Guys and Dolls (film)

• Release Date: 1955
• Director(s): Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• Writer(s): Ben Hecht; Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• Principal Actors and Roles: Vivian Blaine (Miss Adelaide); Marlon Brando (Sky Masterson); Jean Simmons (Sarah Brown); Frank Sinatra (Nathan Detroit); Katherine Givney (General Cartwright); Robert Keith (Lt. Brannigan); Michael Kidd (Nicely-Nicely Johnson); Regis Toomey (Arvide Abernathy)
• Book / Story Film Based On: "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure" by Damon Runyon

Guys and Dolls is a musical film about two gamblers in 1940s New York City; the pair make a bet with one another in order to keep an illegal craps game going. The film was based on the successful Broadway play of the same name, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The film also used the show’s Broadway choreographer, Michael Kidd. The Broadway production debuted in 1950 and was a smash hit, running for over one thousand performances in three years. The Broadway play found inspiration for the storyline from a pair of short stories written by Damon Runyon—"Blood Pressure" and "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown."

Many different studios scrambled to gain the rights to the Broadway adaptation, changing ownership several different times before staying with the highest bidder, Samuel Goldwyn. Goldwyn purchased the rights for $1 million, in addition to a percentage of the film’s gross profits, which, at the time, was the highest price anyone had ever paid to secure motion picture rights. Goldwyn would continue on as the film’s producer, and even financed its $5 million budget himself.

For casting the film’s romantic lead, Sky Masterson, some of the producers had their eyes set on Gene Kelly. However, Kelly was under contract with MGM at the time and they would not let him out of his contract. Instead, Marlon Brando was cast, despite his lack of singing ability, because he was a huge star at the time, and ensured big returns at the box office. Frank Sinatra signed on to play the secondary lead, Nathan Detroit, but after discovering that Sky was the bigger part, believed he deserved it instead of Brando. Sinatra, perhaps still bitter from losing out on what became Brando’s Academy Award winning part in On the Waterfront (1954), did not hide his animosity toward the actor, which led to tensions on set. Brando and Sinatra continually argued on set, and eventually stopped speaking to each other altogether unless required to for a scene.

Plot

Guys and Dolls is set in 1940s New York City, and begins as cash-strapped gambler Nathan Detroit tries to find a location for his illegal crap game—"The Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York." Lieutenant Brannigan is determined to find out the game’s location and to finally catch Nathan, and begins to threaten all of Nathan’s regular spots. Finally, the owner of the Biltmore garage says he will allow the use of his garage, but only if Nathan first pays him $1,000. Despite his lack of cash, Nathan agrees to the deal. To add to Nathan’s problems, his longtime fiancée Miss Adelaide is pressuring him to finally tie the knot and give up his gambling ways.

Nathan runs into Sky Masterson, a gambler who is notorious for placing risky bets, and Nathan seizes the opportunity to win the $1,000. Nathan bets Sky to take any girl that Nathan chooses out to dinner in Havana, Cuba, and Sky accepts. To ensure victory, Nathan selects Sergeant Sarah Brown, the leader of the Save a Soul Mission, a Christian organization opposed to gambling. In order to win over Sarah, Sky presents himself as a gambler who wishes to reform, and is initially met with skepticism from Sarah. Sky notices that the mission is empty and struggling, and proposes that if Sarah consents to go to Havana with him, he will bring twelve other sinners to the mission on Thursday, and Sarah agrees. When the pair journeys to Havana, Sky spikes Sarah’s milk drinks with rum, lowering her inhibitions. They begin to have fun and fall in love, and Sky comes clean about the bet.

Sky and Sarah return to New York just in time to see Nathan and the gamblers—who have occupied the empty mission—rush out of the empty mission, fleeing the police. Brannigan is unable to apprehend any of the men, and accuses Sarah of having previous knowledge of the game. She accuses Sky of involvement, and leaves angrily when he refuses to deny it. A few nights later, Nathan’s crap game is going strong, this time in the city’s sewers. Although most of the other gamblers are ready to call it quits, Big Jule refuses to quit until he can win back all of his money. The men have an altercation, but Sky arrives in time to intervene. Knowing that Big Jule is a cheater, Sky makes a big bet that if he loses the roll, he will pay all the gamblers $1,000 each; however, if he wins, the gamblers must all come to a meeting at the Save a Soul Mission. Sky wins the roll, and all of the gamblers arrive at the mission, where Sarah and Sky make up. The film ends with Sky and Sarah, as well as Nathan and Adelaide, getting married in Times Square.

Significance

Production for Guys and Dolls ran from March to July of 1955, with the entirety of the film, including exterior shots, filmed in studio in Hollywood. Marlon Brando lacked singing ability, and Jean Simmons (who played Sarah Brown) was also an inexperienced singer. Many expected both Brando and Simmons to have their singing parts dubbed by professional singers. In the end, however, both of the actors’ real voices were heard on screen. Simmons, the third choice for the role of Sarah Brown after Grace Kelly and Deborah Kerr, received surprisingly positive reviews for her singing performance in the film, and even received the Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her work. By contrast, many reviewers criticized Brando’s singing in the film, and Sinatra referred to Brando as "Mumbles."

Overall, the film was met with positive reviews from both critics and audiences. The film was successful at the box office, and grossed $13 million in rentals and more than $20 million internationally. Additionally, the film was nominated for a total of four Academy Awards—best music, best costume design, best art direction, and best cinematography—but lost out in all categories.

Awards and nominations

Won

• Golden Globe (1956) Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)
• Golden Globe (1955) Best Motion Picture Actress (Musical or Comedy): Jean Simmons

Nominated

• Academy Award (1955) Best Costume Design (Color): Irene Sharaff
• Academy Award (1955) Best Score
• Academy Award (1955) Best Cinematography (Color)
• Academy Award (1955) Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Color)

Bibliography

Block, Geoffrey. Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical from ‘Show Boat’ to Sondheim and Lloyd Webber. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. Print.

Bosworth, Patricia. Marlon Brando. New York: Open Road, 2012. Print.

Garebian, Keith. The Making of Guys and Dolls. Oakville: Mosaic, 2002. Print.

Nixon, Rob. "Behind the Camera on Guys and Dolls." Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Turner Entertainment Networks, 2015. Web. 14 Sept. 2015. <http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/25767|0/Behind-the-Camera-11-16-.html>.

Santopietro, Tom. Sinatra in Hollywood. London: Macmillan, 2009. Print.