''The Goldwyn Follies'' is a 1938 Technicolor film written by

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A successful journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplay ...

, Sid Kuller, Sam Perrin and Arthur Phillips, with music by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer/songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can' ...

, and Ray Golden, and lyrics by

Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...

and Sid Kuller. Some sources credit

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

as one of the composers, but this is apparently incorrect. ''The Goldwyn Follies'' was the first

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

film produced by

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor an ...

. The movie, which features

Adolphe Menjou Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies. He appeared in such films as Charlie Chaplin's ''A Woman of Paris'', where he played the lead role; Stanley K ...

, Vera Zorina,

Edgar Bergen Edgar John Bergen (born Edgar John Berggren; February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978) was an American ventriloquist, actor, comedian, vaudevillian and radio performer, best known for his proficiency in ventriloquism and his characters ...

(with Charlie McCarthy), Andrea Leeds, Kenny Baker,

Ella Logan Ella Logan (born Georgina Armour Allan; 6 March 1913 – 1 May 1969) was a Scottish-American actress and singer who appeared on Broadway, recorded and had a nightclub career in the United States and internationally. Early years Logan was bo ...

Helen Jepson Helen Jepson (November 28, 1904 – September 16, 1997) was an American lyric soprano. Early years Jepson was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania, on November 28, 1904, (Two sources give her birthday as November 28, 1906.) DeLong, Thomas A. (199 ...

, Bobby Clark and the Ritz Brothers, depicts a movie producer who chooses a simple girl to be "Miss Humanity" and to critically evaluate his movies from the point of view of the ordinary person. The style of the film is very similar to other

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

of its era, including the "Gold Diggers" series and others. The film is an effective satire on Hollywood and has some excellent numbers choreographed by

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

. This was the last film score written by George Gershwin before his death on 11 July 1937. ''The Goldwyn Follies'' was released on 20 February 1938. The movie was nominated for an Oscar for Best Score as orchestrated by

Edward B. Powell Edward Benson Powell (December 5, 1909, Savanna, Carroll County, Illinois - February 28, 1984, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles) was an American arranger, orchestrator and composer, who served as Alfred Newman's musical lieutenant at 20th Century Fox ...

under the musical direction of

Alfred Newman Alfred Newman (March 17, 1900 – February 17, 1970) was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music. From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Aca ...

, as well as Best Interior Decoration.

Cast

as Oliver Merlin (as Adolph Menjou) *The Ritz Brothers as Themselves * Vera Zorina as Olga Samara * Kenny Baker as Danny Beecher * Andrea Leeds as Hazel Dawes *

as Himself * Charlie McCarthy as Himself *

as Leona Jerome * Phil Baker as Michael Day * Bobby Clark as A. Basil Crane Jr. *

as Glory Wood *

Jerome Cowan Jerome Palmer Cowan (October 6, 1897 – January 24, 1972) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Early years Cowan was born in New York City, the son of William Cowan, a confectioner of Scottish descent, and Julia Cowan, née Palm ...

as Director Lawrence * Charles Kullmann as Alfredo in 'La Traviata' *The American Ballet of the Metropolitan Opera as Ballet Dancers *

Nydia Westman Nydia Eileen Westman (February 19, 1902 – May 23, 1970) was an American actress and singer of stage, screen, and television. Early years Westman's parents, Theodore and Lily (Wren) Westman were active in vaudeville in her native New Y ...

as Ada *

Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...

as First Auditioning Singer (uncredited) * Francis Xavier Shields Assistant Director (uncredited)

Soundtrack

Songs include: * " Love is Here to Stay" * "

I Was Doing All Right "I Was Doing All Right" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Ella Logan (unseen, on the radio) in the 1937 film ''The Goldwyn Follies''. Notable recordings *Ella Logan - recorded on December 30, ...

" * "Spring Again" * "

Love Walked In "Love Walked In" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The tune was composed in 1930, but the lyric was not written until 1937, for the movie musical ''The Goldwyn Follies'' (1938), where it was sung by Kenny Baker. H ...

" * "I Love to Rhyme" * "Where's The Gosh-Darn Cat?"

Reception

The film was nominated for the

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. Lead ...

's 2006 list AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals. However, the film was included in the 1978 book, '' The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (and How They Got That Way)'', by Harry Medved, Randy Dreyfuss, and Michael Medved.

References

*https://web.archive.org/web/20050208123500/http://musicalheaven.com/g/goldwyn_follies.shtml * Harry Medved, Randy Dreyfuss, and

Michael Medved Michael Saul Medved (born October 3, 1948) is an American radio show host, author, political commentator, and film critic. His talk show, ''The Michael Medved Show'', is syndicated from his home station KTTH in Seattle. It is syndicated via G ...

, '' The Fifty Worst Films of All Time'' (1978) *Green, Stanley (1999) Hollywood Musicals Year by Year (2nd ed.), pub. Hal Leonard Corporation page 79

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goldwyn Follies, The 1938 films 1930s color films Films directed by George Marshall Samuel Goldwyn Productions films 1938 musical films George Gershwin in film Films with screenplays by Ben Hecht American musical films 1930s American films