Meet Danny Wilson (1951)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Joseph Pevney

Writers:

Don McGuire (screenplay)
Don McGuire (story)

Release Date:

1 April 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical

Plot:

Danny Wilson and partner Mike make a meager living singing in dives and hustling pool. One night they meet entertainer Joy Carroll...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Character Name In Title

Cast

Frank Sinatra	...	Danny Wilson
Shelley Winters	...	Joy Carroll
Alex Nicol	...	Michael Francis (Mike) Ryan
Raymond Burr	...	Nick Driscoll alias Joe Martell
Vaughn Taylor	...	T.W. Hatcher
Tommy Farrell	...	Tommy Wells
Donald MacBride	...	Police Desk Sergeant
Barbara Knudson	...	Marie
Carl Sklover	...	Cab driver
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Albright	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Richard Alexander	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Phil Arnold	...	Little Man (uncredited)
Ray Barnes	...	Second Interne (uncredited)
Willie Bloom	...	Fight Second (uncredited)
Harold Bostwick	...	Photographer (uncredited)
James Bradley	...	Quartette Singer (uncredited)
Paul Bradley	...	Ad Lib Bit (uncredited)
Mary Brewer	...	Party Girl (uncredited)
Norman Brooks	...	Quartette Singer (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Sue Casey	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Jimmy Casino	...	Fight Second (uncredited)
Bill Cassady	...	Newspaper reporter (uncredited)
Bill Cassidy	...	Interne (uncredited)
Jeff Chandler	...	Himself, Jeff Chandler, Nightclub patron (uncredited)
Jack Chefe	...	Makeup Man (uncredited)
Eddie Coontz	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Tony Curtis	...	Himself, Tony Curtis, Nightclub patron (uncredited)
John Daheim	...	Gus, Driscoll's Henchman (uncredited)
Peggy Dale	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Sayre Dearing	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Helen Dickson	...	Club Extra (uncredited)
Tom Dillon	...	Policeman (uncredited)
John Dix	...	Quartette Singer (uncredited)
Bob Donnelly	...	Emerson (uncredited)
George Eldredge	...	Detective Lt. Kelly (uncredited)
Paul Ely	...	Western Union Messenger (uncredited)
Sandra Farrell	...	Bobby-Soxer (uncredited)
Bobby Faye	...	Inmate (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty	...	'Mother' Murphy (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Guest at Danny's Party (uncredited)
Cindy Garner	...	Stewardess (uncredited)
George Garver	...	Fighter (uncredited)
Charmienne Harker	...	Dance Director (uncredited)
Paula Hill	...	Party Girl (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Charles Horvath	...	Truck Driver (uncredited)
Tom Hubbard	...	Cop (uncredited)
John Indrisano	...	Truck Passenger (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	London Bobby (uncredited)
Bert Keyes	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Jack Kruschen	...	Drunken Heckler (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Driscoll's Nightclub Headwaiter (uncredited)
Morty Langer	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Donna Leary	...	Bobby-Soxer (uncredited)
Earl Lee	...	Park Cop (uncredited)
Herbert Lytton	...	White, Lawyer (uncredited)
Larry McGrath	...	Inmate (uncredited)
Noreen Michaels	...	Ad Lib Bit (uncredited)
Lee Miller	...	Airline Clerk (uncredited)
Carlos Molina	...	Bandleader (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Gregg Palmer	...	Interne / Policeman (uncredited)
Charlie Parlato	...	Musician with Trumpet (uncredited)
Bob Perry	...	Tim (uncredited)
Charles Perry	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Ezelle Poule	...	Maggie (uncredited)
George Ramsey	...	Electrician (uncredited)
Bob Reeves	...	Plainclothesman (uncredited)
Phil Resnick	...	Inmate (uncredited)
Albin Robeling	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Ned Roberts	...	Park Policeman (uncredited)
Michael Ross	...	Salesman (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Frank J. Scannell	...	Nightclub Emcee (uncredited)
Bruce Sharpe	...	Inmate (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Leo Sulky	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Cop Outside Fight Arena (uncredited)
Jeanne Tatum	...	Tired Hairdresser (uncredited)
Ken Terrell	...	Driscoll's Henchman (uncredited)
Billy Vernon	...	Usher (uncredited)
Peter Virgo	...	Pool Player (uncredited)
George Wallace	...	Patrolman (uncredited)
Billy Wayne	...	Driscoll's Nightclub Manager (uncredited)
Danny Welton	...	Joey Thompson (uncredited)
Sam Wolfe	...	Waiter in Hamburger Joint (uncredited)
Sally Yarnell	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Louis Young	...	Quartette Singer (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph Pevney

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Don McGuire		screenplay
Don McGuire		story

Produced by
Leonard Goldstein	....	producer
Don McGuire	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Maury Gertsman

Film Editing by
Virgil W. Vogel

Art Direction by
Bernard Herzbrun
Nathan Juran

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman
Julia Heron

Costume Design by
Bill Thomas

Makeup Department
Joan St. Oegger	....	hair stylist
Bud Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Edward Dodds	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Shaw	....	assistant director
Les Warner	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Leslie I. Carey	....	sound
Richard DeWeese	....	sound

Special Effects by
David S. Horsley	....	special photography

Music Department
Joseph Gershenson	....	musical director

Other crew
Harold Belfer	....	choreographer
Leslie Urbach	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Universal International Pictures (UI)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1952) (USA) (theatrical)
• Eureka Entertainment (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (1959) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Soundtrack:

A Good Man Is Hard to Find

When He Doesn't Sing

Any excuse like Meet Danny Wilson you can get to hear Frank Sinatra sing some great old standards is something to take advantage of. Problem with Meet Danny Wilson is that when Sinatra stops singing, he's really one obnoxious boor in this film.

Singer Frank Sinatra and his accompanist piano player Alex Nicol are making a meager living in a whole lot of dives until top singer Shelley Winters hears them and gets them hired by her gangster boss Raymond Burr. Burr's got eyes for her, Sinatra has eyes for her, but she only sees Nicol. That leads to a whole lot of complications.

What further leads to complications is Raymond Burr's verbal contract to get 50% of Sinatra's earnings. Burr doesn't like things in writing just fork over the money and he has 32 caliber lawyer if needed.

Some have said this is a thinly veiled Sinatra autobiographical film. If so it's a picture of Frank no one could take. I'm still trying to figure out why Nicol puts up with him. They're old army buddies, but that only takes you so far.

Danny Wilson is one of the least attractive characters Sinatra ever brought to the screen. But when he's singing, my oh my.