - january to mid - march 1951, and was released on 3 july of that year .
this story is supposedly set in the 1920s, yet the fashions and hairdos are strictly from 1951 .
with the headline: the screen in review;' strictly dishonorable,' starring ezio pinza and janet leigh, new feature at capitol .
we don' t have enough data to suggest any movies based on strictly dishonorable. you can help by rating movies you' ve seen .
in 1951, harold lloyd received a golden globe nomination as
best motion picture actor - musical / comedy
, and the film was nominated for grand prize at the 1951 cannes film festival. [ 6 ]
preston sturges approached mgm with the idea of doing a remake of strictly dishonorable with ezio pinza, and received $ 60, 000 for the rights, but was disappointed when he was not hired to write the screenplay .
( 1950) - supposedly judy and ezio pinza were
discussed
for this film, released in 1951 with janet leigh and pinza .
crew: (b & w) extract of a review from 1951. running time: 94 min .
title strictly dishonorable genre film notes - 1951 records by ezio pinza of orig cast .
everything i have is yours ,
i' ll see you in my dreams
( 45 / rca 49 - 3395, alb - 1608, alb - 2212, alb - 2345) (production and recordings information) - from: show music on record by jack raymond - loc. natlib. smor. 1951 - 21 (digitalid) description film. 1951 records by ezio pinza of orig cast .
everything i have is yours ,
i' ll see you in my dreams
( 45 / rca 49 - 3395, alb - 1608, alb - 2212, alb - 2345) (production and recordings information). from: show music on record by jack raymond additional metadata formats metsxml record
review, top ticket prices were $ 1. 50 at the criterion theatre in ny, where the film enjoyed a four - week minimum run. in 1951, m - g - m released
pinza’s short - lived movie career began with the 1951 film, mr. imperium. a piece of mgm hokum about a playboy prince and a hollywood star, it matched pinza up with lana turner .
. at liberty in chicago, he started by writing two lines of dialogue :
what are your intentions ?
strictly dishonorable .
he wrote the play quickly, in about six days of work, and called it originally
come, come, isabelle .
he gave the ingenue his grandmother' s maiden name, isabelle perry .
pinza’s second feature film was far superior, the preston sturges romp, strictly dishonorable. in this one, pinza got to play a womanizing opera star (no comment !), which gave him licence to sing an eclectic assortment of material, including the two numbers featured here, i’ll see you in my dreams (isham jones –gus kahn) and everything i have is yours (burton lane–harold adamson) .
( 1951) at the studio. pinza had left the metropolitan opera a few years earlier and transitioned to broadway with his famous performance as emile de becque in
gus offers to put isabelle up for the night, assuring her that his intentions are
strictly dishonorable
. the judge warns isabelle about gus, but she is adamant about staying, since she has fallen in love. so, too, has gus: overwhelmed by isabelle' s sweetness and innocence, he spends the night in judge dempsey' s apartment .
since metro' s first try at starting ezio pinza on a screen career in an item called
mr. imperium
turned out something of a flop d' estime (which the company withheld from distribution after a few dismal dates here and there), it is actually launching the singer and middle - aged glamour - boy in his second film made for metro ,
strictly dishonorable .
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( 1951) - another musical biopic, this time based on the life and music of sigmund romberg. no doubt freed had judy on his early lists of guest star appearances. a screenplay was delivered by joseph fields on december 2, 1951. the project was turned over to roger edens and released in 1954 as deep in my heart .
the following 2 decades exemplified a significant upsurge in theatre adapted for the big screen. and hollywood began contracting notable playwrights for their burgeoning production teams. after preston sturges ’ string of broadway hits and successful film adaptations like strictly dishonorable (1931) and child of manhattan (1933), he was contracted out as a writer - for - hire for several hollywood studios, before going on to become one of the most prolific filmmakers of his generation .
lloyd was never to star in another film, turning instead to production, and releasing compilation films featuring his earlier silent film work .
although the film explicitly connects the character of harold diddlebock to that in the freshman, in the earlier film his surname is lamb .
( 1951 / 1953) - paul henried wanted to make this film, based on the 1948 emily harvin novel about a husband who has his wife put in an insane asylum just to get her out of his life. that would have been interesting .
, but the current film was released first, so it marks his dramatic acting debut. pinza went on to make only one more film ,
offers came from film world, so sturges picked up some fast money by writing film scripts. shortly after, a play from his trunk ,
among her films :
act of violence
( with van heflin) ,
little women ,
holiday affair
( robert mitchum) ,
strictly dishonorable
( ezio pinza) ,
the naked spur
( james stewart) ,
living it up
( martin and lewis) ,
jet pilot
( john wayne) ,
bye bye birdie
( dick van dyke) ,
safari
( victor mature) .
( universal - 1932) - this universal film starring zasu pitts is the earliest known feature film that judy (then still frances gumm) was considered for. her role was played in the finished film by cora sue collins .
sturges, meanwhile, started his own film career, writing many fine screenplays through the 1930s and becoming a director in 1940, after which he turned out some of the best film comedies of all time. by 1951, his power, popularity and output were nearing the end. he had an inkling, however, that mgm might be interested in launching a musical remake of
a film poster for the 1940 british screen adaptation of patrick hamilton’s celebrated play .
( 1939) - a title suggested for a possible judy and mickey film .
( 20th century - fox - 1961) - judy was always mentioned in various talks about bringing the 1951 musical version of the famous book by betty smith to the screen. judy would have played
aunt cissy ,
played on broadway by shirley booth. the musical never made it to film .
soon after, his works were being snapped up by film studios, and his screen adapted works dominated the hollywood model, including the glass menagerie (1950), a streetcar named desire (1951), the rose tattoo (1955), cat on a hot tin roof (1958), orpheus descending (under the film title the fugitive kind), and the night of the iguana (1964) .
future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .
the wizard of oz a month later. this title was never made into a film .
( with bing crosby) - the film was made with crosby and jane wyman in 1952 .
( 1951), indeed starred pinza as well as 24 - year - old janet leigh in a comic, musical story of a may - december romance between an opera star and the wide - eyed southern gal who has idolized him since childhood. the posters declared :
( mid - 1950s) - judy was supposedly considered for the role eventually played in the 1960 film by elizabeth taylor. taylor won the first of her two best actress oscars for this film .
in 1923, silent film producer thomas h. ince paid a whopping usd 35, 000 for the screen rights to eugene o’neill ’s 1921 play anna christie (the first of three film adaptations) .
a film that carried many a curse. john huston, marilyn monroe and arthur miller on set for
, but the song ended up being performed by george murphy and eleanor powell in the final film .
william ricciardi was the only actor from the broadway cast to play his role in the 1931 film adaptation .
- this was a project that freed wanted to make from the late 1930s into the 1950s. it was based on the 1935 stage hit
billy rose' s jumbo .
freed planned to star judy and mickey, then in 1948 and 1951 he planned to pair judy with frank sinatra (joseph fields turned in a screenplay dated october 2, 1951). mgm made the film in 1962, produced by joe pasternak starring doris day, stephen boyd, and jimmy durante. durante was in the original 1935 stage version. the 1962 film recreates his famously hysterical comedy bit of attempting to sneak jumbo off the circus grounds. he' s stopped by a sheriff who asks
where are you going with that elephant ?
and durante delivers the punch line as only he could :
what elephant ?
( 20th century - fox - 1950) - fox had an exclusive agreement with rodgers & hammerstein as their studio of choice for any film project, especially adaptations of their stage successes. the team supposedly first came to fox with the idea for an original musical film version of
anna & the king of siam
in 1950. the project never materialized, and it' s possible this is just rumor or wishful thinking on the part of rodgers & hammerstein. a short while later
rodgers & hammerstein' s the king and i
opened on broadway in 1951 with yul brynner and gertrude lawrence. too quick of a turnaround to axe a garland project in 1950 and have it reformatted for the stage, ready to open on broadway in 1951 with a new cast, songs, and rehearsal / tryout period .
into production, a lengthy opening
mini - musical
version of
show boat
was created, with lena horne in the role freed was to give to judy in a full - length film version: the tragic singer
julie .
the full - length film version wouldn' t get made until 1951, after judy had left the studio. garland fans have always speculated on how different the role and the film would have been if judy had the chance to play the role. it had also been argued (with some validation) that if judy had stayed at mgm, her status as the studio' s premiere musical leading lady would most likely have prevented her being cast in a secondary role that basically disappears from most of the last half of the story. audiences would have wanted
more judy .
in the end, ava gardner gave a wonderful performance as
julie
in the 1951 version .
the popular “cowboy”songs of the period are reflected in a pair of numbers pinza recorded with the sons of the pioneers in 1951: the little ol’ state of texas and the wind is a woman. in one photo of the period, you can even find pinza sporting a highly inappropriate ten - gallon hat .
judy was never seriously in the running for this film. it was planned for production at the same time as
( 1951) - this project really was a cause for alarm. the producer, tom lewis, wanted judy for the lead. loretta young was lewis' wife and wanted the role. a lot. it' s hollywood legend that she had a lawyer threaten to sue lewis on the grounds of discrimination because he wouldn' t give the role to her. she got the role. the film is forgotten today .
( 1937) - the mgm music department records show that judy recorded
who knows ?
for the film on august 27, 1937. the recording has not survived. the final film starred eleanor powell and nelson eddy .
in may, it was reported that hughes was running a contest for his employees to find a shorter name for the film, with the winner to get $ 250; the next month, after it had only played in three cities, the film was pulled from circulation and its name changed to mad wednesday, because of concerns that the word
sin
in the title would hold back the film' s box office from the
family trade
. it was intended to return the film to distribution as soon as october, and a special effects crew was sent to san francisco to film process shots to be used in the film' s re - editing. [ 1 ]
amrit nahata' s kissaa kursee kaa, the film which will never be released =
kissā kursī kā
.
from an analytical standpoint, we need to look at the theatre space and the film set as two separate entities .
( embassy pictures - circa, 1963 / 64) - it was reported in contemporary papers that judy was considered for lead in the film version of the popular 162 musical. to date, no film of the show has been made .
, preston sturges unofficially endorsed the film version of his highly successful play in a letter to carl laemmle. a october 1932
. the play was sturges' second broadway production, and the first of his plays to be made into a film .
david o. selznick, 1941) - judy expressed interest in starring in the film version of the 1939 book
claudia: the story of a marriage
and its subsequent broadway play. the play ran from 1941 - 1943 and starred dorothy mcguire, who recreated the title role for her film debut in the 1943 film version made by 20th century - fox .
( 1969) - in their january 1, 1969 issue ,
variety
reported that director barry mahon was negotiating to have judy provide the narration for this film. the deal fell through, but the film was made - without narration .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans. it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
il ritorno di césare is a fictitious opera created by mario castelnuovo - tedesco for the film, and staged by vladimir rosing .
the completed film, reuniting astaire and rogers after 10 years, opened on may 13, 1949 and was a huge success .
( circa, 1965 / 66) - columnists listed judy as one of the potential stars for the film version of thomas berger' s 1964 novel. the film was made and released in 1970 starring dustin hoffman and faye dunaway and directed by arthur penn .
the canny, self - promoting pinza parlayed his success as de becque into a multi - tasking empire as a recording and film artist. he even ventured into television, with a 1951 variety series (“the ezio pinza show”) as well as a short - lived live 1953 sitcom called “bonino”. where he played a widowed opera singer with five children. (one of them was a ten - year - old named van dyke parks, who later went on to a successful music career. )
20th century - fox, circa 1937) - a sequel to judy' s feature film debut was suggested, but never made .
she wrote in her autobiography that the manchurian candidate was
a dynamite film ,
though she had worried about working with frank sinatra .
would include
buddy ebsen and judy garland .
judy' s part was written out before she began any work on the film .
the judy garland database features a promotional photo of judy from the 1940s used in connection with this film, but nothing else is known .
( 1967) - judy was considered for the role of
mrs. robinson ,
played in the finished film by anne bancroft .
– but the reception by the general public was no better the second time around. a few critics consider this film a masterpiece of comedy .
( 1939) - the film adaptation of rachel crothers' 1937 broadway hit was originally going to star greer garson as
susan
with frederick march and judy as susan' s daughter. the film was eventually made with joan crawford, march and rita quigley in the daughter role .
( circa, 1965 / 66) - judy was considered for a cameo in this world war ii film, released by columbia in 1967 .
lux radio theatre broadcast a radio adaptation of the film on december 8, 1952, with janet leigh reprising her role and fernando lamas replacing pinza .
but the failure of pinza’s various film and television projects, as well as changing public tastes, caused interest in his work to decline after that .
judy' s instincts were usually spot - on, and she no doubt realized this was a quickie production (filmed on tape for transfer to film, no less !) meant to compete with another film about harlow with angela lansbury as harlow' s mother and carroll baker as harlow. it was rogers' last film appearance. neither film did very well, coming off as highly fictionalized soap opera. too bad, as jean harlow was one of the greatest stars of the 1930s and deserved better. in a better production judy could have done some justice to harlow' s story .
the film premiered in miami, florida on 8 february 1947, and went into general release on 4 april. despite sturges' later claim that the film
got the best reviews i ever received ,
the notices were mixed and commented on the unevenness of the comedy, perhaps the result of the falling out between sturges and lloyd. sturges claimed that producer howard hughes used the reviews as an excuse to re - make the film. [ 1 ]
, where he had made his most popular films, but the film was not successful in its initial release. it was quickly pulled from distribution by producer
this movie was the only credited feature film appearance of frances ramsden (1920—2000), whose role is important enough that she could have received second billing .
more recently, such playwrights as david mamet and tony kushner have had fruitful careers in screenwriting and film directing, earning much praise in both creative industries .
the sin of harold diddlebock is a 1947 comedy film written and directed by preston sturges, starring the silent film comic icon harold lloyd, and featuring a supporting cast including jimmy conlin, raymond walburn, rudy vallee, arline judge, edgar kennedy, franklin pangborn, j. farrell macdonald, robert dudley, robert greig, lionel stander and jackie the lion. the film' s story is a continuation of the freshman, one of lloyd' s most successful movies .
crowther, bosley .
above and beyond, film review .
the new york times, january 31, 1953. retrieved: february 6, 2010 .
a film biography of buddy desylva (with bing crosby) paramount wanted judy to co - star with bing crosby and
hopalong cassidy
in a western .
in the event, because of hughes' re - editing of the film and re - shooting of some scenes – sturges said that hughes
[ left ] out all the parts i considered the best in the picture, and adding to its end a talking horse
– the film was not ready for re - release until 1950. united artists backed out of their distribution deal with hughes, so after hughes bought rko, he used his new studio to release the film, now cut from 89 to 76 minutes, on 28 october 1950. the total cost of the film was estimated to be $ 1, 712, 959 .
with ezio pinza, and received $ 60, 000 for the rights, but was disappointed when he wasn' t hired to write the screenplay for the film .
( warner bros. , 1944) - warner bros. supposedly wanted judy for the lead. the film was released in 1946 starring gary cooper and ingrid bergman .
( 1942) - judy wanted to be in the film adaptation of pearl s. buck' s novel. it was made by mgm in 1944 starring katherine hepburn .
when initial reviews came in, taylor' s performance in above and beyond was considered the
finest performance of his career to date
. [ 12 ] taylor was also proud of his accomplishments in the film and urged mgm to allow him to promote the film on television. taylor and tibbets appeared together on ed sullivan' s toast of the town show in order to promote the film, an unusual step at a time when the major hollywood studios disapproved of its stars appearing on television, which they saw as a threat. [ note 5 ] although the studio was hesitant about the television appearance, the publicity gained was important to the film' s initial success. [ 12 ]
according to mgm records the film earned $ 660, 000 in the us and canada and $ 221, 000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $ 664, 000 .
the film was suggested by screenwriter beirne lay, jr. , a colonel in the air force reserve, to general curtis lemay, then commander of the strategic air command (sac), who had discussed with lay the problem of the high rate of divorce among flight crews. a film depicting the problems might help raise morale. [ 6 ]
( 1934) - not to be confused with the proposed mgm film of the same name as noted below, this earlier mgm version would have included judy and her sisters .
( circa 1950) - originally slated for judy and gene kelly, the completed 1953 film starred debbie reynolds, bob fosse, marge & gower champion, and kurt kaznar .
this 1954 musical was highly successful at the time, but has never been successfully revived and the 1961 film version (with charles boyer in pinza’s role) eliminated all of the music .
the blonde beauty enjoyed a long and distinguished career, appearing in such films as the 1962 political thriller the manchurian candidate and in orson welles' 1958 film noir classic touch of evil .
( circa 1938) - another film for judy, mickey rooney, & freddie bartholomew from a screenplay by f. scott fitzgerald based on his 1929
saturday evening post
story .
the handsome matthews for me was the most empathetic to the style of performing perfected by the actors who worked with sturges in film after film. he steamrolled through his dialogue with verve, exploded in futile anger with just the right level of indignation and even took a nice pratfall. if sturges were around, he' d make sure matthews worked in his next project as well .
many of sir peter shaffer ’s plays saw screen reincarnations, most notably sleuth (shaffer’s 1970 tony award winning play, and joseph l. mankiewicz ’s last directed film), equus (1977), and amadeus (1984). shaffer would receive the 1984 oscar for best adapted screenplay for the latter of the three. the film would take home 8 academy awards in total .
( 1948 / 49) - allegedly some of the existing musical outtakes from various mgm musicals were compiled by george murphy and
shown privately
with the idea to make a feature film .
( 1957) - united artists had judy on their wish list for this project. the final film was released in 1957 with betty hutton playing the role of margaret
maggie
brewster .
( stage 1961) - on may 5, 1961 hedda hopper reported that chuck walters intended to direct judy in the film version of the 1954 dorothy fields broadway musical (not to be confused with the fields / kern project listed above) about a coney island boarding house owner in the early 1900s that had starred shirley booth. no film of this show has ever been made .
contrary to crowther and other reviewers' reactions, above and beyond was named one of the year' s 10 best films by the national board of review, and celebrity and film columnist louella parsons, chose it as the
best drama of the month
in cosmopolitan. [ 2 ] leonard maltin considered the film ,
a meaningful account
of an important event. [ 18 ] a more tepid later review by alun evans, noted the film was
pretty boring fare, but the right kind of hollywood fodder for the days of mccarthy and stalin .
[ 19 ]
above and beyond is a 1952 american war film about lt. col. paul w. tibbets, jr. , the pilot of the aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on hiroshima in august 1945 .
pigskin parade came along, which was a better showcase for her talents than an our gang film would have been. or, maybe they just decided not to loan her to the hal roach studios .
warner bros. wanted judy for the lead role in this breezy technicolor musical. obviously mgm wasn' t about to loan her out at this point in her career, so doris day got the part, making her feature debut and beginning her own phenomenal film career. one wonders what magic judy could have brought to day' s big hit song from the film
it' s magic .
orriss, bruce. when hollywood ruled the skies: the aviation film classics of world war ii. hawthorne, california: aero associates inc. , 1984. isbn 0 - 9613088 - 0 - x .
holds the dubious distinction of being the first film that judy could not complete due to her physical and mental frailties. barkleys was conceived as judy and fred astaire' s follow - up to the huge success of
( 1943) - the final film was produced by joe pasternak and released in 1945 starring gene kelly, frank sinatra and kathryn grayson. in 1943 it was on the idea list for judy and gene kelly .
( 1952) - louis b. mayer was fired from mgm not long after judy. he attempted to make independent films, and on his list was a film version of this lerner & lowe musical to star judy. that never happened, and the musical was finally made in 1969 starting lee marvin and clint eastwood. yes, they both
sing
in this colossal film musical flop. mayer also wanted to make
( 1963 - 1970) - this project was envisioned as the grand finale of the careers of arthur freed, vincente minnelli, and irving berlin. it' s been suggested that in the projects early stages freed wanted judy to star in the film. the story of the attempts to get the film made is a good example of how much hollywood filmmaking had changed after the fall of the studio system in the 1950' s .
after howard hughes re - edited the film, rudy vallee' s part was almost entirely cut out, and he did not receive screen credit on the re - released film, mad wednesday, nor did georgia caine. also, lloyd' s billing was moved from above the title to below, provoking lloyd to file a $ 750, 000 lawsuit in 1953 against rko and california pictures, claiming breach of contract. [ 1 ]
according to mgm records the film earned $ 2, 647, 000 in the us and canada and $ 1, 333, 000 overseas, resulting in a profit of $ 1, 037, 000. [ 1 ]
with the advent of sound in cinema, film culture was rapidly being fashioned by the likes of the marx brothers and king vidor. these ‘talkies’ of the 20’s were also introducing opera and musical theatre to a new audience .
( 1961) - judy was supposedly in the running for the film version of the 1960 broadway musical. the show made it to the screen in 1963 without the songs and co - starring jack lemmon and shirley maclaine .
janet leigh, whose shocking murder in the classic alfred hitchcock thriller psycho was credited with making generations of film fans think twice about stepping into a motel room shower, has died at her beverly hills home. she was 77 .
his most notable film adaptations were the big knife in 1950, and the fritz lang directed clash by night in 1952. odets also wrote the 1957 screenplay to sweet smell of success, which starred burt lancaster and tony curtis .
if history is of any indicator, the public’s insatiable appetite for film adaptations of theatre pieces isn’t likely to sedate any time soon. with many creative figures being heralded for their work in both spheres, the proven working combination of playwright and film director has added another dimension to the way we look at cinema. and, similarly, as films have began to be adapted to the stage, the relationship is changing the way we look at the theatre .
( rko - 1950) - another patriotic all - star salute to the armed forces, this time featuring stars entertaining troops for the u. s. o. (united service organization). the film was never made .
( united artists, 1940) - it' s reported that director george marshall wanted to borrow judy from mgm and co - star herr with james steward. the film was released in 1941 co - starring stewart with paulette goddard .
after writer - director preston sturges left paramount pictures in 1944, he and millionaire howard hughes formed california pictures, and in july of that year it was reported that sturges had tempted one of his idols, harold lloyd, out of retirement to become a producer - director at the new studio, with his first project to be
the sin of hilda diddlebock
, a story written by sturges about a girl' s adventures in hollywood, and their second project a film called
the wizard of whispering falls
( lloyd had not appeared on film since 1938' s professor beware). even after lloyd became the lead character, he was promised by sturges that he could direct part of the film, but this never happened. [ 1 ] although the project began as a labor of love between sturges and lloyd, the two had a falling out over creative differences, which affected the quality of the finished film. [ 3 ]
working predominantly in london, harold pinter crafted 27 film scripts in total for cinema and television. his work with british director and close associate joseph losey brought him considerable fame in film and theatre circles. despite being adaptations from novels, pinter and losey’s 3 collaborations the servant (1963), accident (1967) and the go - between (1971) still bare strong elements of the theatrical and the melodramatic … testimony to the stage backdrop from which pinter was essentially birthed .
from that film, we hear a number that harold arlen and dorothy fields composed for pinza, let me look at you as well as more spanish sentiment, this one by augustin lara and ray gilbert, called you belong to my heart .
taylor and parker were rumored to be lovers, and this conjecture helped the film' s
box - office grosses .
[ 2 ] recently divorced taylor and parker going through a divorce, were tabloid fodder during the production. [ 16 ]
mississippi belle isabelle and her hard - headed, quick - tempered jersey fiancé henry arrive at an italian speakeasy in new york. they meet an amiable retired judge there, but henry' s back is up immediately anyway. henry leaves as his car is parked illegally. isabelle likes the opera, and it happens that her favourite singer, di ruvo, is a bar patron that evening .
gus
, as he prefers to be known, is very charming. henry returns to find the pair dancing. a row ensues; henry leaves. isabelle accepts gus' s offer to retire to his apartment even though he warns her his intentions are
strictly dishonourable
. but henry has told officer mulligan that isabelle has been
kidnapped by villains
...
, a romantic comedy, opened on broadway in september 1929. an instant hit, it ran for 557 performances and became the longest - running broadway play up to that point. hollywood came calling, and sturges sold the film rights to universal for a whopping $ 125, 000. he also asked to write the screenplay. but universal declined his request and went on to make the film without his involvement; released in 1931, it starred paul lukas, sidney fox and lewis stone, directed by john stahl .
touch of evil was
a great experience ,
she said in 1984, but she was disappointed with the end result :
universal just couldn' t understand it, so they recut it. gone was the undisciplined but brilliant film orson had made .
around the same time patrick hamilton was to sell the screen rights to his plays rope and gaslight that made him a rich man by his mid - twenties. the film adaptations would go on to be box - office successes for george cukor and alfred hitchcock respectively .
( circa, 1962) - judy would have been amazing as the loved and respected, legendary stage actress laurette taylor. director george cukor and even the late taylor' s daughter, marguerite courtney, wanted judy for the role. the film was never made .
( paramount - 1966) - judy was considered to play natalie wood' s mother in this film version of the tennessee williams play. kate reid played the role in the final version, released in 1966 co - starring wood, robert redford and charles bronson .
both versions of the film, as originally released and as altered by hughes, still exist. according to all movie guide' s hal erikson, the shorter version plays better for audiences, while the original is richer in its comic invention and characterizations. [ 3 ]
, so it' s unlikely that there was any serious thought to having either star appear in the film outside of some very early ideas to star the duo with shirley temple (which may have been the bait freed used to get mayer to purchase the property) .
( mid - 1950s) - not to be confused with the late 1930' s mgm project of the same name. this is the version that eventually became
funny girl
starring barbra streisand on broadway in 1964 (and the 1968 film version). it was originally a film musical idea for judy from producer ray stark, who was the late brice' s son - in - law. the screenplay for that version was by isobel lennart who later adapted it for the stage musical. judy' s loss was barbara' s gain .
( 1969) - a controversial project and a part of the garland legend from day one. in march 1969, judy' s husband mickey deans entered into an agreement with european concert promoter arne stivell and his music artists of europe company to film a documentary about judy titled
above and beyond received generally favorable reviews, [ 14 ] however, the new york times critic bosley crowther found the military elements of the film superior to its focus on the relationship between tibbets and his wife. he liked taylor in the military scenes, but not in the scenes concerning his marriage and found parker to be
utterly theatrical .
[ 15 ] [ note 6 ] reviewer robert parish considered the film a comprehensive if lengthy account that was a
too meticulous detail - by - detail presentation ,
and considered parker' s performance
overwrought .
[ 7 ] although considered an aviation classic due to its subject matter focusing on the mission of the
enola gay
, aviation film historians noted that the flying sequences were limited, and that the romance scenes
got in the way .
[ 17 ]
film. soundtrack. music: josef myrow. words: mack gordon. orch & cond: alfred newman. cast: dan dailey, betty grable, mona freeman, lee patrick, chick chandler, imogene lynch, connie marshall. (classic international filmusicals 3008, ...
the roaring 20’s saw a string of notable silent film adaptations of theatre, like victor sjöström’s he who gets slapped (1924), cecil b. demille’s chicago (1927), and frank borzage’s 7th heaven (nominated for outstanding picture at the 1st academy awards in 1929) .
judy turned down this role in 1956. she would have been incredible, but it' s been speculated that perhaps the thought of digging into her own inner demons for this film may have scared judy away. joanne woodward was given the role and won the 1957 best actress oscar .
( 1949) - with words and music by irving berlin, direction by moss hart, and book by robert e. sherwood the broadway production opened on july 15, 1949 and ran for 308 performances. considered a disappointment, freed still wanted to make a film version starring judy .
1962) - judy was one of several stars mentioned for the pivotal role of
mama rose
the film version of ethel merman' s broadway triumph. other actresses mentioned: merman, judy holliday, ann - margaret (as
gypsy
). rosalind russell got the role .
film. album (c 1947) by charles kullman of orig cast. music: nicolai rimsky - korsakov, arranged by miklos rozsa. words: jack brooks. cond: julius burger .
song of india ,
hymn to the sun ,
gypsy song ,
...
review: preston sturges' smash stage comedy is well done in this film version, showcasing the talents of opera singer pinza and the looks of leigh. he plays, strangely enough, an opera singer, known not only for his lungs but also for his love for women. leigh arr… (more )
freed had always wanted to make a biopic about irving berlin, but berlin resisted any film about his life story. freed then suggested a film built around berlin' s career and titled it after one of berlin' s songs
say it with music .
the wheels were set in motion, with berlin agreeing to write six new songs, and (after much negotiation) receiving a $ 1 million paycheck (payable over a ten - year period !) with 12 1 / 2 percent of the film' s profits. berlin delivered the six new songs :
( it' s) always the same ,
a guy on monday ,
a man to cook for ,
one man woman ,
outside of loving you, i like you ,
the p. x. ,
the ten best undressed women in the world ,
and
whisper it .
preston sturges' smash stage comedy is well done in this film version, showcasing the talents of opera singer pinza and the looks of leigh. he plays, strangely enough, an opera singer, known not only for his lungs but also for his love for women. leigh arrives on the scene straight off a
in january 1936 with an april 1936 release date. the film would star robert montgomery and jessie matthews, and
baby [ as judy was still called by her family ] plays opposite buddie [ sic ] ebson [ sic ] a 6 foot 2 comedian that made a big hit with his sister in the new b
as noted above, any filmmaker or studio preparing a musical film invariably wanted judy as a star or guest star. even in the years when judy' s reputation for unreliability was at its highest, filmmakers still (if only wistfully) considered her for various projects. after she left mgm and found triumph on the stage and her oscar nominated 1954 film comeback in a star is born, producers and directors of dramas increasingly wanted judy for her acting abilities. her subsequent oscar nominated supporting role in judgment at nuremberg and triumph at new york' s carnegie hall, both in 1961, made judy garland a hot property, again !
( 1946) - another freed idea, this time a musical version of the 1931 oscar winner for best picture to co - star judy and gene kelly. it never got past the idea phase, but was remade in 1960 by mgm as a straight dramatic film starring glenn ford, maria schell, and anne baxter .
( 1940) - another title suggested for judy and mickey. the original gershwin musical was a big hit on broadway in 1927 starring fred astaire and his sister adele. astaire finally got to make a film version in 1957 co - starring audrey hepburn and featuring judy' s great friend (and liza' s godmother) kay thompson stealing the show. the 1957 stanley donen project was originally planned as an mgm musical but when the studio wouldn' t finance it, the cast and crew went to paramount, producing the only
mgm musical
made at a different studio. a sign of the times for film musicals in the late 1950s .
film. 1946 records by dick haymes of orig cast .
another night like this
( 78 / dec 23731, alb - 299, alb - 397 )
mi vida
( 78 / dec 23731, alb - 299) (production and recordings information). from: show music on record by ...
, scott beal was born in quinnesec, michigan. after gaining some experience as a stage actor, he headed to california to break into the film industry. although he did find a few jobs as an actor, most of his work was behind the camera, as an assistant director, camera operator and director... .
but in the end, neither of the two pictures gave pinza a hollywood career .
fate never intended me to be a film star ,
he later reflected .
it is difficult to say exactly what went wrong with my films. being human, i shall blame others first, and then myself. the build - up i was given placed me at an extreme disadvantage both as a singer and as an actor. i was pinza the great lover, god' s own gift to the aging man, mr. middle - aged sex himself! all that was necessary, the film executives must have thought, was to place me in amorous situations before the camera with some enticing female - - and a terrific success was certain... . but the scripts were without humor or style or the slightest opportunity for acting. the big mistake of the film executives was to order me to generate sex appeal, rather than create character. my mistake was to try to fill the order .
with all that being said, however, good drama always reigns penultimate with respect to both crafts. testament to this are a good number of worthy filmmakers who have managed to successfully adapt the playwright’s script for the screen. simultaneously, more than a handful of those that wrote for the theatre had promising careers as screenwriters and film directors .
for me and my gal, producer arthur freed wanted to film the oscar hammerstein / jerome kern show
very warm for may
starring judy with ray mcdonald and marta eggerth or kathryn grayson. but the plot was too similar to the three previous
let' s put on a show !
films (about the singing and dancing daughter of show people who wants to quit school and go on the stage). freed wanted to keep moving forward with the advancement of the film musical and this plot would be a step backwards. he eventually turned it over to fellow mgm producer jack cummings and it became 1944' s broadway rhythm starring ginny sims and george murphy .
( 1967) - the title role of
mame
and the role of
mama rose
in
gypsy
are two roles that to this day garland fans still talk about as being potential crowning achievements to judy' s film career. songwriter jerry herman had always wanted judy for
mame ,
but in the late 1960s judy was considered too high of a liability risk due to the perception of her inability to sustain the grueling weekly schedule of a big broadway musical. judy had stated on a few occasions that she wanted to replace angela lansbury on broadway. judy was never seriously considered for the film adaptation, made after judy' s death in 1974 with lucille ball .
film. 1947 records by betty hutton of orig cast. music & words: frank loesser .
poppa, don' t preach to me
( 78 / cap 380, alb - 285, alb - 1014, alb - 1635, alb - 2123 )
the sewing machine ,
i wish i didn' t ...
one could quite rightfully argue that cinema shares it’s genealogical roots with theatrical stage performances, and the early vaudeville acts of the 19th century. silent filmmakers drew inspiration from the grand theatre halls and amphitheaters that performed to packed houses and captivated the modernising world. and soon enough film producers were scrambling to obtain the screen rights to a plethora of theatre plays .
this is the first known film project that judy was considered for after signing with mgm in september 1935. the 1975 book
young judy
by david dahl and barry kehoe features the contents of a letter from october 1935 in which judy' s father, frank gumm, relayed to their family friend john perkins in lancaster, california that judy was to start production on
( 20th century - fox - 1957) - there was talk of making a film musical version of the 1950 oscar winner for best picture that starred bette davis and anne baxter. judy would have played the role made famous by davis; margo channing .
eve
was to be played by peggy king. another idea consisted of having cole porter write the songs .
( 1967 & 1968) - in a march 1967 interview with radie harris, judy said she wanted to play mcpherson' s mother in a biopic about the evangelist. meanwhile, george cukor allegedly wanted judy for a biopic of french singer edith piaf who was sometimes referred to as
the french judy garland .
cukor intended to film judy in concert singing songs piaf made famous .
much of the information below has been compiled from researching the many film reference books and biographies published over the last fifty years, home media liner notes & booklets, and websites. notable resources include :
judy garland - the day - by - day chronicle of a legend
by scott schechter published in 2002 ;
judy
by gerold frank published in 1975 ;
get happy - the life of judy garland
by gerald clarke published in 2000 ;
young judy
by david dahl and barry kehoe published in 1975 ;
mgm - when the lion roars
by peter hay published in 1991 ;
the world' s greatest entertainer
by john fricke published in 1992 ;
judy garland - a legendary film career
by john fricke published in 2011 .
lay suggested a film based on the experiences of colonel paul tibbets, commander of the 509th composite group during world war ii. lemay approved, and after writing an outline, lay handed over scriptwriting duties to melvin frank and norman panama. [ 7 ] although tibbets gave his full approval and support to the film, he felt he was too closely involved to be objective, and suggested lt. col. charles f. h. begg, commander of the nuclear ordnance squadron, and charles sweeney, [ 8 ] pilot on the follow - up nagasaki mission, as technical advisors. [ 4 ] ultimately, begg, major norman w. ray (ret' d .) and major james b. bean served as usaf technical advisors. [ 5 ] [ note 4 ]
strictly dishonorable is a 1951 romantic comedy film written , produced and directed by melvin frank and norman panama , and starring ezio pinza and janet leigh . it is the second film to be based on preston sturges ' 1929 hit broadway play of the same name after a pre-code film released by universal pictures in 1931 with the same title . 
strictly dishonorable is a 1951 romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by melvin frank and norman panama, and starring ezio pinza and janet leigh. it is the second film to be based on preston sturges' 1929 hit broadway play of the same name after a pre-code film released by universal pictures in 1931 with the same title.
strictly dishonorable is a 1951 romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by melvin frank and norman panama, and starring ezio pinza and janet leigh. it is the second film to be based on preston sturges' 1929 hit broadway play of the same name after a pre-code film released by universal pictures in 1931 with the same title.