The Unsinkable Molly Brown

Overview

Meredith Willson's second Broadway hit (the first and biggest was The Music Man) proved a lucrative vehicle for the equally unsinkable Debbie Reynolds. Based on a true story, the film casts Debbie as hoydenish Molly Brown, who wangles her way into Denver High Society when she marries "overnight millionaire" Johnny Brown (Harve Presnell). When the local social arbiters give Molly the brush-off, she pulls off a coup by bringing a representative of European royalty, Prince Louis de Laniere (Vassili Lambrinos) into the Colorado community. Her admiration for the prince causes a rift in her marriage; it takes the sinking of the Titanic--wherein Molly heroically commandeers one of the lifeboats and is responsible for rescuing several of the passengers--to bring Molly and Johnny together again. While the energetic performances of such songs as "I Ain't Down Yet" and "Belly Up to the Bar Boys" are to be cherished, the real highlight of The Unsinkable Molly Brown is a society ball which ends up in a pie fight between the Denver "elite" and Molly's rambunctious mining-town cronies. Treated condescendingly by the critics, the film struck a responsive chord with audiences to the tune of a $7.5 million gross.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/02/2011
UPC:	0883316346136
Original Release:	1964
Source:	Warner Archives
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	2:15:00
Sales rank:	5,311

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Debbie Reynolds	Molly Brown
Harve Presnell	'Leadville' Johnny Brown
Ed Begley	Shamus Tobin
Hermione Baddeley	Buttercup Grogan
Jack Kruschen	Christmas Morgan
Vassili Lambrinos	Prince Louis de Laniere
Fred Essler	Baron Karl Ludwig von Ettenburg
Harvey Lembeck	Polak
Lauren Gilbert	Mr. Fitzgerald
Kathryn Card	Mrs. Wadlington
Hayden Rorke	Broderick
Harry Holcombe	Mr. Wadlington
Amy Douglass	Mrs. Fitzgerald
George Mitchell	Monsignor Ryan
Martita Hunt	Grand Duchess Elise Lupovinova
Vaughn Taylor	Mr. Cartwright
Anthony Eustrel	Roberts
Audrey Christie	Mrs. McGraw
Grover Dale	Jam
Brendan Dillon	Murphy
Maria Karnilova	Daphne
Gus Trikonis	Joe
Mary Ann Niles	Dancehall Girl
Anna Lee	Passenger
George Nicholson	Hotchkiss,Hotchkiss
Ramsey Hill	Lord Simon Primdale
Moyna MacGill	Lady Primdale
Pat Benedetto	Count Feranti
Mary Andre	Countess Feranti
Pat Moran	Vicar
Herb Vigran	Spieler
Eleanor Audley	Mrs. Cartwright
Calvin Jackson	Composer
Leo Arnaud	Composer
Leo Shuken	Composer
Jack Hayes	Composer
Jack Elliott	Composer
Robert Armbruster	Composer
Meredith Willson	Composer

Technical Credits

Helen Deutsch

Charles Walters	Director
Helen Deutsch	Screenwriter
A. Arnold Gillespie	Special Effects
Robert R. Hoag	Special Effects
J. McMillan Johnson	Special Effects
Lawrence Weingarten	Producer

Editorial Reviews

A career highpoint for Debbie Reynolds, The Unsinkable Molly Brown is essentially a showcase for the diminutive star's singing, dancing and acting. Not that she's the only thing in the movie. Harve Presnell is very definitely a big presence -- and his luscious, booming baritone with its sweet, light upper register is very definitely a tremendous asset. Presnell shows his voice off to good advantage in "Colorado, My Home" and "I'll Never Say No," two of the more attractive offerings from Meredith Willson's good-but-not-great score. The leading man is also a decent actor, much looser and more engaging than other such singers in the Howard Keel mode, and he partners Reynolds well. Reynolds gives the part her energetic all, plunging into the raucous aspects of her character with wild abandon, and making the transformation to elegant swan believable. At times she does try too hard, and the push is evident in vocal strain in her two big numbers, the anthemic "I Ain't Down Yet" and the boisterous "Belly up to the Bar, Boys." And even with all her commitment and enthusiasm, Reynolds can disguise neither the fact that Molly's singleminded social climbing has an unpleasant aspect to it nor that the plot is often thin and unconvincing. Charles Walters has shot the film beautifully, and the physical production is impressive. While Peter Gennaro's choreography is of variable quality, the ensemble -- including stellar dance talents such as Grover Dale and Maria Karnilova -- is first rate.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler