Golden Girl (1951)

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Movie
Original title Golden girl
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1951
length 103-108 minutes
Rod
Director Lloyd Bacon
script Walter Bullock
Charles O'Neal
Gladys Lehman
production George Jessel for
20th Century Fox
music Lionel Newman
camera Charles G. Clarke
cut Louis Loeffler
occupation

Golden Girl is a 1951 American musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Mitzi Gaynor in the role of Lotta Crabtree , one of the most popular American entertainers of the late 19th century. Other leading roles include Dale Robertson , James Barton and Dennis Day.

The script is based on a story by Albert and Arthur Lewis and Edward Thompson and shows Lotta Crabtree's rise to become the Golden Girl . The template was adapted by Charles O'Neal for the screen of the choreography designed by Seymour Felix .

action

When the lively 16-year-old teenager Lotta Crabtree learns in 1863 that the famous dancer Lola Montez lives in her neighborhood in Rabbit Creek, she is thrilled. Lola embodies something that she strives for herself, dancing, singing, acting. Lotta's dream is not welcomed by her mother Mary Ann, in contrast to her father John, who encourages Lotta's talent for singing and dancing as best he can. Lotta's parents run a small pension together.

Lotta already has some admirers, like the locals, Mart Tylor, who would do anything for her and help her wherever he can, raving about her talent and explaining, half-jokingly, that he is out of love for her would shoot. The new good-looking Tom Richmond also takes a liking to Lotta, unlike Mart Tylor, he agrees to accompany Lotta to Lola Montez's show, which she is very happy about.

While Lotta attends the show enthusiastically, a boarder named Johannes Cornelius gets Lotta's father to use all of his money and even the pension on roulette with the promise that he has a surefire way. John Crabtree loses everything. Lotta can now convince her mother that she can help the family if the mother allows her to have entertainment. Accompanied by her mother and Marts, Lotta sets out to sing and dance in the mining towns of California. Mart introduces her to the men as the "Golden Girl", but to her disappointment she doesn't get any gold pieces thrown from them, as was the case with Lola Montez. Only when Lotta strips off parts of her costume and offers the men a show, gold pieces are her reward in addition to enthusiasm. Tom also contributed to this by being the first to throw her a coin on stage and encouraging the men to do the same. Behind the stage, Lotta is criticized by her mother for her behavior. During the following time, the Crabtrees and Mart drive through the country and little by little Lotta precedes her reputation as an artist. But Tom also takes part in almost every show and soon meets Lotta in secret. Both have long been in love with each other. Mary Ann Crabtree doesn't like that at all, and even less when she has to learn that Tom is a professional player. She confronts her daughter with what she knows and accuses Tom of following them only to get Lotta's money. Dejected, Lotta refuses to speak to Tom, although her attention is further distracted by the appearance of a Union officer who asks her to take gold to her next stop at Fort Yucca. He explains to Lotta that a notorious bandit named "The Spaniard" stole gold from the Union so that it complies with his wish. Before Lotta drives on, she meets with Tom, who assures her of his love, and Lotta is only too happy to believe him.

On the way, however, the Crabtree's car is stopped by masked bandits led by "The Spaniard". Despite his disguise, Lotta recognizes him as Tom, who assures her that he is an ally of the Confederate in the civil war , who has been given the task of caring for his starving men. After Lotta sang the folk song Dixie for Tom, she says goodbye to him and continues her journey.

In the following years, Lotta's fame continued to grow and when she went to San Francisco, she met her father again. He's been lucky in the meantime and won a certificate while playing a card game that identifies him as the owner of a leading theater. Mart immediately has the idea to start a very successful show for Lotta there. As the Civil War rages on, Lotta becomes the darling of theater-goers in San Francisco. Hoping to find Tom, Lotta, reluctantly, leaves California for a long-distance tour that ends in New York. There, too, the performances of the famous "Golden Girl" are constantly sold out. It has now been more than a year since Lotta last heard from Tom, but the young woman does not want to give up hope that he is alive. And in fact, shortly after the end of the war, Lotta received a letter from Tom, who wrote that he had been wounded but was on the mend. At the same time, however, Lotta also receives a letter from Tom's doctor, informing her that Tom will probably not survive his severe wound. Mortally unhappy, Lotta continues her show and also sings the song Dixie , although the audience boos her for it. Mart intervenes and calls out to the crowd that winners should be generous to the vanquished, and so it happens that the crowd soon joins the song.

After the show, her family leaves Lotta alone, as she wishes, because she wants to mourn. As she looks over the empty stage, she suddenly hears someone calling her name. It's Tom, Lotta throws herself happily into his arms.

production

Production notes

It is a 20th Century Fox production. Fred Sersen was responsible for the special photographic effects , Roger Heman for the sound. The working title of the film was Belle of Market Street . Among other things, it was filmed from April 30 to July 31, 1951 at Century Ranch in Malibu Hills and in San Francisco. The shooting had to be interrupted for a period of about three weeks because Mitzi Gaynor broke a toe.

Lotta Crabtree , played by Mitzi Gaynor in the film .

background

The plot of the film is based on the life of the famous American entertainer Lotta Crabtree (1847-1924), who was known under the name The Golden Girl . Crabtree was taught dance in a small mountain town in California by Lola Montez , a neighbor, when she was six . When she was eight years old, she was already touring California under the care of her mother and soon became a sensation in Francisco as well as New York and the rest of the United States. At 25, the young woman was the richest actress of her generation and did a lot of good with her money. For example, she gave the city of San Francisco a fountain as a gift.

According to a message in the industry magazine Hollywood Reporter , dancer Valerie Bettis has been cast to star in the film. Although it was announced in the Los Angeles Examiner in March 1951 that Thelma Ritter was playing the role of Mary Ann Crabtree, it was Una Merkel who appeared in the final film. The announcements that Grady Harrison, Doc McGill, Lola Kendrick, Alvin Hammer, Sally Yarnell and Danny Borzage were cast in the film were not confirmed either. In May 1950, it was announced that character actor Bill Worth had died while filming. In mid-June 1950 it was announced that director Lloyd Bacon had a cameo as a policeman in the film, just as he had done in his other films in the past. The recordings with Worth and Bacon could not be made out in the finished film. For Mitzi Gaynor, the role of Lotta Crabtree was her first leading role in a film, in this case her third. Lorraine Lo Bianco believed that Mitzi Gaynor was reminiscent of Betty Hutton with her optimistic charisma and her talent for dancing and singing . This film gives her a chance to shine as the upcoming superstar. Mitzi Gaynor later said that Golden Girl was one of her favorite films.

music

The following titles are played and sung in the film:

  • California Moon , music Joe Cooper, text: George Jessel and Samuel Lerner
    • sung and danced by Mitzi Gaynor, as well as Dennis Day and Mitzi Gaynor and James Barton together
  • Never , music: Lionel Newman , text: Eliot Daniel
    • sung by Dennis Day
  • Sunday Morning , music: Ken Darby , text: Ken Darby and Eliot Daniel
    • sung and danced by Mitzi Gaynor and Dennis Day
  • I Wish I Was In ( Dixie's Land aka Dixie ), written by Daniel Decatur Emmett
    • sung by Mitzi Gaynor
  • Kiss Me Quick and Go , music: Frederick Buckley, text: Silas Sexton Steel
    • sung and danced by Mitzi Gaynor
  • When Johnny Comes Marching Home , text: Patrick Gilmore under the pseudonym Louis Lambert
    • sung and danced by Mitzi Gaynor
  • Oh, them Golden Slippers , written by James Allen Bland
    • sung by Mitzi Gaynor
  • San Francisco , music: Bronisław Kaper, text: Gus Kahn
  • Yankee Doodle , traditional way
  • Carry Me Back to Old Virginny , written by James Allen Bland
    • sung by Mitzi Gaynor and Dennis Day
  • Beautiful Dreamer , written by Stephen Foster

Initial release

The world premiere of the film took place on November 8, 1951 in San Francisco, in New York the film was shown on November 19, 1951 and in Los Angeles on November 21, 1951. It was shown in Sweden in 1952, as well as in Afghanistan, Argentina, Finland and the Philippines (in Davao). In 1953 it was published in Australia, as well as in Portugal. It was first shown in Turkey in March 1954. It has also been published in the following countries: Brazil, Spain, France, Greece and Italy.

criticism

The Los Angeles Examiner critic wrote of Mitzi Gaynor's performance as "one of the most promising young actresses."

For Bosley Crowther of the New York Times , the film was not a hit, but it was pleasant entertainment. The legendary Lotta Crabtee, the golden girl who fascinated and enchanted people after the Civil War , is hardly fascinating on the screen, but she is a fine girl. A complete biography was obviously not sought, one was too busy alone with the rise of the heroine. The result was a rather uninspired musical film in Technicolor, the music of which is not unforgettable. Crowther also remarked that Mitzi Gaynor was young and unspoiled like the entertainer she embodied. Maybe sometimes she exaggerates a little with her skipping around ... Dennis Day is there to admire Miss Gaynor from a distance and to raise his high tenor voice in songs like California Moon and Sunday Morin ' and Una Merkel add a common portrayal as a disapproving mother .

Award

The film received in 1952 a nomination for the Oscar in the category "Best Song" for the song Never by Eliot Daniel and Lionel Newman . However, the song In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer from the film comedy Wedding Parade (Here Comes the Groom) was awarded .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Golden Girl (1951) Articles at TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English)
  2. ↑ a b c d e Golden Girl (1951) Notes at TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English)
  3. ↑ Golden Girl (1951) Original Print Information at TCM (English)
  4. ↑ Musical Monday: Golden Girl (1951) at cometoverhollywood.com with film excerpts and various pictures (English). Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  5. ^ Bosley Crowther : The Screen: Two New Films on Local Scene In: The New York Times . November 21, 1951 (English). Retrieved January 15, 2017.