Strictly Dishonorable (1951 film)
| Strictly Dishonorable | |
|---|---|
 title card | |
| Directed by | Melvin Frank Norman Panama |
| Written by | Melvin Frank Norman Panama |
| Based on | Strictly Dishonorable 1929 play by Preston Sturges |
| Produced by | Melvin Frank Norman Panama |
| Starring | Ezio Pinza Janet Leigh |
| Cinematography | Ray June |
| Edited by | Cotton Warburton |
| Music by | Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Lennie Hayton |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date | July 3, 1951 (US) |
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,182,000[1] |
| Box office | $881,000[1] |
Strictly Dishonorable is a 1951
Plot
In New York in the 1920s, amorous opera star Augustino "Gus" Caraffa (Ezio Pinza) crosses paths with Isabelle Perry (Janet Leigh), a naive music student from Mississippi who is his biggest fan. When a news photographer catches them in a kiss, it is proposed that they get married in name only to avoid a scandal. Isabelle, who is in love with Gus, agrees to the charade, hoping that he will eventually fall in love with her.[2][3]
Cast
- Ezio Pinza as Count Augustino "Gus" Caraffa
- Janet Leigh as Isabelle Perry
- Millard Mitchell as Bill Dempsey
- Gale Robbins as Marie Donnelly
- Maria Palmer as Countess Lili Szadvany
- Esther Minciotti as Mme. Maria Caraffa
- Silvio Minciotti as Uncle Nito
- Arthur Franz as Henry Greene
- Sandro Giglio as Tomasso
- Hugh Sanders as Harry Donnelly
- Mario Siletti as Luigi
Production notes
- Opera and Broadway star Pinza had previously appeared in the film
- Greta Garbo, John Gilbert and Lewis Stone among others, appear in archival footage from the MGM silent film A Woman of Affairs (1928). Stone played the part of "Judge Dempsey" in the 1931 version of Strictly Dishonorable.[7]
- The operatic scenes were staged by Vladimir Rosing.
- "Dempsey" was the maiden name of Preston Sturges' mother.
- The prolific comic character actress Kathleen Freeman appears uncredited as a movie theatre organist.
- Scott R. Beal, who appears uncredited in the bit part of a vendor, was primarily an assistant director. He received an Academy Award as "Best Assistant Director" in 1934 and was nominated again in 1935.[8]
Songs
- "I'll See You in My Dreams" - by Isham Jones (music) and Gus Kahn (lyrics)
- "Everything I Have Is Yours" - by Burton Lane (music) and Harold Adamson (lyrics)
- "La veau d'or" from the opera Faust - by Charles Gounod (music) and Jules Barbier and Michel Carré (libretto)
- "Se a caso madama" from the opera Lorenzo da Ponte(libretto)
- Unnamed aria from the opera Il ritorno di Césare - by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (music and lyrics)[9]
Notes:
- Il ritorno di Césare is a fictitious opera created by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco for the film, and staged by Vladimir Rosing.[4]
Production
Preston Sturges approached Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with the idea of doing a remake of Strictly Dishonorable with Ezio Pinza, and received $60,000 for the rights, but was disappointed when he was not hired to write the screenplay.[4]
Strictly Dishonorable was in production from mid-January to mid-March 1951,[10] and was released on 3 July of that year.[11]
Reception
According to MGM records the film earned $660,000 in the US and Canada and $221,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $664,000.[1]
Adaptations
Lux Radio Theatre broadcast a radio adaptation of the film on December 8, 1952, with Janet Leigh reprising her role and Fernando Lamas replacing Pinza.[4][12]
