''The Girl of the Golden West'' is a 1938 American musical

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film adapted from the 1905 play of the same name by

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of ...

, better known for providing the plot of the opera ''

La fanciulla del West ''La fanciulla del West'' (''The Girl of the West'') is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by and , based on the 1905 play '' The Girl of the Golden West'' by the American author David Belasco. ''Fanciulla'' follow ...

'' by

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

. A frontier woman falls in love with an outlaw.''The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1931–40'' published by The American Film Institute, c.1993

Cast

Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', '' Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow'' and '' On ...

as Mary Robbins *

Nelson Eddy Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclub ...

as Ramerez *

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) and ''Madame Curie'' (1943). Pidgeon also starred in ...

as Sheriff Jack Rance *

Leo Carrillo Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo (; August 6, 1880 – September 10, 1961), known professionally as Leo Carrillo, was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, and conservationist. He was best known for playing Pancho in the television ...

as Mosquito *

Buddy Ebsen Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr., April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer, whose career spanned seven decades. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS ...

as Alabama *Leonard Penn as Pedro *

Priscilla Lawson Priscilla Jones Lawson (née Shortridge, March 8, 1914 – August 27, 1958), was an American actress best known for her role as Princess Aura in the original ''Flash Gordon'' serial (1936). Early years Born in St. Paul, Indiana, Lawson was t ...

as Nina Martinez *Bob Murphy as Sonora Slim *

Olin Howland Olin Ross Howland (February 10, 1886 – September 20, 1959) was an American film and theatre actor. Life and career Howland was born in Denver, Colorado, to Joby A. Howland, one of the youngest enlisted participants in the Civil War, an ...

as Trinidad Joe *

Cliff Edwards Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standar ...

as Minstrel Joe * Billy Bevan as Nick * Brandon Tynan as The Professor * H.B. Warner as Father Sienna * Monty Woolley as The Governor *

Charley Grapewin Charles Ellsworth Grapewin (December 20, 1869 – February 2, 1956) was an American vaudeville and circus performer, a writer, and a stage and film actor. He worked in over 100 motion pictures during the silent and sound eras, most notably port ...

as Uncle Davy (in prologue) * Noah Beery Sr. as The General – in prologue (as Noah Beery Sr.) * Bill Cody Jr. as Gringo (young Ramirez; in prologue) *Jeanne Ellis as Young Mary Robbins (in prologue) *

Ynez Seabury Ynez Seabury (June 26, 1907 – April 11, 1973) was an American actress of the stage, silent and early sound film era. She began her career as a child actor, making her screen debut in D. W. Griffith's ''The Miser's Heart'' (1911). She appea ...

as Wowkle

Soundtrack

* ''Sun-Up to Sun Down''; Played during the opening credits ** Music by

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his musicals and operettas, particularly '' The Student Prince'' (1924), '' The Desert Song'' (1926) and '' The New Moon'' (1928). E ...

** Lyrics by

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo ...

** Sung by Jeanne Ellis and the pioneers in the prologue * ''Shadows On The Moon'' ** Music by Sigmund Romberg ** Lyrics by Gus Kahn ** Sung by Jeanne Ellis at a campfire in the prologue ** Reprised by

** Whistled and hummed by

* ''Soldiers Of Fortune'' ** Music by Sigmund Romberg ** Lyrics by Gus Kahn ** Sung by Noah Beery and his men in the prologue, Bill Cody Jr. (dubbed by Raymond Chace) in the prologue ** Reprised by Nelson Eddy and his men * ''The Wind In The Trees'' ** Music by Sigmund Romberg ** Lyrics by Gus Kahn ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald ** Played on a fife by

* ''Gwine to Rune All Night (1850)''; (''De Camptown Races'') ** Written by

Stephen Foster Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826January 13, 1864), known also as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and minstrel music during the Romantic period. He wrote more than 200 songs, inc ...

** Played as background music in the saloon * ''Polly Wolly Doodle'' ** Lyrics by Gus Kahn ** Played on piano by Brandon Tynan ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald * ''Ave Maria'' ** Music by

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

** Adopted from the ''First Prelude'' in ''The Well-Termpered Clavier'' ** By

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

** Played on an organ by H.B. Warner ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald and chorus * ''Señorita'' ** Music by Sigmund Romberg ** Lyrics by Gus Kahn ** Sung by Nelson Eddy and party guests ** Reprised by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy * ''Mariache'' ** Music by Sigmund Romberg ** Lyrics by Gus Kahn ** Additional lyrics by Carlos Ruffino ** Translation for Spanish lyrics by Zacharias Yaconelli (uncredited) ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy and chorus ** Danced to by the party guests * ''The West Ain't Wild Anymore'' ** Music by Sigmund Romberg ** Lyrics by Gus Kahn ** Sung by Buddy Ebsen * ''Who Are We To Say'' ** Music by Sigmund Romberg ** Lyrics by Gus Kahn ** Sung by Nelson Eddy ** Hummed by Jeanette MacDonald ** Reprised on piano by Brandon Tynan and sung by Jeanette MacDonald * ''The Wedding March'' ** from ''A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61'' ** Written by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy ** Played on a banjo and hummed by

Box office

According to MGM records the film earned $2,882,000 resulting in a profit of $243,000.

References

External links

* * * 1938 films 1938 Western (genre) films 1938 romantic drama films 1930s romantic musical films American Western (genre) musical films American black-and-white films Remakes of American films American films based on plays American romantic drama films American romantic musical films Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard Films scored by Herbert Stothart Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Operetta films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-Western-film-stub