Carousel (1956)

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Phoebe Ephron (screenplay)
Henry Ephron (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

16 February 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Romance

Tagline:

20th-Century Fox proudly presents [Rodgers and Hammerstein's CAROUSEL]

Plot:

Billy Bigelow asks for permission to be sent down "from above" for one day to try and make amends for mistakes he made in life...

Plot Keywords:

Carousel | Barker | Carnival | Impatience | Afterlife

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Gordon MacRae	...	Billy Bigelow
Shirley Jones	...	Julie Jordan
Cameron Mitchell	...	Jigger Craigin
Barbara Ruick	...	Carrie Pipperidge
Claramae Turner	...	Cousin Nettie
Robert Rounseville	...	Mr. Enoch Snow
Gene Lockhart	...	Starkeeper / Dr. Selden
Audrey Christie	...	Mrs. Mullin
Susan Luckey	...	Louise Bigelow
William LeMassena	...	Heavenly Friend
John Dehner	...	Mr. Bascombe
Jacques d'Amboise	...	Louise's 'Starlight Carnival' Dancing Partner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Banas	...	Ruffian in Louise's ballet (uncredited)
Harry Carter	...	Third Policeman (uncredited)
Richard Deacon	...	First Policeman (uncredited)
Marion Dempsey	...	Sword Swallower (uncredited)
Robert Foulk	...	Second Policeman (uncredited)
Lili Gentle	...	Young Girl #1 (uncredited)
Marie Greene	...	Louise Bigelow (singing voice) (uncredited)
Cheryl Holdridge	...	Young Girl #2 (uncredited)
Harry Johnson	...	Juggler (uncredited)
Tor Johnson	...	Strong Man (uncredited)
Edward Mundy	...	Fire Eater (uncredited)
Mary Orozco	...	Fat Woman (uncredited)
Dee Pollock	...	Enoch Snow, Jr. (uncredited)
Angelo Rossitto	...	Midget (uncredited)
Sylvia Stanton	...	Contortionist (uncredited)
Frank Tweddell	...	Capt. Watson (uncredited)

Directed by
Henry King

Writing credits
Phoebe Ephron		(screenplay)
Henry Ephron		(screenplay)
Oscar Hammerstein II		(book of stage musical)
Ferenc Molnár		(play "Liliom")
Benjamin Glazer		(English translation and adaptation of Liliom) (as Benjamin F. Glazer)

Produced by
Henry Ephron	....	producer

Cinematography by
Charles G. Clarke

Film Editing by
William Reynolds

Art Direction by
Jack Martin Smith
Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by
Chester L. Bayhi		(as Chester Bayhi)
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Mary Wills

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stanley Hough	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Bernard Freericks	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound

Special Effects by
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Bob Rose	....	additional grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe (as Charle Le Maire)
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant

Music Department
Ken Darby	....	vocal supervisor
Earle Hagen	....	orchestrator
Gus Levene	....	orchestrator
Bernard Mayers	....	orchestrator
Alfred Newman	....	conductor
Alfred Newman	....	music supervisor
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator
Nelson Riddle	....	orchestrator
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (as Herbert Spencer)

Other crew
Rod Alexander	....	choreographer
Agnes de Mille	....	choreographer: original Louise's Ballet

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1956) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1966) (USA) (TV) (pan/scan) (edited)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Fox Video (????) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Angel Records  soundtrack released by (1990's CD edition) (uncredited)
• Angel Records  soundtrack released by (2001 expanded CD edition) (uncredited)
• Bausch & Lomb  CinemaScope lenses by
• Capitol Records  soundtrack released by (1956 LP and first CD edition) (uncredited)
• Theatre Guild  stage production

Also Known As:

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 6-Track Stereo (premiere only) | 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (PCA #17724) | Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | Canada:G | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Augusta, Maine, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Judy Garland, who was fresh from A Star Is Born (1954), was considered for the role of Julie Jordan, although that never materialized.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: At one point in the film the sun is shown to set over the ocean, although the film is set in Maine and the sun sets in the west, not the east.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Heavenly Friend: Bigelow...
Billy Bigelow: [impatiently] Well, what'd I do now?
Heavenly Friend: Nothing. I just thought you'd wanna know - there's trouble.
Billy Bigelow: Huh! Thought you said I didn't do nothin'.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 20th Century-Fox: The First 50 Years (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

What's the Use of Wond'rin'

"He's Your Fellow And You Love Him, That's All There Is To Say"

I saw Carousel for the very first time in its first release when it played a double bill with Oklahoma. You can't do much better than that for an introduction to the American Musical Theater.

It would get a perfect 10 had it been done with the original two leads that were set for the show, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. Judy backed out before production started and Sinatra shortly after that, so Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones got to do a second Rodgers&Hammerstein classic.

Carousel is based on the Ferenc Molnar play Liliom and the original setting is in Molnar's native Hungary. On Broadway it was done by Eva Le Gallienne and Joseph Schildkraut and later in revival by Ingrid Bergman and Burgess Meredith. One man who did it in summer stock was Tyrone Power who if a straight dramatic version of Liliom had ever been done, would have been perfect.

Whether he's Liliom in Hungary or Billy Bigelow in 19th century New England, the part is one for a hero/heel that Tyrone Power patented on the screen. Probably Gordon MacRae benefited in no small way in having Power's favorite director Henry King in charge of Carousel.

Richard Rodgers was also used to writing for a hero/heel having done Pal Joey with his former partner Lorenz Hart. Billy is that kind of guy, a carousel barker and boy toy to owner Audrey Christie when he spots Julie Jordan and her friend Carrie Pipperidge, a couple of mill workers. It's love at first sight and marriage shortly after, but Billy's not a guy to change his layabout ways and it ends in tragedy.

One reason that Sinatra was also so right for the part was that he had made a successful hit record of Billy's Soliliquy back in 1945 when Carousel debuted on Broadway. It was a groundbreaking piece of musical theater that Dick Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein were responsible for in the Soliliquy. Billy's just been told by Julie he's about to become a father. In an almost 10 minute number he bares his soul to the audience and sings/thinks aloud the moves he's going to make. The song is almost operatic in quality, it takes a real singing actor to put it over like Sinatra, like MacRae is here, like John Raitt in the original cast on stage.

Though it's not Julie's song, Judy Garland had a successful record with You'll Never Walk Alone. I'm sure she would have sung it in the film had she seen it through. It's probably the big hit song from the score, still an inspiring number today.

Rounding out the cast is Cameron Mitchell as Billy's no good pal Jigger, Robert Rounseville and Barbara Ruick as Mr. Snow and Carrie, the second leads and from the Metropolitan Opera Claramae Turner as Julie's cousin Nettie who does sing You'll Never Walk Alone.

Two more who are perfectly cast are John Dehner as the officious mill owner that employs the girls and the heavenly star-keeper, Gene Lockhart in one of his last roles.

Even more than in Oklahoma, Agnes DeMille's ballet numbers are used to advance the plot. From the exuberant June Is Busting Out All Over to the dance that Billy and Julie's daughter does, all are done with taste and style.

Carousel is both tragic and yet uplifting and inspiring. It's a musical for all the ages to come.