The Goldwyn Follies
| The Goldwyn Follies | |
|---|---|
 One of theatrical release posters | |
| Directed by | George Marshall |
| Written by | Ben Hecht |
| Produced by | Samuel Goldwyn George Haight |
| Starring | Adolphe Menjou The Ritz Brothers Vera Zorina Andrea Leeds Edgar Bergen |
| Cinematography | Gregg Toland |
| Edited by | Sherman Todd |
| Music by | George Gershwin |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date | February 4, 1938 |
Running time | 122 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million[1] |
The Goldwyn Follies is a 1938 Technicolor film written by Ben Hecht, Sid Kuller, Sam Perrin and Arthur Phillips, with music by George Gershwin, Vernon Duke, and Ray Golden, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Some sources credit Kurt Weill as one of the composers, but this is apparently incorrect. The Goldwyn Follies was the first Technicolor film produced by Samuel Goldwyn.
The movie, which features Adolphe Menjou, Vera Zorina, Edgar Bergen (with Charlie McCarthy), Andrea Leeds, Kenny Baker, Ella Logan, Helen Jepson, Bobby Clark and the Ritz Brothers, depicts a movie producer who chooses a simple girl to be "Miss Humanity" and to critically evaluate his movies from the point of view of the ordinary person. The style of the film is very similar to other musicals of its era, including the "Gold Diggers" series and others. The film is an effective satire on Hollywood and have some excellent numbers choreographed by George Balanchine.
Songs include:
- "Our Love is Here to Stay"
- "I Was Doing All Right"
- "Spring Again"
- "Love Walked In"
- "I Love to Rhyme"
This was the last film score written by George Gershwin before his death on 11 July 1937. The Goldwyn Follies was released on 20 February 1938. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Score and for Best Interior Decoration.[2]
Cast
- Adolphe Menjou as Oliver Merlin (as Adolph Menjou)
- The Ritz Brothers as Themselves
- Vera Zorina as Olga Samara
- Kenny Baker as Danny Beecher
- Andrea Leeds as Hazel Dawes
- Edgar Bergen as Himself
- Charlie McCarthy as Himself
- Helen Jepson as Leona Jerome
- Phil Baker as Michael Day
- Bobby Clark as A. Basil Crane Jr.
- Ella Logan as Glory Wood
- Jerome Cowan as Director Lawrence
- Charles Kullmann as Alfredo in 'La Traviata'
- The American Ballet of the Metropolitan Opera as Ballet Dancers
- Nydia Westman as Ada
- Alan Ladd as First Auditioning Singer (uncredited)
- Francis Xavier Shields Assistant Director (uncredited)
Reception
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated[3]However, the film is listed as one of "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time," the book co-written by film critic Michael Medved.
References
- ^ Goldwyn Believes Color Photography Here to Stay; Budgets $2,000,000 for Big Musical to Prove It!: Stars Enlisted From Grand Opera to Radio for Role in 'The Goldwyn Follies' in Technicolor; Gigli's Screen Debut; Gloria Dickson on Way Up; Valentino Helps the Press Agents; Notes of the Theater. The Washington Post (1923-1954) [Washington, D.C] 21 Sep 1937: 14.
- ^ "NY Times: The Goldwyn Follies". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
- ^ "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-13.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20050208123500/http://musicalheaven.com/g/goldwyn_follies.shtml
- Harry Medved, Randy Dreyfuss, and Michael Medved, The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (1978)
