''Green Dolphin Street'' is a 1947

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

disaster film starring

Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized per ...

Van Heflin Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. H ...

, and

Donna Reed Donna Reed (born Donna Belle Mullenger; January 27, 1921 – January 14, 1986) was an American actress. Her career spanned more than 40 years, with performances in more than 40 films. She is well known for her portrayal of Mary Hatch Bailey in ...

, directed by

Victor Saville Victor Saville (25 September 1895 – 8 May 1979) was an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1927 and 1954. He also produced 36 films between 1923 and 1962. Biography Saville produced his first f ...

, and produced by Carey Wilson. Based on the 1944 novel '' Green Dolphin Street'' by

Elizabeth Goudge Elizabeth de Beauchamp Goudge FRSL (24 April 1900 – 1 April 1984) was an English writer of fiction and children's books. She won the Carnegie Medal for British children's books in 1946 for ''The Little White Horse''. Goudge was long a popular ...

, it was released by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

Plot

In the 1840s, in the town of San Pierre on the English Channel Island of

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

, two sisters, Marguerite (

) and Marianne Patourel (

), daughters of the wealthy Octavius Patourel (

Edmund Gwenn Edmund Gwenn (born Edmund John Kellaway; 26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959) was an English actor. On film, he is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the Christmas film ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947), for which he won t ...

), fall in love with the same young man, William Ozanne ( Richard Hart). Marguerite is sweet and simple, while Marianne is extremely shrewd and plans to take over the family shipping business. William is the son of Dr. Edmond Ozanne (

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...

), who has recently returned to the island after many years away. Additionally, Dr. Ozanne is the former teenage lover of Sophie Patourel (

Gladys Cooper Dame Gladys Constance Cooper, (18 December 1888 – 17 November 1971) was an English actress, theatrical manager and producer, whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television. Beginning as a teenager in Edwardian musi ...

), Marguerite and Marianne's mother. Sophie's mother broke up their youthful romance over Edmond's heavy drinking and lower social status. She married Octavius afterwards, under pressure from her parents. Meanwhile, the new clipper ship ''Green Dolphin'' arrives in the island's port. The captain of the ship, Captain O'Hara (

Reginald Owen John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was a British actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American films and television programs. Career The son of Joseph and Frances Owen, Reginald Owen studied at Sir Herbert ...

), tells William and Marianne of the wonders of the new colony of New Zealand. Captain O'Hara's men catch a stow-away, Timothy Haslam (

), who recently killed his brother-in-law in self-defence. Captain O'Hara believes his story and agrees to smuggle the man to New Zealand. Marianne then schemes for her father to sponsor William to be a naval officer. After a two-year time skip, William returns to the island for a day. On the island, he secretly declares his love for Marguerite and his father dies suddenly. William reluctantly agrees to return to his ship and travels to China. In China, he sends a love letter and gift to Marguerite, but is then drugged and robbed. He misses his ship and is labeled as a deserter. Fortuitously, he finds the ''Green Dolphin'' in the Chinese port. He sneaks aboard the ship and travels to New Zealand, where he will be safe from the law. Captain O'Hara finds William work in New Zealand as a school teacher, but he chooses to travel into the back-country with Timothy instead. Having settled in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and become a successful lumberman, William drunkenly writes a letter to the family proposing marriage to Marianne, meaning to write "Marguerite" and confusing the names. Sophie reads the letter aloud to the family. Marianne is elated and Marguerite crushed by the news, not realizing the mistake. Marianne decides, against her father's wishes, to set off on the ''Green Dolphin'' for New Zealand to be with William. As they approach New Zealand, O'Hara warns Marianne that William gave him the note in a drunken stupor and may not be serious, but she affirms that she loves William and will make a good man out of him. In New Zealand William, expecting Marguerite, realizes his mistake only when he sees Marianne come off the boat. Timothy, who secretly loved Marianne in San Pierre, strong-arms William into marrying her and not disappointing the would-be bride. When Sophie is on her deathbed, she tells Marguerite and Octavius that her marriage was forced, but that she grew to love Octavius completely. Octavius says that he always knew, but loved her anyway and supported William because of Sophie's love for his father. Sophie tells Marguerite to apply the advice to her own life, as a hint that William was never the man for her and that she can make a better love. As Sophie dies, Marguerite leaves her mother and father alone and goes to her room. She reads a letter from William, which announces that Marianne is pregnant. She runs to tell her father, but is informed that her father died minutes after her mother. Despondent, she crosses the tidal flats to a nearby island and lies on the beach as the tide comes in. However, as the water reaches her, she regains the will to live and climbs the treacherous rocks to the nearby convent, where the nuns take pity on her. Marianne significantly improves the lumber business by switching to barge shipping, instead of wagons. Marianne is pregnant and unhappy in her marriage, knowing that William hates her and drinks heavily, despite her love for him. While William is away on business, a terrible earthquake destroys the Maori village and logging camp. Timothy saves Marianne as fissures open and trees fall all around. A massive tsunami and landslide floods the river barge that William is on, nearly drowning him. ''Green Dolphin'' is wrecked by the tsunami and Captain O'Hara is killed, despite William's effort to save him. William and Marianne reconcile in the aftermath of the disaster and name their newborn daughter Veronica. Several years later, war has broken out between the Maori and the New Zealand colonial government. Timothy is warned that fighting is going to spread into their area and implores Marianne and Veronica to leave for

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. They refuse and Marianne convinces William to build a

stockade A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls, made of logs placed side by side vertically, with the tops sharpened as a defensive wall. Etymology ''Stockade'' is derived from the French word ''estocade''. The French word was derived ...

around their village, also against Timothy's advice. Timothy leaves for Wellington. The hostile Maori attack and capture the family. However, Timothy returns and negotiates their release with his friends among the Maori. Their timber business destroyed, Marianne plans to move to the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

and start a

sheep ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

. Timothy decides not to join them, but confesses his love to Marianne before she leaves. The attraction is mutual, but Marianne says she cannot leave her husband and daughter. In San Pierre, Marguerite returns to the convent and prepares to become a nun. The move to the South Island is extremely successful for Marianne and William, who now live in a stately mansion in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

. In addition to the sheep business, they have formed a steam-shipping company and William is one of the community's first citizens. However, Marianne wants to return to San Pierre and run the family business from there. She arranges a pardon for William for his crime of desertion, so that they can return. When they arrive in the family house, Marianne finds William's old letter from China confessing his love for Marguerite. Marianne confronts William, who admits his drunken mistake and that Timothy knew of it. Marianne meets Marguerite on the day she is to take her vows as a nun and explains William's mistake. Marguerite explains that she is happy as a nun and she no longer loves William. As Marguerite takes her vows, William tells Marianne that he has grown to love her more than he ever loved Marguerite. The film ends with Marguerite taking her vows as a nun.

Cast

as Marianne Patourel *

as Timothy Haslam *

as Marguerite Patourel * Richard Hart as William Ozanne *

as Dr. Edmond Ozanne *

as Octavius Patourel * Dame May Whitty as Mother Superior *

as Captain O'Hara *

as Sophie Patourel *

Moyna Macgill Moyna Macgill (born Charlotte Lillian McIldowie; 10 December 1895 – 25 November 1975) was an Irish actress from Belfast and the mother of actress Angela Lansbury and producers Edgar and Bruce Lansbury. In 2020, she was listed at number 35 on ...

as Mrs. Metivier *

Linda Christian Linda Christian (born Blanca Rosa Henrietta Stella Welter Vorhauer; November 13, 1923 – July 22, 2011) was a Mexican film actress, who appeared in Mexican and Hollywood films. Her career reached its peak in the 1940s and 1950s. She played Mara ...

as Hine-Moa * Bernie Gozier as Jacky-Poto * Patrick Aherne as Kapua-Manga *

Al Kikume Al Kikume (9 October 1894 – 27 March 1972), born Elmer Kikume Gozier, was an American actor and stuntman of Hawaiian descent. He was born in Topeka, Kansas and died in Los Angeles. Beginning with his first credited role, in the indepen ...

as A Maori * Edith Leslie as Sister Angelique * Ramsay Ames as Corinne *

Gigi Perreau Gigi Perreau (born February 6, 1941) is an American film and television actress. Early years The daughter of French-born Robert and Eleanor Child Perreau-Saussine, she was born Ghislaine Elizabeth Marie Thérèse Perreau-Saussine. Career Perrea ...

as Veronica (child) * Lynn O'Leary-Jameson as Veronica (infant) * Douglas Walton as Sir Charles Maloney

Production background

The film stars

, and Richard Hart, and features a screenplay by

Samson Raphaelson Samson Raphaelson (March 30, 1894 – July 16, 1983) was a leading American playwright, screenwriter and fiction writer. While working as an advertising executive in New York, he wrote a short story based on the early life of Al Jolson, called ' ...

based on the historical novel ''Green Dolphin Street'' (1944) by

. The film was directed by

and produced by Carey Wilson. Hart and Heflin, who played romantic rivals in ''Green Dolphin Street'', were similarly cast in ''

B.F.'s Daughter ''B.F.'s Daughter'' is a 1948 drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Van Heflin. It was adapted from John P. Marquand's 1946 novel of the same name, about a prominent couple whose marital tensions come to a b ...

'' (1948). Hart made only four feature films before his death at an early age, two of them co-starring Heflin.

Location

The film was shot on locations in

Humboldt County, California Humboldt County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463. The county seat is Eureka. Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna, California Micropolitan Statistica ...

Reception

The film was one of the most popular movies at the British box office in 1948 and MGM's most successful film of 1947. It earned $4,304,000 in the US and Canada and $2,869,000 elsewhere, but because of its high cost only recorded a profit of $339,000.

Awards and honors

In 1948, the film won the

Academy Award for Best Visual Effects The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects is an Academy Award given for the best achievement in visual effects. History of the award The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first recognized the technical contributions of special effects ...

, particularly for its depiction of a devastating earthquake. It was also nominated in the categories Cinematography (Black-and-White), Film Editing,

Sound Recording Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording te ...

(

Douglas Shearer Douglas Graham Shearer (November 17, 1899 – January 5, 1971) was a Canadian American pioneering sound designer and recording director who played a key role in the advancement of sound technology for motion pictures. The elder brother of ac ...

) and Special Effects. The film is recognized by

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

in these lists: * 2005:

AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Part of the AFI 100 Years... series, AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores is a list of the top 25 film scores in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute in 2005. John Williams has the most scores in the top 25, with three ...

– Nominated

Theme song

The film's

title song A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

, " Green Dolphin Street" (often recorded as "''On'' Green Dolphin Street"), went on to become a

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive lis ...

. The song has been recorded by

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

Eric Dolphy Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist and flautist. On a few occasions, he also played the clarinet and piccolo. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gai ...

, the

Modern Jazz Quartet The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was a jazz combo established in 1952 that played music influenced by classical music, classical, cool jazz, blues and bebop. For most of its history the Quartet consisted of John Lewis (pianist), John Lewis (piano), ...

Albert Ayler Albert Ayler (; July 13, 1936 – November 25, 1970) was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer. After early experience playing R&B and bebop, Ayler began recording music during the free jazz era of the 1960s. Howev ...

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones, July 2, 1930) is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and educator. For six decades, he has been one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. Biography Early life Jamal was born Fr ...

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

, Agnieszka Hekiert, Dick and Kiz Harp,

Steps Ahead Steps Ahead is an American jazz fusion group. History The group arose out of spontaneous sessions at Seventh Avenue South, a jazz club in New York City owned by saxophonist Michael Brecker and trumpeter brother Randy Brecker. The first three al ...

, Jane Fuller, and

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Recording prolifically for Blue Note Records as both leader and sideman, Green performed in the hard bop, soul jazz, bebop, and Latin-tinged idioms ...

, among others.

Radio adaptation

''Green Dolphin Street'' was presented on ''

Lux Radio Theatre ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...

'' 19 September 1949. The adaptation starred Turner, Heflin, and

Peter Lawford Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford ( Aylen; 7 September 1923 – 24 December 1984) was an English-American actor.Obituary ''Variety'', 26 December 1984. He was a member of the " Rat Pack" and the brother-in-law of US president John F. Kennedy and sen ...

References

External links

* * * *
Lyrics of title song

{{Elizabeth Goudge 1947 films 1940s historical drama films American historical drama films American black-and-white films Films based on British novels Films directed by Victor Saville Films that won the Best Visual Effects Academy Award Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films set in Guernsey Films set in New Zealand Films set in the 1840s Films set in the 1850s Films about earthquakes Films scored by Bronisław Kaper 1947 drama films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films