Barnes & Noble

The Broadway musical Guys and Dolls -- source of such standards as "Luck Be A Lady Tonight" and "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat" -- also proved to be one of Hollywood's greatest musical achievments. This rollicking spectacle from 1955 offered a dream pairing of leads: the inimitable toughness of Marlon Brando with the street savvy savoir faire of Frank Sinatra. Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve) finds all the character nuances of Damon Runyan's original story and illuminates them against the colorful hustle and bustle of New York's Times Square. Guys and Dolls is the story of down-and-out gambler Nathan Detroit (Sinatra) and his floating crap game -- "the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York" -- which comes vividly alive with song and dance scenes. Jean Simmons plays the prudish Sara Brown, and her infamous tango scene with Sky Masterson (Brando) in Havana rumbles with excitement. Vivian Blaine gives the performance of her career as the flaky, gorgeous dumb-blonde Adelaide, and Sinatra gives Detroit the kind of meekness and desperation necessary for us to feel empathy for this lowly gambler. Although Guys and Dolls continues to be a stage favorite, the film version maintains its own legend as one of America's most beloved musicals. Karen Backstein

All Movie Guide

The 1955 film Guys and Dolls began life as two Runyon short stories, the most prominent of which was "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown." This material was fleshed out into a 2-act libretto by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling, then set to music by Frank Loesser and directed by George S. Kaufman. Opening late in 1950, Guys and Dolls was one of Broadway's hottest tickets for several seasons. The plot involves a certain Broadway citizen by the name of Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra), who maintains the "Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York." Seeking a location for his latest high-stakes game, Nathan has an opportunity to rent out the Biltmore Garage, but he needs $1000 to do so. He decides to extract the money from high-rolling Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando), known for his willingness to bet on anything. Nathan wagers that Sky will not be able to talk the virginal Salvation Army lass Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons) into going on a date with him. While Sky goes to work on Sarah, Nathan endeavors to fend off his girlfriend Miss Adelaide (Vivian Blaine, repeating her Broadway role), who has developed a psychosomatic cold because of her frustrating 14-year engagement to the slippery Mr. Detroit. Thanks to some fast finagling, Sky is able to take Sarah on that date, flying to Havana for this purpose. By the time they've returned to New York, Sky and Sarah are in love, but their ardor cools off abruptly when Nathan, unable to secure the Biltmore garage, attempts to use Sarah's mission as the site of his crap game. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 027616809322
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français, Español
• Subtitles: Français, Español
• Time: 2:29:00
• Sales Rank: 986

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Frank Sinatra MGM Movie Legends Collection
• MGM Classic Musicals Collection
• The Fox-MGM Hollywood Musicals Collection
• Frank Sinatra Star Collection

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