The Magnificent Yankee (1950 film)
| The Magnificent Yankee | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | John Sturges |
| Produced by | Armand Deutsch |
| Written by |
Emmet Lavery (play) Francis Biddle |
| Starring |
Louis Calhern Ann Harding Eduard Franz Philip Ober |
| Music by | David Raksin |
| Cinematography | Joseph Ruttenberg |
| Edited by | Ferris Webster |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $639,000[1][2] |
The Magnificent Yankee is a 1950 American biographical film adapted by Emmet Lavery from his play of the same title, which was in turn adapted from the book Mr. Justice Holmes by Francis Biddle. The story examines the life of United States Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.
The film was directed by John Sturges, with stars Louis Calhern, Ann Harding, Eduard Franz, and Philip Ober. Calhern created the role of Oliver Wendell Holmes in the play's original Broadway production, and the part was his only starring role in a sound film. A grateful Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer purchased the film rights of the play specifically as a reward to Calhern for playing many fine supporting roles for the studio for years.
The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Louis Calhern) and Best Costume Design, Black-and-White.
A Hallmark Hall of Fame television production of the same title was broadcast in 1965 starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
Cast and characters
- Louis Calhern – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
- Ann Harding – Fanny Bowditch Holmes
- Philip Ober – Mr. Owen Wister
- Ian Wolfe – Mr. Adams
- Eduard Franz – Judge Louis Brandeis
- Edith Evanson – Annie Gough
- Jimmy Lydon – Clinton
- Richard Anderson – Reynolds
- Herbert Anderson – Baxter
- Robert Griffin – Court Crier
Release
The film was made on a relatively small budget but only earned $487,000 in the US and Canada and $76,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss to MGM of $471,000.[1]
Music
For his score for this film David Raksin incorporated the songs "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", "Auld Lang Syne," and a portion of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square." Raksin also conducted the score.[3]
The complete score was issued on cd in 2009, on Film Score Monthly records.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ↑ Glenn Lovell, Escape Artist: The Life and Films of John Sturges, University of Wisconsin Press, 2008 p64
- ↑ Bettencourt, Scott (2009). David Raksin. "David Raksin at MGM (1950-1957)". Film Score Monthly (CD online notes) (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.) 12 (2).
External links
- The Magnificent Yankee at the Internet Movie Database
- The Magnificent Yankee at AllMovie
- The Magnificent Yankee (1965) at the Internet Movie Database