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Encyclopedia > The Helen Morgan Story
The Helen Morgan Story

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Produced by Martin Rackin
Written by Nelson Gidding
Stephen Longstreet
Dean Riesner
Oscar Saul
Starring Ann Blyth
Paul Newman
Richard Carlson
Cinematography Ted D. McCord
Editing by Frank Bracht
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Running time 118 min.
Country United States
Language English
IMDb profile

The Helen Morgan Story is a 1957 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz. The screenplay by Oscar Saul, Dean Riesner, Stephen Longstreet, and Nelson Gidding is based on the life and career of torch singer/actress Helen Morgan, with fictional touches liberally added for dramatic purposes. Michael Curtiz (December 24, 1886 - April 10, 1962) was an Academy Award-winning Hungarian-American film director. ... Nelson Roosevelt Gidding (born 1920, died May 2, 2004) was an American screenwriter specializing in adaptations. ... Dean Riesner (November 3, 1918-August 18, 2002) was a prolific American film and television writer. ... Ann Blyth Ann Marie Blyth (born August 16, 1928 in Mount Kisco, New York) is an American actress and singer, most often cast in Hollywood musicals, but who also succeeded in the dramatic roles she was given. ... This article is about the American actor and race team owner. ... Richard Carlson Publicity Photo from The Last Command American movie actor Richard Carlson (April 29, 1912- November 21, 1977) was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota. ... “WB” redirects here. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Poster for Man on the Moon (1999), a biopic A biographical picture— often shortened to biopic— is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. ... Michael Curtiz (December 24, 1886 - April 10, 1962) was an Academy Award-winning Hungarian-American film director. ... Sample from a screenplay, showing dialogue and action descriptions. ... Dean Riesner (November 3, 1918-August 18, 2002) was a prolific American film and television writer. ... Nelson Roosevelt Gidding (born 1920, died May 2, 2004) was an American screenwriter specializing in adaptations. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... For the beauty pageant winner, see Helen Morgan (Miss World). ... For other uses, see Fiction (disambiguation). ...

Contents

Plot synopsis

Morgan begins her career as a Chicago carnival dancer and catches the eye of fast-talking, double-dealing Larry Maddux, whose promotion catapults her to fame as a Broadway performer in Show Boat and a headliner in her own nightclub. She anguishes over her romantic relationships with both him and Russell Wade, a wealthy, married attorney. When she realizes the caddish Maddux merely has been using her to support the upscale lifestyle he has come to enjoy, she turns to drink. She loses the bulk of her money to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Wall Street Crash of 1929, hits rock bottom, and is hospitalized in the alcoholic ward in Bellevue. Maddux has a change of heart and arranges a gala testimonial dinner, hosted by Walter Winchell and Florenz Ziegfeld, in her honor. The film's ending suggests this was Morgan's first step on the road to recovery, success, and happiness, which was not the case in real life. For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation). ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... For films based on the musical, see Show Boat (film). ... Laser lights illuminate the dance floor at a Gatecrasher dance music event in Sheffield, England A nightclub (or night club or club) is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. ... An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... The Tavern Scene from A Rakes Progress by William Hogarth. ... Booze redirects here. ... Seal of the Internal Revenue Service Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Part of the Taxation series        IRS redirects here. ... Crowd gathering on Wall Street. ... For the town in the Republic of Ireland, see Hospital, County Limerick. ... Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ... Bellevue Hospital Center, founded in 1736, is the oldest public hospital in the United States. ... In promotion and advertising, a testimonial or endorsement consists of a written or spoken statement, sometimes from a public figure, sometimes from a private citizen, extolling the virtue of some product. ... Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was an American newspaper and radio commentator. ... Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. ...


Production notes

In 1950, Boxoffice announced Warner Bros. was planning to release a musical biography with Doris Day as Helen Morgan. This is one of the few studio projects Day refused to make, citing she did not want to portray the sordid aspects of Morgan's life, which were in direct contrast to Day's wholesome screen image.[1][2] BoxOffice is a film industry magazine dedicated to the movie theatre business. ... “WB” redirects here. ... Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff (born April 3, 1924)[1] is an American singer, actress, and animal welfare advocate known as Doris Day. ...


Principal cast

Ann Blyth Ann Marie Blyth (born August 16, 1928 in Mount Kisco, New York) is an American actress and singer, most often cast in Hollywood musicals, but who also succeeded in the dramatic roles she was given. ... This article is about the American actor and race team owner. ... Richard Carlson Publicity Photo from The Last Command American movie actor Richard Carlson (April 29, 1912- November 21, 1977) was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota. ... Actor Gene Evans in Crashout Film actor Gene Evans (July 11, 1922 - April 1, 1998) began his acting career while serving in World War II while performing an a theatrical troupe of GIs in Europe. ... Alan King (December 26, 1927 – May 9, 2004), born Irwin Alan Kniberg, was an American comedian known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. ... Cara Williams (born Bernice Kamiat) was a film actress. ...

Principal production credits

A film producer creates the conditions for making movies. ... The title of music director is used by many symphony orchestras to designate the primary conductor and artistic leader of the orchestra. ... Ray Heindorf (b. ... Look up Choreography in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cinematography (from Greek: kinesis (movement) and grapho (to record)), is the discipline of making lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for the cinema. ... The term art director, is an overall title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games. ... Costume design is the design of the appearance of the characters in a theater or cinema performance. ...

Soundtrack

Videotape cover
Videotape cover
  • Why Was I Born
  • I Can't Give You Anything But Love
  • Medley: If You Were the Only Girl in the World/Avalon/Do Do Do/Breezin' Along with the Breeze
  • Love Nest
  • Medley: Someone to Watch Over Me/The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else
  • Body and Soul
  • April in Paris
  • Speak of Me of Love
  • More Than You Know
  • On the Sunny Side of the Street
  • The Man I Love
  • Medley: Just a Memory/Deep Night
  • Don't Ever Leave Me
  • Medley: I've Got a Crush On You/I'll Get By
  • Something to Remember You By
  • My Melancholy Baby
  • Bill
  • I Can't Help Lovin' That Man

Although Ann Blyth was known to be a talented singer, her voice was dubbed by Gogi Grant. A soundtrack album is available on compact disc. Ann Blyth Ann Marie Blyth (born August 16, 1928 in Mount Kisco, New York) is an American actress and singer, most often cast in Hollywood musicals, but who also succeeded in the dramatic roles she was given. ... In sound recording, dubbing is the transfer of recorded audio material from one medium to another of the same or a different type. ... Gogi Grant (born Myrtle Audrey Arinsberg, September 20, 1924) was an American popular singer. ... A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music from a particular feature film. ... CD redirects here. ...


Critical reception

In his review in the New York Times, A.H. Weiler called the film "as uplifting as soap opera" and added, "The indestructible tunes and the producers' fairly honest approach to the sleaziness of the speakeasy era should generate genuine nostalgia, but Miss Morgan's career, on film, appears to be uninspired, familiar fare . . . It's all about as heart-warming as an electric pad. Ann Blyth . . . desperately attempts to capture the essentially moving qualities of the performer . . . [she] is fragile, sweet and timorous in the role, but she cannot manage to project the idea that she is swaying audiences either by singing or emotional force." [3] The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... The first TIME magazine cover devoted to soap operas, dated January 12, 1976. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Look up nostalgia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...


Variety called it "little more than a tuneful soap opera" and added, "The story line sometimes strains credulity and the dialogue situations occasionally give the production a cornball flavor . . . Director Michael Curtiz has done a good job with the material at hand, injecting a pacing and bits of business that help maintain interest, and the production gets added benefit from a series of hit tunes of the era . . . Blyth turns in a sympathetic but not always convincing performance. Newman is very good as the rackets guy, giving the part authority and credibility." [4] Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ...


TV Guide says, "Helen Morgan was the greatest torch singer, a petite brunette who sat atop pianos plaintively warbling sad songs about the men who mistreated her. More a profile of those songs than a detailed exposition of her life, this film offers only a slice of a fabulous and unforgettable career . . . most of the wobbly plot is fictional, which is unfortunate since Morgan's true story was much more spectacular and, had it been followed, would have provided a finer film." [5] TV Guide is the name of two North American weekly magazines about television programming, one in the United States and one in Canada. ...


References

  1. ^ Pryor, Thomas M. "STUDIO PLANS FILM ON HELEN MORGAN; Warners Lists Life of Singer for March 15--No Star Is Named for Title Role", The New York Times, February 23, 1956. Accessed January 12, 2007.
  2. ^ The Films That Never Were at DorisDay.net
  3. ^ New York Times review
  4. ^ Variety review
  5. ^ TV Guide review

The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... A car from 1956 Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

External links

  • The Helen Morgan Story at the Internet Movie Database
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1920s
Boccaccio • The Star of Damascus • The Scourge of God • Miss Tutti Frutti • Good and Evil • Mrs. Dane's Confession • Labyrinth of Horror Sodom and Gomorrah • Young Medardus • Avalanche • Nameless • A Deadly Game • General Babka Harun al Raschid • Moon of Israel • Red Heels • Cab No. 13 • The Golden Butterfly • The Third Degree • A Million Bid • The Desired Woman Good Time Charley • Tenderloin • Noah's Ark • Glad Rag Doll • Madonna of Avenue A • The Gamblers • Hearts in Exile
1930s
Mammy • Under a Texas Moon • The Matrimonial Bed • Bright Lights • A Soldier's Plaything • River's End • Demon of the Sea God's Gift to Women • The Mad Genius • The Woman from Monte Carlo • The Strange Love of Molly Louvain • Doctor X • The Cabin in the Cotton • 20,000 Years in Sing Sing • Mystery of the Wax Museum • The Keyhole • Private Detective 62 • Goodbye Again • The Kennel Murder Case • Female • Mandalay • Jimmy the Gent • The Key • British Agent • The Case of the Curious Bride • Black Fury • Front Page Woman • Little Big Shot • Captain Blood • The Walking Dead • The Charge of the Light Brigade • Stolen Holiday • Mountain Justice • Kid Galahad • The Perfect Specimen • Gold Is Where You Find It • The Adventures of Robin Hood (with William Keighley) • Four's a Crowd • Four Daughters • Angels with Dirty Faces • Dodge City • Daughters Courageous • The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex • Four Wives
1940s
1950s
Young Man with a Horn • Bright Leaf • The Breaking Point • Force of Arms • Jim Thorpe -- All-American • I'll See You in My Dreams The Story of Will Rogers • The Jazz Singer Trouble Along the Way • The Boy from Oklahoma • The Egyptian • White Christmas • We're No Angels The Scarlet Hour • The Vagabond King • The Best Things in Life Are Free • The Helen Morgan Story • The Proud Rebel • King Creole • The Hangman • The Man in the Net
1960s
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn • A Breath of Scandal • Francis of Assisi • The Comancheros
Short films
Jön az öcsém (1919) • Sons of Liberty (1939)
Productions
Bright Lights (1935)
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... . ... . ... . ... . ... . ... . ... . ... . ... . ... . ... Michael Curtiz (December 24, 1886 - April 10, 1962) was an Academy Award-winning Hungarian-American film director. ... Alraune is a 1918 science fiction horror film directed by Michael Curtiz and Edmund Fritz. ... Noah’s Ark is a 1929 American early romantic Melodrama disaster film directed by Michael Curtiz and written by Darryl F. Zanuck. ... Mammy (1930) is an All-Talking musical drama motion picture, with Technicolor sequences, which was released by Warner Brothers. ... Under A Texas Moon is a 1930 musical western film photographed entirely in Technicolor. ... The Matrimonial Bed is a 1930 Pre-Code comedy film produced and released by Warner Bros. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy one of the guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia on one of the following topics: If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand the article to establish its notability, citing reliable sources. ... Gods Gift to Women is a 1931 Pre-Code musical romantic comedy film produced and released by Warner Bros. ... Doctor X is a First National/Warner Bros. ... The Cabin in the Cotton is a 1932 American drama film directed by Michael Curtiz. ... 20,000 Years in Sing Sing is a 1932 black-and-white crime film set in Sing Sing, a notorious maximum security prison in New York State. ... Mystery of the Wax Museum is a mystery/horror Technicolor film released in 1933, and directed by Michael Curtiz. ... Goodbye Again is a 1933 comedy film made by First National Pictures/Warner Bros. ... Female is a 1933 comedy film, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, Lois Wilson, Johnny Mack Brown and Ruth Donnelly. ... Jimmy the Gent is a 1934 black-and-white film starring James Cagney as an unscrupulous investigator and Bette Davis as his skeptical paramour. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Captain Blood is a 1935 swashbuckling film made by First National Pictures and Warner Brothers. ... The Walking Dead is a 1936 black-and-white horror film starring Boris Karloff as a wrongly executed man who is returned to life by a mad doctor (Edmund Gwenn). ... This article is about the 1936 film. ... Kid Galahad is a 1937 prizefighter film starring Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart. ... The Adventures of Robin Hood is an American film released in 1938 and directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley. ... Fours a Crowd was a romantic comedy directed by Michael Curtiz and made in 1938. ... Four Daughters is a 1938 film which tells the story of a happy musical family whose lives and loves are disrupted by the arrival of a cynical young composer who interjects himself into the daughters romantic lives. ... Angels with Dirty Faces is a well-known and often referenced 1938 Warner Brothers film noir directed by Michael Curtiz and starring James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Pat OBrien, and the Dead End Kids. ... Dodge City is a western movie starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. ... Daughters Courageous was a movie from 1939, starring three of the four Lane Sisters (Lola, Rosemary and Priscilla). ... The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), is a romantic drama film based on the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I (played by Bette Davis) and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (played by Errol Flynn). ... Virginia City is a 1940 black-and-white movie starring Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, and Randolph Scott, and featuring a mustachioed Humphrey Bogart in the role of the real-life outlaw John Murrell. ... Movie poster for The Sea Hawk The Sea Hawk is a 1940 adventure film about an English privateer set in the Elizabethan era, loosely based on the historical figure Sir Francis Drake. ... Santa Fe Trail is a 1940 western film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. ... The Sea Wolf is a 1941 black-and-white film adaptation of Jack Londons novel The Sea Wolf with Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, and John Garfield. ... Captains of the Clouds is a 1942 Warner Bros war film, directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by William Cagney, with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. ... Yankee Doodle Dandy is a 1942 biographical film about George M. Cohan, starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf, Irene Manning, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney. ... This article is about the 1942 film. ... Mission to Moscow is a 1943 movie directed by Michael Curtiz with a screen play by Howard Koch based on the book by Ambassador Joseph E. Davies. ... This Is the Army is a 1943 American motion picture produced by Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner, and directed by Michael Curtiz. ... Spanish film poster for Passage to Marseille Passage to Marseille is a 1944 war film made by Warner Brothers, directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Hal B. Wallis with Jack L. Warner as executive producer. ... Mildred Pierce is an American film noir released in 1945 and directed by Michael Curtiz. ... DVD Cover of Night and Day Night and Day is a 1946 fictionalised biographical film made by Warner Brothers, based on the life of American composer and songwriter Cole Porter. ... Life with Father is the title of a humorous autobiographical book of stories written in 1936 by Clarence Day, Jr. ... The Unsuspected is a 1947 film starring Claude Rains. ... Isadore Friz Freleng (August 21, 1906[1]–May 26, 1995) was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. ... Flamingo Road is a 1949 American drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Joan Crawford, Zachary Scott, Sydney Greenstreet and David Brian. ... In this 1949 comedy film, Jennifer Smith (Jane Wyman) heads a Consumer Reports-type company and her reputation for honesty is her greatest asset. ... Young Man with a Horn is a 1950 film, based on a biographical novel of the same name, based on the life of Bix Beiderbecke. ... Bright Leaf is a 1949 novel written by Foster Fitzsimmons, which was adapted into a 1950 film by Henry Koster and starring Gary Cooper and Lauren Bacall. ... Jim Thorpe -- All-American is a 1951 biographical film produced by Warner Brothers and directed by Michael Curtiz, honoring Jim Thorpe, the great Native American athlete who won medals at the 1912 Olympics and distinguished himself in various sports, both in college and on professional teams. ... The Jazz Singer (1952) is the remake of the infamous 1927 talking picture, The Jazz Singer. ... Trouble Along the Way is a 1953 film starring John Wayne and Donna Reed. ... The Egyptian is a 1954 epic film made in Cinemascope by 20th Century Fox, directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. ... White Christmas is a 1954 movie starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that featured the songs of Irving Berlin, including the titular White Christmas. ... Were no Angels is a 1955 comedy picture starring Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray. ... King Creole is a 1958 Elvis Presley film and soundtrack based on the 1952 Harold Robbins novel, A Stone for Danny Fisher. ... A Breath of Scandal is a 1960 film adapted from Ferenc Molnars stage play Olympia. ... The Comancheros is a 1961 western film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring John Wayne and Stuart Whitman. ...

  Results from FactBites:
 
The Helen Morgan Story - Synopsis - Moviefone (247 words)
Ann Blyth plays famed "torch singer" Helen Morgan, from her humble beginnings as a carnival dancer to the height of her nightclub fame in the 1920s.
Helen spends most of her spare time anguishing over the on-and-off affections of her boorish boyfriend (Paul Newman), who had discovered Helen during her carnival days and promoted her to stardom.
By 1927, Helen is headlining in her own nightclub, with further fame and fortune greeting her when she is cast as Julie in the blockbusting Broadway hit Show Boat.
Helen Morgan at AllExperts (764 words)
Helen Morgan (August 2, 1900 - October 9, 1941) was an American singer and actress who worked in films and on the stage.
Morgan was noticed by Florenz Ziegfield while dancing in the chorus of his production of Sally in 1923 and she went on to perform with the Ziegfield Follies in 1931, the Follies' last active year.
Morgan was played by Ann Blyth in a 1957 biographical film, titled The Helen Morgan Story in the US and Both Ends Of The Candle in the UK.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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