(Songs). She catches the eye of fast-talking, double-dealing Larry Maddux, whose promotion catapults her to fame as a Broadway performer in Show Boat and a headliner in her own nightclub. The Helen Morgan Story, released in the UK as Both Ends of the Candle, is a 1957 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz starring Ann Blyth and Paul Newman.. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1957 Vinyl release of "The Helen Morgan Story" on Discogs. Find the perfect The Helen Morgan Story stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. More a profile of those songs than a detailed exposition of her life, this film offers only a slice of a fabulous and unforgettable career...most of the wobbly plot is fictional, which is unfortunate since Morgan's true story was much more spectacular and, had it been followed, would have provided a finer film."[7]. A decorated Korean War hero inexplicably collaborates with the enemy while interred in a POW camp and is court-martialed. View production, box office, & company info. Complete your Gogi Grant collection. The 1920's and 30's career of singer Helen Morgan is followed from her early days singing outdoors in a carnival, through her speak-easy and chorus-girl days, to her stardom on Broadway in Ziegfeld's "Show Boat". "[6], TV Guide wrote "Helen Morgan was the greatest torch singer, a petite brunette who sat atop pianos plaintively warbling sad songs about the men who mistreated her. The Helen Morgan Story ( 70 ) IMDb 6.3 1h 57min 1957 NR America's first superstar singer gains fame and fortune but never wisthe prize she desires above all else--the heart of the man she loves--inThe Helen Morgan Story. The Helen Morgan Story Warner's feature is little more than a tuneful soap opera, another in what appears to be a growing series of boozy biopix of showbiz greats. The Helen Morgan Story Ann Blyth Paul Newman Richard Carlson (1957) A hoodlum (Paul Newman), a lawyer (Richard Carlson) and alcoholism affect the 1920s torch singer's (Ann Blyth) career. Ann Blyth as Helen Morgan, Rudy Vallee, Jimmy McHugh. When she realizes the caddish Maddux has been merely using her to support the upscale lifestyle he has come to enjoy, she turns to alcohol. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Desperate Housewives Emmy-Nominated Actress Lost Her Fortune Following Stock-Market Crash, Politically Active Actress Bergen Made into Nixon's 'Enemies List', Sopranos Actress Bergen, the Movies' '1st Female President' of the United States, Dead at 84, Character Name in Title -Female-Musical/Music genre. The 1920's and 30's career of singer Helen Morgan is followed from her early days singing outdoors in a carnival, through her speak-easy and chorus-girl days, to her stardom on Broadway in Ziegfeld's "Show Boat". (1957). The Helen Morgan Story: Amazon.sg: Music. Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. Paul Newman who was just starting out when this was made is adequate but missing that loutish air that is needed for the reptile he is playing either Kirk Douglas or Robert Ryan would have been more suitable. Her involvement with Larry Maddux, a gin-runner and con-man, and Russell Wade, a prominent, married New York lawyer, and her decline thanks to these failed romances and alcohol are punctuated by performances of many of the songs she made famous. As in the lyrics of the tune from Showboat that she makes famous on Broadway, America's first superstar singer gains fame and fortune but never wish the prize she desires above all else--the heart of the man she loves--in The Helen Morgan Story. Gogi Grant provided the vocals for Ann Blyth in the Michael Curtiz movie The Helen Morgan Story, and got this album out of it. Use the HTML below. Ron Kerrigan . “The extraordinary story of the world's most sought-after postage stamps makes fascinating reading in the hands of art historian Helen Morgan, who has turned what so easily could have been a highly-specialised treatise on the birth of philately into an intriguing slice of social history.” Biographical drama on the 1920s - 1930s career of singer Helen Morgan (Ann Blyth), from her carnival days to Broadway. Written by Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Maddux has a redemptive change of heart and arranges a gala dinner, hosted by Walter Winchell and Florenz Ziegfeld, in Helen's honor. The Helen Morgan Story is a mixed bag. Along the way, her alcoholism and on and off relationship with Maddux torment her. Hello Select your address All Hello, Sign in. Like many biographical films of the era, the script for The Helen Morgan Story was highly fictionalized, with the various no-good men in the hard-luck Morgan's life combined into a single heel, the bootlegger Larry Maddux, played by Paul Newman. Ann Blyth, in her last theatrical feature, was the wrong actress for the title role, many were considered she was probably the least suitable, so the film starts off with a major flaw from the get go. Mostly fictional, miscast biographical hogwash of hard luck songtress Morgan. Biography, Certificate: Passed Helen Morgan begins her career as a Chicago carnival dancer. (Personnel On Camera). Gogi Grant ghosted vocals for actress Ann Blyth. Add the first question. As in the lyrics of the tune from Showboat that she makes famous on Broadway, America's first superstar singer gains fame and fortune but never wins the prize she desires above all else--the heart of the man she loves--in The Helen Morgan Story. Storyline. A quintessential torch singer, she made a big splash in the Chicago club scene in the 1920s. Drama. Paul Newman’s role as the fictional Larry Maddox is a warm up for his Hud Bannon heel role a few years later. The 1920's and 30's career of singer Helen Morgan is followed from her early days singing outdoors in a carnival, through her speak-easy and chorus-girl days, to her stardom on Broadway in Ziegfeld's "Show Boat". [3][4] There was also considerable speculation and negotiation over the prospect that the film would be made with Judy Garland, following her Oscar-nominated performance in A Star is Born. Steve Sherman is the journalist interviewing her for insights on her profession. The screenplay by Oscar Saul, Dean Riesner, Stephen Longstreet, and Nelson Gidding is based on the life and career of torch singer/actress Helen Morgan, with fictional touches liberally added for dramatic purposes. Helen Morgan (Ann Blyth) is a singer and dancer working at a carnival. Check out some the surprise hits of 2021 that caught the attention of IMDb fans and are all available to stream now. The leading role was originally written for Doris Day who turned it down. Her involvement with Larry Maddux, a gin-runner and con-man, and Russell Wade, a prominent, married New York lawyer, and her decline thanks to these failed romances and alcohol are punctuated by performances of many of the songs she made famous. He’s a … The Helen Morgan Story, released in the UK as Both Ends of the Candle, is a 1957 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz starring Ann Blyth and Paul Newman. Select from premium The Helen Morgan Story of the highest quality. The thing that makes it stand out are three very good performances and a wonderful parade of vintage 1920's hits voiced for the star by Gogi Grant. The real Morgan story is a compelling one so this comes off as a wasted opportunity. By his account, Morgan was born in October 1900 in Toronto, Canada, where her mother, Lulu Morgan, was working as a waitress in a railroad yard after being abandoned by her husband, Thomas Morgan, a fireman for the Canadian National Railroad, who was in fact Morgan 's biological father. The Helen Morgan Story is a formula biopic with equal parts soap, song and gin. "I'm just wild about Harry" by Noble Sissle, Eubie Blake; "Charleston" by Cecil Mack, James P. Johnson. From Wings to Parasite, here's a look back at all of the Best Picture Oscar winners in the history of the ceremony. She won an Emmy for her performance. Helen is involved in two romantic relationships - with Maddux, and with wealthy attorney Russell Wade - each of which cause her great anguish. The Helen Morgan Story, released in the UK as Both Ends of the Candle, is a 1957 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz starring Ann Blyth and Paul Newman. It fails on some levels but manages to tell an interesting, if mostly fictional, story of the great torch singer. The Helen Morgan Story, released in the UK as Both Ends of the Candle, is a 1957 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz starring Ann Blyth and Paul Newman. Skip to main content.sg. During WW2, husband-less New Zealand women meet and marry American soldiers who are fighting in the Pacific theater. This is one of the few studio projects Day refused to make, citing she did not want to portray the sordid aspects of Morgan's life, which were in direct contrast to Day's wholesome screen image. The Helen Morgan Story In 2014, Helen and Lee Morgan’s time together was published in the book The Lady Who Shot Lee Morgan (KHA Books) written by Larry Reni Thomas. But in his 1974 biography Helen Morgan: Her Life and Legend, Gilbert Maxwell tells an entirely different story. Helen Morgan (Ann Blyth) is a singer and dancer working at a carnival. She loses the bulk of her money to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Wall Street Crash of 1929, hits rock bottom and, finally is hospitalized in the alcoholic ward of Bellevue. Helen Morgan (August 2, 1900 – October 9, 1941) was an American singer and actress who worked in films and on the stage. Despite requests to delay the television version, it aired five months before the release of the motion picture.[1][2]. Discover releases, reviews, credits, songs, and more about Gogi Grant - The Helen Morgan Story at Discogs. Pryor, Thomas M. "STUDIO PLANS FILM ON HELEN MORGAN; Warners Lists Life of Singer for March 15--No Star Is Named for Title Role", "Studio Asks C.B.S. Larry Maddux (Paul Newman), a bootlegger, recognizes her talent and agrees to p… to Put Off Show: Warners Requests Delay of Program on Helen Morgan Until Completion of Film", "C.B.S. The following year (2015), their story was the subject of an award-winning documentary movie titled “I Called Him Morgan” ( www.icalledhimmorgan.com ), which was directed and produced by the Swedish filmmaker Kasper Collin. Newman is very good as the rackets guy, giving the part authority and credibility. Contents. Curtiz direction is unremarkable here, a few of his more customary florid touches would have helped greatly. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. As in the lyrics of the tune from Showboat that she makes famous on Broadway, America's first superstar singer gains fame and fortune but never wins the prize she desires above all else--the heart of the man she loves--in The Helen Morgan Story. In Nederland werd de film destijds uitgebracht onder de titel De koningin van het nachtleven. Title: This turned out to be Blyth's final film role. Harper's a big-city PI, who travels to Louisiana to help an old girlfriend who's worried her husband will find out she's been cheating on him. Bergen received an Emmy Award for her portrayal of singer Helen Morgan in the episode The Helen Morgan Story of the 1950s television series Playhouse 90. The state of Israel is created in 1948, resulting in war with its Arab neighbors. A member of British Intelligence assumes a fictitious criminal identity and allows himself to be caught, imprisoned, and freed in order to infiltrate a spy organization and expose a traitor. Polly Bergen - Wikipedia Several teleplays in the series were filmed later as theatrical motion pictures, including Requiem for a Heavyweight , The Helen Morgan Story , Days of Wine and Roses , and Judgment at Nuremberg . She starred as Julie LaVerne in the original Broadway production of Hammerstein and Kern's musical Show Boat in 1927, as well as in the 1932 Broadway revival of the musical, and appeared in two film adaptations, a part-talkie made in 1929 (prologue only) and a full-sound version made in 1936, beco… Ignoring Bid To Delay TV Play: Network Will Not Postpone Helen Morgan Story Until Release of Warners Film", "Screen: 'Helen Morgan'; Ann Blyth Stars in Singer's Biography", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Helen_Morgan_Story&oldid=1016783195, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Medley: If You Were the Only Girl in the World/Avalon/Do Do Do/Breezin' Along with the Breeze, Medley: Someone to Watch Over Me/The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else, Medley: I've Got a Crush On You/I'll Get By, This page was last edited on 9 April 2021, at 01:43. motion picture | Feature film (over 60 minutes). After his employer is murdered by rival cattlemen, a troubled and uneducated young cowboy vows revenge on the murderers. It's a great showcase for her as a jazz singer -- she's at her best on numbers like "Someone to Watch Over Me" (worth the price of admission by itself) and less so on the pop music of the period, done in pop style. This FAQ is empty. Boxer Rocky Graziano's biopic, based on his autobiography, from childhood to his World Middleweight Championship title win at age 28 in 1947. If they were going to dub her why not use Helen Morgan's voice? A promising lawyer tries to handle his social and professional problems while climbing the ranks in Philadelphia. "[5], Variety called it "little more than a tuneful soap opera" and added, "The story line sometimes strains credulity and the dialogue situations occasionally give the production a cornball flavor...Director Michael Curtiz has done a good job with the material at hand, injecting a pacing and bits of business that help maintain interest, and the production gets added benefit from a series of hit tunes of the era...Blyth turns in a sympathetic but not always convincing performance. Torch singer Helen Morgan rises from sordid beginnings to fame and fortune only to lose it all to alcohol and poor personal choices. The Helen Morgan Story's choreographer, LeRoy Prinz, and actor Sammy White, who appears as a sympathetic waiter in the film, worked on the 1936 film version of Show Boat. In 1950, Boxoffice announced Warner Bros. was planning to release a musical biography with Doris Day as Helen Morgan. The Helen Morgan Story is een Amerikaanse dramafilm uit 1957 onder regie van Michael Curtiz. As the Nobel Prize winners come to Stockholm to receive their awards, their lives are overturned and perturbed in various ways. Wade, who is genuinely in love with Helen, is nonetheless married and a divorce is impossible; this helps drive her further into the bottle. The fashion industry and Paris provide the setting for a comedy surrounding the mistaken impression that Samantha Blake is a high-priced call girl. In April, 1957, while The Helen Morgan Story was in production, Bergen played Morgan in a Playhouse 90 television drama. The Helen Morgan Story DRAMA As in the lyrics of the tune from Showboat that she makes famous on Broadway, America's first superstar singer gains fame and fortune but never wins the prize she desires above all else--the heart of the man she loves--in The Helen Morgan Story. Another version of Morgan's life story, Helen Morgan, was produced as a live television drama on Playhouse 90, with Polly Bergen as Morgan. With the help of ambitious bootlegger Larry Maddux (Paul Newman) and his partner Benny Weaver (Alan King), Helen finds herself singing in the speakeasies of New York, until married society millionaire Russell Wade falls for her, and introduces her to Broadway producer Flo Ziegfeld … In 1943, when 5 captured Allied one-star generals cannot agree on an escape plan, the HQ promotes an escape-savvy private to 2-star general and sends him to coordinate the captive VIPs. A soundtrack album is available on compact disc. Was this review helpful to you? The film starts with Morgan (Blyth) starting out her career dancing at a carnival show that is managed by Larry Maddux (Newman). In his review in the New York Times, A.H. Weiler called the film "as uplifting as soap opera" and added, "The indestructible tunes and the producers' fairly honest approach to the sleaziness of the speakeasy era should generate genuine nostalgia, but Miss Morgan's career, on film, appears to be uninspired, familiar fare...It's all about as heart-warming as an electric pad. Morgan becomes famous, going from nightclub singer to Broadway star. The film's ending suggests this was her first step on the road to recovery, success, and happiness; this, however, was not the case for the real Helen Morgan. Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA. Helen Morgan sings “Bill” This is an article I wrote about her in the late 1980s, which hasn’t seen the light of day until now. Judy Garland whose style especially when young was compared to Morgan's would have been ideal. Certificate: Passed The Helen Morgan Story's choreographer, LeRoy Prinz, and actor Sammy White, who appears as a sympathetic waiter in the film, worked on the 1936 film version of Show Boat. Ann Blyth...desperately attempts to capture the essentially moving qualities of the performer...[she] is fragile, sweet and timorous in the role, but she cannot manage to project the idea that she is swaying audiences either by singing or emotional force. Although Ann Blyth was known to be a talented singer, her voice was dubbed by Gogi Grant. Another shortcoming is that although Blyth was a singer whose voice was relatively close to the real Helen Morgan's she is dubbed by Gogi Grant, also a fine singer but completely different from Morgan in sound and technique. Biographical musical film on the life of singer Helen Morgan. The Helen Morgan Story (1957) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. 6 of 8 people found this review helpful. 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