Based on the Broadway show from the Damon Runyon short story and filled to the brim with Frank Loesser tunes such as “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat,” this outrageously comic film featuring Marlon Brando's bold musical debut is a colorful tale about gamblers, a feisty Salvation Army lass, and a dance-hall girl with a pining heart.
Veteran gambler Sky Masterson (Brando) takes a bet from Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) that he can win the affection of a “soldier” (Jean Simmons) in the Salvation Army, setting himself up to lose both his money and his heart. Romance is the last thing the gambler and the missionary expect, and they fight against their attraction for all they're worth in glowing singing and dancing numbers.
Love proves to be contagious as spicy dancer Miss Adelaide, in a role re-created for the screen from Broadway by showstopper Vivian Blaine, is determined to get her fiance, Nathan, to the altar one way or another. Stubby Kaye and B.S. Pully also reprise their stage roles in this glorious Cinemascope film that earned four Academy Award nominations. GUYS AND DOLLS consistently ranks among the most popular film musicals of all time.
Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) Golden Globe Winner 1955.
Critic Reviews:
- " The showtunes are weapons-grade: especially Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat, which never fails to get any audience on its feet. A must. " – Peter Bradshaw (Guardian)
- " Joseph L Mankiewicz's adaptation of the Frank Loesser Broadway musical, itself adapted from Damon Runyon stories, looks a treat. The wonder of the film is that it combines widescreen colour and opulence with an earthy, street-level humour. " – Geoffrey Macnab (Independent, UK))
- " Brando the singing actor and Sinatra the acting singer make a remarkable pair as sharp-suited gangsters and gamblers, along with their “dolls”, Vivian Blaine and the English actress Jean Simmons. " – Kate Muir (Times, UK))