The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Charles Walters

Writers:

Helen Deutsch (writer)
Richard Morris (play)

Release Date:

11 June 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Musical | Romance | Western

Plot:

Molly is an uneducated, poor, mountain girl who leaves her mountain cabin in search of a wealthy husband, respect and a better life.

Plot Keywords:

Titanic | Pot Belly | Ocean Liner | Song | Titanic Survivor

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Debbie Reynolds	...	Molly Brown
Harve Presnell	...	'Leadville' Johnny Brown
Ed Begley	...	Shamus Tobin
Jack Kruschen	...	Christmas Morgan
Hermione Baddeley	...	Buttercup Grogan
Vassili Lambrinos	...	Prince Louis de Laniere
Fred Essler	...	Baron Karl Ludwig von Ettenburg
Harvey Lembeck	...	Polak
Lauren Gilbert	...	Mr. Fitzgerald
Kathryn Card	...	Mrs. Wadlington
Hayden Rorke	...	Malcolm Broderick
Harry Holcombe	...	Mr. Wadlington
Amy Douglass	...	Mrs. Fitzgerald
George Mitchell	...	Monsignor Ryan
Martita Hunt	...	Grand Duchess Elise Lupavinova

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor) | Black and White (some shots)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Australia:G | UK:U | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Black Canyon, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Gunnison, Colorado, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Film debut of Harve Presnell.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Duchess is coming down the staircase at Molly's party, Molly elbows Gladys and tells her to curtsey. In the next shot, which is from farther back and takes in the guests and the staircase, the same exchange between Molly and Gladys is shown again.

Quotes:

Shamus Tobin: Molly sure know what she was doin' when she made this place red. The blood don't show.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Phil Hartman/Gin Blossoms (#21.16)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

I'LL NEVER SAY NO

An Absolute Delight

What a fun movie! Debbie Reynolds does a wonderful job portraying Molly Brown, a poor, uncultured country girl who "makes good," but then finds herself having to fight (none too successfully) for acceptance among the rich crowd she finds herself suddenly thrown into. Always rising when she's down (unsinkable in other words) there's also a sense of discovery involved for Molly, as she finally comes to understand in a wonderfully dramatic moment in an otherwise hilarious film that even among her wealthy and regal European friends she is accepted because they find her amusing, and not because she's really accepted as one of them. The title of the movie, of course, comes specifically from the real-life Molly Brown's experience in surviving the Titanic disaster, as she returns home after making this discovery.

Yes, the movie is undoubtedly full of tall tales. But it's full of wonderful songs (Harve Presnell as Johnny Brown has a marvellous singing voice), pretty good acting and just a general sense of fun. Well worth the watching.