Movies - Guys and Dolls

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	Movies - Guys and Dolls

:For the "Married... with Children" episode, see Guys and Dolls (Married... with Children episode). Guys and Dolls is a successful 1950 musical. It had a long run on Broadway (1200 performances) and was filmed in 1955 starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra and Jean Simmons (debuted on November 3, 1955). The words and music were written by Frank Loesser and the book was by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.

It is based upon "The Idyll Of Miss Sarah Brown", a short story by Damon Runyon. It also borrows characters and plot elements from other stories by him, most notably "Pick the Winner". Many of the characters were based on real people in Runyon's hometown, Pueblo, Colorado.

Synopsis

Although there are detail differences between the stage and movie versions, the plot is essentially based around the activities of New York petty criminals and professional gamblers. Nathan Detroit makes a living by running an (illegal) "floating crap game", despite constant encouragement to "go straight" by Miss Adelaide, a nightclub singer to whom he has been engaged for fourteen years.

Sky Masterson is also a gambler, who will lay a bet on almost anything. He is unwillingly drawn by Nathan into trying to win a bet by taking Sarah Brown, a sister at the Save a Soul Mission, to dinner in Havana, Cuba.

Most of the characters are generally portrayed as preying on society's weakness for gambling, but are not prone to regular violence.

There is a suggestion that Nathan Detroit may be Jewish, due to his frequent use of Yinglish phrases, especially in the song "Sue Me" which includes "nu" (an interjection roughly meaning well, as of expectation), and turns of phrase such as "What can you do me?"

Musical numbers

"Runyonland"
"Fugue for Tinhorns"
"Follow the Fold"
"The Oldest Established"
"I'll Know"
"A Bushel and a Peck" (theatre) / "Pet Me Poppa" (movie)
"Adelaide's Lament"
"Guys and Dolls"
"Ever Loving Adelaide"
"If I Were a Bell"
"My Time"
"I've Never Been in Love Before" (theatre) / "A Woman In Love" (movie)
"Take Back Your Mink"
"More I Cannot Wish You"
Crapshooters' Ballet
"Luck Be a Lady"
"Sue Me"
"Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat"
"Marry the Man Today"

Broadway Production

The show opened at the 46th Street Theatre on November 24, 1950.

CAST:

Robert Alda
as Sky Masterson
Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide
Sam Levene
as Nathan Detroit
Isabel Bigley as Sister Sarah Brown
Pat Rooney as Arvide Abernathy
B. S. Pully as Big Jule
Stubby Kaye
as Nicely-Nicely Johnson
Tom Pedi as Harry The Horse
Johnny Silver as Benny Southstreet

London Production

The show opened at the Coliseum on May 28, 1953 and ran for 555 performances.

CAST:

Jerry Wayne as Sky Masterson
Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide
Sam Levene
as Nathan Detroit
Lizbeth Webb as Sister Sarah Brown
Ernest Butcher as Arvide Abernathy
Lew Herbert as Big Jule
Stubby Kaye
as Nicely-Nicely Johnson
Tom Pedi as Harry The Horse
Johnny Silver as Benny Southstreet

Goldwyn movie production 1955

The movie version was directed by Joseph Mankiewicz.

CAST:

Marlon Brando
as Sky Masterson
Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide
Frank Sinatra
as Nathan Detroit
Jean Simmons
as Sister Sarah Brown
Stubby Kaye
as Nicely-Nicely Johnson
Johnny Silver as Benny Southstreet
Robert Keith
as Lieutenant Brannigan
Sheldon Leonard
as Harry the Horse
Regis Toomey
as Arvide Abernathy

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Guys and Dolls ]

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