''Red, Hot and Blue'' is a 1949 American

musical comedy film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as break ...

directed by

John Farrow John Villiers Farrow, Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic), KGCHS (10 February 190427 January 1963) was an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Spending a considerable amount of his career in the United States, he was nomina ...

and starring

Betty Hutton Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 12, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. She rose to fame in the 1940s as a contract player for Paramount Pictures, appea ...

Victor Mature Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include '' One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darli ...

William Demarest Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 28, 1983) was an American actor, known especially for his supporting roles in screwball comedies by Preston Sturges and as Uncle Charley in the sitcom ''My Three Sons'' from 1965-72. Demares ...

and

June Havoc June Havoc (born Ellen Evangeline Hovick;Ancestry Library Edition November 8, 1912 – March 28, 2010) was a Canadian-born American actress, dancer, stage director and memoirist. Havoc was a child vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her ...

. It was released by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. Hutton plays an actress who gets mixed up with gangsters and murder.

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser ( "lesser"; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls (musical), Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business ...

wrote the songs and plays a key role. The film has no connection to

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

's play of the same name.

Plot

Hair-Do Lempke snatches actress Eleanor Collier, believing her to be a witness to the murder of his gangster boss. Eleanor tells him her story. While rooming with girlfriends Sandra and No-No and desperately trying to become a star, Eleanor resists the marriage proposals of theater director Danny James, her boyfriend. Her agent Charlie Baxter sets her up on a date with wealthy Alex Creek, who owns a baseball team and occasionally sponsors the careers of starlets. Alex's wife objects, dumping water on Eleanor. A bigshot, Bunny Harris, is introduced to Eleanor and might help her career. While in his apartment, though, Bunny is gunned down and Eleanor learns from Hair-Do to her surprise that Bunny was a crook. She holds the bad guys at bay until Danny rides to the rescue.

Cast

as Eleanor Collier *

as Danny James *

as Charlie Baxter *

as Sandra * Jane Nigh as Angelica Roseanne *Frank Loesser as Hair-do Lempke * William Talman as Bunny Harris * Art Smith as Laddie Corwin *

Raymond Walburn Raymond Walburn (September 9, 1887 – July 26, 1969) was an American character actor of stage and screen who appeared in dozens of Hollywood movie comedies and an occasional dramatic role during the 1930s and 1940s. Life and career Born ...

as Alex Ryan Creek *

Onslow Stevens Onslow Stevens (born Onslow Ford Stevenson; March 29, 1902 – January 5, 1977) was an American stage, television and film actor. Early years Born in Los Angeles, California, Stevens was the son of British-born character actor Houseley St ...

as Captain Allen * Barry Kelley as Lieutenant Gorman *

Jack Kruschen Jacob "Jack" Kruschen (March 20, 1922 – April 2, 2002) was a Canadian character actor who worked primarily in American film, television and radio. Kruschen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr. Dreyf ...

as Steve *Joseph Vitale as Carr *

Percy Helton Percy Alfred Helton (January 31, 1894 – September 11, 1971) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He was one of the most familiar faces and voices in Hollywood of the 1950s. Career Helton was born in Manhattan. He began ac ...

as Mr. Perkins *Ernö Verebes as Waiter *

Philip Van Zandt Philip Van Zandt (October 4, 1904 – February 15, 1958), sometimes billed as Phil Van Zandt, was a Dutch-American actor of stage, film, and television. He made nearly 250 film and television appearances between 1939 and 1958. Life and career ...

as Louie *Henry Guttman as Frankie *Don Shelton as Hamlet *

Herschel Daugherty Herschel Eldon Daugherty (October 27, 1910 – March 5, 1993) was an American television and film director and occasional actor. Early life and career Born in Clarks Hill, Indiana, to Charles Emerson and Blanche Eracene Daugherty (né Feere ...

as Laertes * Dorothy Abbott as The Queen *

Julia Faye Julia Faye Maloney (September 24, 1892 – April 6, 1966), known professionally as Julia Faye, was an American actress of silent and sound films. She was known for her appearances in more than 30 Cecil B. DeMille productions. Her various roles ...

as Julia *John Marchak as Guard

Production

The film was originally called ''The Broadway Story''. It was the second film from Pioneer Pictures, a recently formed independent production company. Charles Lederer wrote the script based on stories provided by such Broadway columnists as

Dorothy Kilgallen Dorothy Mae Kilgallen (July 3, 1913 – November 8, 1965) was an American columnist, journalist, and television game show panelist. After spending two semesters at the College of New Rochelle, she started her career shortly before her 18th bir ...

, Louis Sobol, Danton Walker and Earl Wilson. It was to start filming October 1, 1948, following the production of Pioneer's first film, ''Kingsblood Royal'', based on the novel by

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930, he became the first author from the United States (and the first from the America ...

Lloyd Nolan Lloyd Benedict Nolan (August 11, 1902 – September 27, 1985) was an American stage, film and television actor who rose from a supporting player and B-movie lead early in his career to featured player status after creating the role of Captain Qu ...

was discussed for the male lead. However Pioneer ended up selling the project to Paramount Studios in September 1948 as a vehicle for

Frank Tashlin Frank Tashlin (born Francis Fredrick von Taschlein, February 19, 1913 – May 5, 1972), also known as Tish Tash and Frank Tash, was an American animator and filmmaker. He was best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' ...

was hired to rewrite the script. Robert Fellows was to produce and

to direct. It was Hutton's first film in two years. The film was retitled ''Restless Angel''.

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. He is often remembered for his portrayal of an alcoholic writer in Billy Wilder's ''The Lost Weekend'' (1945), which wo ...

was going to star, but it was decided to loan him out to Fox; his role was taken by

, who had just made '' Samson and Delilah'' for Paramount. Mature and Hutton had not previously acted together and Paramount hoped this novelty would prove attractive at the box-office. The title was changed again to ''Red Hot and Blue''. Filming started January 10, 1949. June Havoc was cast after Betty Hutton saw her appear on stage in ''Rain''. Frank Loesser made his acting debut, as a gangster, and wrote four songs. Filming ended in March 1949.

References

External links

* * {{John Farrow 1949 films American crime comedy films American musical comedy films Films directed by John Farrow Paramount Pictures films 1949 musical comedy films American black-and-white films 1940s American films 1940s English-language films English-language crime comedy films English-language musical comedy films