Porgy and Bess (1959 film)
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| Porgy and Bess | |
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| Directed by | Otto Preminger |
| Produced by | Samuel Goldwyn |
| Written by | DuBose Heyward, Dorothy Heyward, N. Richard Nash |
| Starring | Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis, Jr., Pearl Bailey |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 24, 1959 |
| Running time | 139 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ? |
| IMDb profile | |
Porgy and Bess is a 1959 movie based on George Gershwin's opera of the same name. It is set in the fictional Catfish Row in 1930s Charleston, South Carolina.
Although the film won one Oscar and one Golden Globe, and its soundtrack album won a Grammy, it was critically and commercially unsuccessful. It was broadcast on network television only once, on the night of March 5, 1967, on ABC-TV. It has not been seen in its entirety on network TV since, although clips have been shown on some of the American Film Institute specials. Ira Gershwin and the Gershwin estate were unhappy with the film, and rescinded the rights to it in the 1970s. As a result, the film has never been on video or DVD, and few public screenings have been permitted, albeit begrudgingly. It is believed that the original negative is in dire need of a restoration.
Though Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge starred in the movie, their voices were dubbed in songs. Robert McFerrin sang for Poitier and Adele Addison for Dandridge. Ironically, singer Diahann Carroll had her voice dubbed for the role of Clara by Loulie Jean Norman, because Carroll is not an operatic soprano, though she is a talented Broadway singer and actress. Inez Matthews also sang the role of Serena, although the movie audience saw Ruth Attaway playing the role onscreen. (Filmgoers may rememember Ms. Attaway as Peter Sellers's housekeeper in the 1979 film Being There).
[edit] Awards
- 1960 Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture
- 1960 Golden Globe for Best Musical
- 1960 Grammy for Best Soundtrack Album, Original Cast - Motion Picture or Television
[edit] External links
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