Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Encyclopedia
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a 1954 musical film
directed by Stanley Donen
, with music by Saul Chaplin
and Gene de Paul
, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer
.
The script (by Albert Hackett
, Frances Goodrich, and Dorothy Kingsley
) is based on the short story "The Sobbin' Women", by Stephen Vincent Benét
, which was based in turn on the Ancient Roman legend of The Rape of the Sabine Women
.
The film was a 1954 Oscar nominee for Best Picture.
Seven Brides is particularly known for the unusual choreography by Michael Kidd
, which makes dance numbers out of such mundane frontier
pursuits as chopping wood and (most famously) raising a barn
.
The brothers have been named alphabetically from the Old Testament
and in chronological order are: Adam, Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephraim, Frank (short for Frankincense, the Old Testament having no names beginning with F), and Gideon. All of the brothers have red hair and are well over six feet tall, except Gideon, who is younger and shorter than his brothers.
Milly teaches Adam's rowdy, ill-behaved younger brothers manners and social mores
. She also shows them how to dance. At first, the brothers have a hard time changing from their "mountain man" ways, but eventually each comes to see that the only way he will get a girl of his own is to do things Milly's way.
They are able to test their new manners at a barn-raising, where they meet six girls they like — Dorcas, Ruth, Martha, Liza, Sarah and Alice — and, fortunately, the girls take a fancy to the brothers as well. However, the girls already have suitors from the town, who jealously taunt the brothers into fighting during the barn-raising. At first the brothers try to resist and remember Milly's teaching, but Adam refuses to let himself be pushed around by the rival suitors, who he sees as cowards taking advantage of his younger brothers. The rival suitors finally go too far when they attack Adam, which provokes his younger brothers into fighting back and a fierce brawl ensues wherein the brothers dominate their physically weaker rivals. Although the brothers do not start the fight, they are banished from the town after destroying the barn in the process.
Winter arrives, with the six younger brothers pining for their girls. Adam reads his brothers the story of "Sobbin' Women" (taken from Plutarch
's story of the Sabine Women
) and tells them that they should stop moping around and take whatever action is necessary to get their women back.
Aided by Adam, the brothers kidnap the girls, then cause an avalanche so that they cannot be followed by the townspeople. They have, however, forgotten to kidnap a preacher. Milly is furious at Adam, as are the girls at having been kidnapped. Milly consigns the brothers to the barn "with the rest of the animals" while the girls live in the house. Adam, surprised and offended by Milly's reaction, leaves for the trapping cabin further up the mountain to live out the winter by himself.
Months pass, and the girls vent their frustration and resentment by playing pranks on the brothers, such as hitting them with snowballs that have rocks in them. By spring the girls have forgiven and fallen in love with the brothers, who are now allowed to court them. Milly gives birth to a daughter, Hannah. Gideon rides to the cabin to inform Adam about his daughter's arrival and asks him to come home. Adam refuses to do so, saying that he would return home only when the snow had melted enough and the pass was open once more to traffic.
Having time to think about his baby daughter, Adam returns home in the spring just as the pass is opening and reconciles with Milly. As a newly responsible father, he has become aware of how worried the townspeople would be about what has happened to the girls. Realizing he was wrong to tell his brothers to kidnap the girls, Adam tells his brothers that they need to take the girls back to their homes in the town, but his brothers do not want to do so.
The girls do not want to return to their homes, either — they all want to stay at the farm with their new suitors and thus go and hide so that they will not be taken back home. When Milly discovers that the girls are not in the house, Adam tells his brothers to go after the girls and bring them back.
The townspeople arrive, with the intention of taking vengeance against the brothers for the kidnappings. Upon finding the brothers trying to force the girls to return, the fathers get the wrong impression, believing their daughters are being assaulted, and charge to their rescue. Alice's father, who is a preacher, hears baby Hannah cry in the distance, and worries that the baby might belong to one of the girls. The fighting is finally sorted out, with the fathers rounding up the brothers and announcing that they intend to hang them.
Alice's father asks the girls whose baby he heard. They all decide, simultaneously, to claim the baby as their own. This misinformation gives the girls and the brothers their fondest wish—the townspeople insist that all six couples marry immediately in a shotgun wedding.
, as well as Jane Powell
in her autobiography, The Girl Next Door, both say MGM was much less interested in Seven Brides than it was in Brigadoon
which was in production at the time, even cutting its budget and transferring the money to the Lerner and Loewe
vehicle.
On the 2004 DVD commentary, Stanley Donen states that the film was originally shot in two versions, one in CinemaScope
and another in normal ratio, because MGM was concerned that not all theaters had the capability to screen it. Despite the fact that it cost more than the widescreen version to make, he says, the other version was never used. However both versions are available on the 2004 DVD release.
http://www.whv.co.kr/library/library_view.asp?cate=03&idx=503&keyword=7%C0%CE%C0%C7+%BD%C5%BA%CE&order=r&pgSize=8.
The dresses worn by the female cast were made from old quilts that costume designer Walter Plunkett
found at the Salvation Army
.
cast four professional dancers, a gymnast and even a baseball player as Adam Pontipee's six rough and tumble brothers.
listener poll
of the UK's "Number One Essential Musicals" and was listed as number eight in the "Top 10 MGM musicals" in the book Top 10 of Film by Russell Ash.
In 2004, this film was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry
as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
In 2006, the film was ranked #21 on the American Film Institute
's list of best musicals
.
In 2008, the film was ranked number 464 in Empire magazine's list of the 500 greatest films of all time.
and David Landay, and new songs by Al Kasha
and Joel Hirschhorn
were developed for the stage and enjoyed a lengthy critically and commercially successful national tour. After fifteen previews, the Broadway
production, directed by Kasha and choreographed by Jerry Jackson, opened on July 8, 1982 at the Alvin Theatre
, where it ran for only five performances. The cast included Debby Boone
, David-James Carroll
, Jeff Calhoun
, Lara Teeter
, Craig Peralta, and Nancy Fox. Despite being hugely unsuccessful, the musical was nominated for a Tony Award
for Best Original Score.
A 1985 West End
production proved to be more successful, and a London cast recording was released by First Night Records. A 2002 tour of the UK
starred Dave Willetts
.
In 2005, a major revival was staged at the prestigious Goodspeed Opera House starring Jacquelyn Piro Donovan
and Burke Moses
. Directed by Greg Ganakas with choreography by Patti Colombo, the production earned rave reviews from Variety
and the New York Times. The songs, "Where Were You?", "I Married Seven Brothers", and a revised version of "Glad That You Were Born" were added and the book was heavily rewritten. With a realistic approach, rustic orchestrations and a focus on the Oregon Trail
, the show was quite different from its film predecessor. Plans for a 2005-2006 National Tour of the production failed.
However, in 2007, this time under the direction of Scott Schwartz
, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers became a joint production between Houston Theatre Under the Stars, Paper Mill Playhouse
, North Shore Music Theatre, and Atlanta Theatre of the Stars. With set design by Tony Award nominee, Anna Louizos
, the current version is a hybrid between the literal approach of the Goodspeed production and the slapstick camp of the original film. While reviews were positive, the real attention was given to Patti Colombo's acrobatic, athletic, and inventive choreography. The 2007 revival is expected to be the version that will be licensed by Music Theatre International
for stock and regional use.
broadcasted a weekly television series of the same name, which was loosely-based on the film. The series featured early appearances of Richard Dean Anderson
and River Phoenix
.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
directed by Stanley Donen
Stanley Donen
Stanley Donen ; is an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are Singin' in the Rain and On the Town, both of which he co-directed with Gene Kelly. His other noteworthy films include Royal Wedding, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Face, Indiscreet, Damn...
, with music by Saul Chaplin
Saul Chaplin
Saul Chaplin was an American composer and musical director.He was born Saul Kaplan in Brooklyn, New York.He had worked on stage, screen and television since the days of Tin Pan Alley...
and Gene de Paul
Gene de Paul
Gene de Paul was an American pianist, composer and songwriter.-Biography:Born in New York City, he served in the United States Army during World War II....
, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Johnny Mercer
John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
.
The script (by Albert Hackett
Albert Hackett
Albert Maurice Hackett was an American dramatist and screenwriter most noted for his collaborations with his partner and wife Frances Goodrich.-Early years:...
, Frances Goodrich, and Dorothy Kingsley
Dorothy Kingsley
Dorothy Kingsley was an American screenwriter, who worked extensively in film, radio and television.-Biography:...
) is based on the short story "The Sobbin' Women", by Stephen Vincent Benét
Stephen Vincent Benét
Stephen Vincent Benét was an American author, poet, short story writer, and novelist. Benét is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body , for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929, and for two short stories, "The Devil and Daniel Webster" and "By...
, which was based in turn on the Ancient Roman legend of The Rape of the Sabine Women
The Rape of the Sabine Women
The Rape of the Sabine Women is an episode in the legendary history of Rome in which the first generation of Roman men acquired wives for themselves from the neighboring Sabine families. The English word "rape" is a conventional translation of Latin raptio, which in this context means "abduction"...
.
The film was a 1954 Oscar nominee for Best Picture.
Seven Brides is particularly known for the unusual choreography by Michael Kidd
Michael Kidd
Michael Kidd was an American film and stage choreographer.-Life and career:Born Milton Greenwald in New York City on the Lower East Side, the son of Abraham Greenwald, an immigrant barber, and his wife Lillian, Michael Kidd moved to Brooklyn with his family and attended New Utrecht High School there...
, which makes dance numbers out of such mundane frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
pursuits as chopping wood and (most famously) raising a barn
Barn raising
A barn raising is an event during which community men come together to assemble a barn for one or more of its households, with the support of women. The event was particularly common in 18th- and 19th-century rural North America. In the past, a barn was often the first, largest, and most costly...
.
Plot
A backwoodsman named Adam Pontipee and his new bride Milly agreed to marry despite only knowing each other for only a few hours. On returning to his cabin in the mountains, Milly is surprised to learn that Adam is one of seven brothers living under the same roof.The brothers have been named alphabetically from the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and in chronological order are: Adam, Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephraim, Frank (short for Frankincense, the Old Testament having no names beginning with F), and Gideon. All of the brothers have red hair and are well over six feet tall, except Gideon, who is younger and shorter than his brothers.
Milly teaches Adam's rowdy, ill-behaved younger brothers manners and social mores
Mores
Mores, in sociology, are any given society's particular norms, virtues, or values. The word mores is a plurale tantum term borrowed from Latin, which has been used in the English language since the 1890s....
. She also shows them how to dance. At first, the brothers have a hard time changing from their "mountain man" ways, but eventually each comes to see that the only way he will get a girl of his own is to do things Milly's way.
They are able to test their new manners at a barn-raising, where they meet six girls they like — Dorcas, Ruth, Martha, Liza, Sarah and Alice — and, fortunately, the girls take a fancy to the brothers as well. However, the girls already have suitors from the town, who jealously taunt the brothers into fighting during the barn-raising. At first the brothers try to resist and remember Milly's teaching, but Adam refuses to let himself be pushed around by the rival suitors, who he sees as cowards taking advantage of his younger brothers. The rival suitors finally go too far when they attack Adam, which provokes his younger brothers into fighting back and a fierce brawl ensues wherein the brothers dominate their physically weaker rivals. Although the brothers do not start the fight, they are banished from the town after destroying the barn in the process.
Winter arrives, with the six younger brothers pining for their girls. Adam reads his brothers the story of "Sobbin' Women" (taken from Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
's story of the Sabine Women
The Rape of the Sabine Women
The Rape of the Sabine Women is an episode in the legendary history of Rome in which the first generation of Roman men acquired wives for themselves from the neighboring Sabine families. The English word "rape" is a conventional translation of Latin raptio, which in this context means "abduction"...
) and tells them that they should stop moping around and take whatever action is necessary to get their women back.
Aided by Adam, the brothers kidnap the girls, then cause an avalanche so that they cannot be followed by the townspeople. They have, however, forgotten to kidnap a preacher. Milly is furious at Adam, as are the girls at having been kidnapped. Milly consigns the brothers to the barn "with the rest of the animals" while the girls live in the house. Adam, surprised and offended by Milly's reaction, leaves for the trapping cabin further up the mountain to live out the winter by himself.
Months pass, and the girls vent their frustration and resentment by playing pranks on the brothers, such as hitting them with snowballs that have rocks in them. By spring the girls have forgiven and fallen in love with the brothers, who are now allowed to court them. Milly gives birth to a daughter, Hannah. Gideon rides to the cabin to inform Adam about his daughter's arrival and asks him to come home. Adam refuses to do so, saying that he would return home only when the snow had melted enough and the pass was open once more to traffic.
Having time to think about his baby daughter, Adam returns home in the spring just as the pass is opening and reconciles with Milly. As a newly responsible father, he has become aware of how worried the townspeople would be about what has happened to the girls. Realizing he was wrong to tell his brothers to kidnap the girls, Adam tells his brothers that they need to take the girls back to their homes in the town, but his brothers do not want to do so.
The girls do not want to return to their homes, either — they all want to stay at the farm with their new suitors and thus go and hide so that they will not be taken back home. When Milly discovers that the girls are not in the house, Adam tells his brothers to go after the girls and bring them back.
The townspeople arrive, with the intention of taking vengeance against the brothers for the kidnappings. Upon finding the brothers trying to force the girls to return, the fathers get the wrong impression, believing their daughters are being assaulted, and charge to their rescue. Alice's father, who is a preacher, hears baby Hannah cry in the distance, and worries that the baby might belong to one of the girls. The fighting is finally sorted out, with the fathers rounding up the brothers and announcing that they intend to hang them.
Alice's father asks the girls whose baby he heard. They all decide, simultaneously, to claim the baby as their own. This misinformation gives the girls and the brothers their fondest wish—the townspeople insist that all six couples marry immediately in a shotgun wedding.
Production
In his introduction to a showing on Turner Classic Movies on January 17, 2009, host Robert OsborneRobert Osborne
Robert Jolin Osborne is an American actor and film historian best known as the primary host for Turner Classic Movies, and previously a host of The Movie Channel.-Life and career:...
, as well as Jane Powell
Jane Powell
Jane Powell is an American singer, dancer and actress.After rising to fame as a singer in her home state of Oregon, Powell was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer while still in her teens...
in her autobiography, The Girl Next Door, both say MGM was much less interested in Seven Brides than it was in Brigadoon
Brigadoon
Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards....
which was in production at the time, even cutting its budget and transferring the money to the Lerner and Loewe
Lerner and Loewe
Lerner and Loewe are the duo of lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe, known primarily for the music and lyrics of some of Broadway's most successful musical shows, including My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Brigadoon....
vehicle.
On the 2004 DVD commentary, Stanley Donen states that the film was originally shot in two versions, one in CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
and another in normal ratio, because MGM was concerned that not all theaters had the capability to screen it. Despite the fact that it cost more than the widescreen version to make, he says, the other version was never used. However both versions are available on the 2004 DVD release.
http://www.whv.co.kr/library/library_view.asp?cate=03&idx=503&keyword=7%C0%CE%C0%C7+%BD%C5%BA%CE&order=r&pgSize=8.
The dresses worn by the female cast were made from old quilts that costume designer Walter Plunkett
Walter Plunkett
Walter Plunkett was a prolific costume designer who worked on more than 150 projects throughout his career in the Hollywood film industry....
found at the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
.
Songs
- Main Title (Bless Your Beautiful Hide / Wonderful, Wonderful Day) - MGM Studio Orchestra
- Bless Your Beautiful Hide - Howard Keel
- Bless Your Beautiful Hide (Reprise) - Howard Keel
- Wonderful, Wonderful Day - Jane Powell
- When You're in Love - Jane Powell / Howard Keel
- Goin' Courtin' - Jane Powell & Brothers (Jeff Richards, Matt Mattox, Tommy Rall & Russ Tamblyn)
- Social Dance - MGM Studio Orchestra
- Barn-Raising Dance - MGM Studio Orchestra
- Lonesome Polecat - Brothers (Matt Mattox, Bill Lee, Jeff Richards, Tommy Rall & Russ Tamblyn)
- Sobbin' Women - Howard Keel & Brothers (Tommy Rall, Jeff Richards, Matt Mattox & Russ Tamblyn)
- Sobbin' Women (Reprise) - Howard Keel
- June Bride - Brides (Ruta Lee, Julie Newmar, Norma Doggett & Nancy Kilgas)
- Spring, Spring, Spring - Brothers & Brides (Julie Newmar, Jeff Richards, Ruta Lee & Tommy Rall)
- Goin' Courtin' (Reprise) - Jane Powell, Brothers & Brides
- End Credits - MGM Studio Orchestra
Cast
Brothers and their Brides:- Howard KeelHoward KeelHarold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
as Adam and Jane PowellJane PowellJane Powell is an American singer, dancer and actress.After rising to fame as a singer in her home state of Oregon, Powell was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer while still in her teens...
as Milly - Jeff RichardsJeff Richards (baseball player/actor)Jeff Richards , was an American minor league baseball player with the Portland Beavers who later became an actor. He was sometimes credited as Dick Taylor and Richard Taylor.-Early life and career:...
as Benjamin and Julie Newmar (Newmeyer)Julie NewmarJulie Newmar is an American actress, dancer and singer. Her most famous role is Catwoman in the Batman television series.-Early life:...
as Dorcas - Matt MattoxMatt MattoxMatt Mattox is a jazz and ballet dancer.Mattox was a protegé of the legendary jazz dance pioneer Jack Cole, with whom he worked on Broadway in Magdalena . His other Broadway credits include Harry Beaton in the 1957 revival of Brigadoon. Mattox also performed concert engagements with his own...
as Caleb and Ruta LeeRuta LeeRuta Lee is a Canadian actress and dancer who appeared as one of the brides in the film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers...
as Ruth - Marc PlattMarc Platt (dancer)Marc Platt is an American ballet dancer and musical theatre performer.Platt was trained by the influential teacher Mary Ann Wells...
as Daniel and Norma Doggett as Martha - Jacques d'Amboise as Ephraim and Virginia GibsonVirginia GibsonVirginia Gibson is an American dancer, singer and actress of film, television and musical theatre.-Career:...
as Liza - Tommy RallTommy RallThomas Edward "Tommy" Rall is an American ballet dancer, tap dancer and acrobatic dancer who was a prominent featured player in 1950s musical comedies...
as Frank and Betty Carr as Sarah - Russ TamblynRuss TamblynRussell Irving "Russ" Tamblyn is an American film and television actor, who is arguably best known for his performance in the 1961 movie musical West Side Story as Riff, the leader of the Jets gang....
as Gideon and Nancy Kilgas as Alice
Brothers
To perform the electrifying dance numbers and grueling action sequences, choreographer Michael KiddMichael Kidd
Michael Kidd was an American film and stage choreographer.-Life and career:Born Milton Greenwald in New York City on the Lower East Side, the son of Abraham Greenwald, an immigrant barber, and his wife Lillian, Michael Kidd moved to Brooklyn with his family and attended New Utrecht High School there...
cast four professional dancers, a gymnast and even a baseball player as Adam Pontipee's six rough and tumble brothers.
- Adam: Howard KeelHoward KeelHarold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
appeared as "Adam," the romantic lead and eldest of the seven brothers. - Benjamin: Jeff RichardsJeff Richards (baseball player/actor)Jeff Richards , was an American minor league baseball player with the Portland Beavers who later became an actor. He was sometimes credited as Dick Taylor and Richard Taylor.-Early life and career:...
, who played "Benjamin," was a former professional baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who topped out at the AAA level of the minor leagues. Although obviously athletic, he is noticeably in the background, seated, or standing during the dance numbers so as to not expose his less than stellar dancing skills. Unfortunately this often relegated his partner, the classically-trained ballet dancer Julie Newmar, to the background as well. - Caleb, Daniel, Ephraim and Frank: All four actors (Matt MattoxMatt MattoxMatt Mattox is a jazz and ballet dancer.Mattox was a protegé of the legendary jazz dance pioneer Jack Cole, with whom he worked on Broadway in Magdalena . His other Broadway credits include Harry Beaton in the 1957 revival of Brigadoon. Mattox also performed concert engagements with his own...
, Marc PlattMarc PlattMarc Platt is a British writer. He is most known for his work with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.After studying catering at a technical college, Platt worked first for Trust House Forte, and then in administration for the BBC...
, Jacques d'Amboise, and Tommy RallTommy RallThomas Edward "Tommy" Rall is an American ballet dancer, tap dancer and acrobatic dancer who was a prominent featured player in 1950s musical comedies...
) were professional dancers - with d'Amboise (Ephraim) appearing on loan from the New York City Ballet. All four balanced on a beam together during their famous barn-raising dance. - Gideon: Russ TamblynRuss TamblynRussell Irving "Russ" Tamblyn is an American film and television actor, who is arguably best known for his performance in the 1961 movie musical West Side Story as Riff, the leader of the Jets gang....
beat Morton Downey Jr. for the role of youngest brother Gideon. Tamblyn showcased his gymnastics training throughout the action sequences.
Towns People
Reverend Elcott (Ian Wolfe) is the local priest and is the father of one of the brides. He is the pastor in both wedding ceremonies in the movie.Brides
Professional dancers played all seven of the brides.- Milly: Jane PowellJane PowellJane Powell is an American singer, dancer and actress.After rising to fame as a singer in her home state of Oregon, Powell was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer while still in her teens...
channeled her experiences growing up in Oregon to create Milly. She and Howard KeelHoward KeelHarold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
would later reprise their roles in a Seven Brides for Seven Brothers stage revival. - Dorcas: Julie Newmar (Newmeyer)Julie NewmarJulie Newmar is an American actress, dancer and singer. Her most famous role is Catwoman in the Batman television series.-Early life:...
, a classically trained ballerina, would later rise to fame as CatwomanCatwomanCatwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
in the 1960s TV version of BatmanBatman (TV series)Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
. She also won a Supporting Actress Tony Award for The Marriage-Go-RoundThe Marriage-Go-RoundThe Marriage-Go-Round is a 1958 play written by Leslie Stevens and a 1961 film adaptation also written and produced by Stevens. It was inspired by a suggestion that dancer Isadora Duncan supposedly made to playwright George Bernard Shaw: the two of them should have a child because "with your mind...
(starring Claudette ColbertClaudette ColbertClaudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
). She appeared on her neighbor James BelushiJames BelushiJames Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
's sitcom According to JimAccording to JimAccording to Jim is an American sitcom television series starring Jim Belushi in the title role as a suburban father of three children. It originally ran on ABC from October 3, 2001 to June 2, 2009.-Synopsis:Jim is an abrasive but lovable suburban father...
after the two settled a highly publicized lawsuit. - Ruth: Ruta LeeRuta LeeRuta Lee is a Canadian actress and dancer who appeared as one of the brides in the film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers...
enjoyed a long stage and television career, working with Lucille BallLucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, Sammy Davis, Jr.Sammy Davis, Jr.Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
, Elizabeth TaylorElizabeth TaylorDame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, Natalie WoodNatalie WoodNatalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.Wood began acting in movies at the...
, and Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
. Lee appeared in the sitcom RoseanneRoseanne (TV series)Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
as the first girlfriend of Roseanne's mother. Her singing parts were dubbed in post-production by Betty NoyesBetty NoyesElizabeth "Betty" Noyes Hand was a singer and actress best known for dubbing the singing voice of Debbie Reynolds in the film Singin' in the Rain. Today, this is a well known example of dubbing in a movie musical due to the irony of the fact that Debbie Reynolds' character in Singin' in the Rain...
. - Martha: Norma Doggett performed in the 1940s-50s Broadway shows Bells Are RingingBells Are Ringing (musical)Bells Are Ringing is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The story revolves around Ella, who works at an answering service and the characters that she meets there. The main character was based on Mary Printz, who worked for Green's answering...
, FannyFanny (musical)Fanny is a musical with a book by S. N. Behrman and Joshua Logan and music and lyrics by Harold Rome. A tale of love, secrets, and passion set in and around the old French port of Marseille, it is based on Marcel Pagnol's trilogy of plays entitled Marius, Fanny and César.The musical premiered on...
, Wish You Were HereWish You Were Here (musical)Wish You Were Here is a musical with a book by Arthur Kober and Joshua Logan and music and lyrics by Harold Rome. The musical was adapted from Kober's 1937 play, Having Wonderful Time, and revolves around a summer camp for adults.-Synopsis:...
, Miss LibertyMiss LibertyMiss Liberty is a musical with a book by Robert E. Sherwood and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. It is based on the sculpting of the Statue of Liberty in 1886...
, and MagdalenaMagdalena (musical)Magdalena: a Musical Adventure is a musical with music by Heitor Villa-Lobos, original book by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan and Homer Curran, with subsequent lyrics and musical adaptations by Robert Wright and George Forrest... - Liza: Virginia GibsonVirginia GibsonVirginia Gibson is an American dancer, singer and actress of film, television and musical theatre.-Career:...
was nominated for a Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
in 1957 and performed regularly on the Johnny CarsonJohnny CarsonJohn William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
show. - Sarah: Betty Carr was also a Broadway veteran, dancing in Damn YankeesDamn YankeesDamn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
, Happy HuntingHappy HuntingHappy Hunting is a 1956 musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, lyrics by Matt Dubey, and music by Harold Karr. The plot focuses on wealthy Philadelphia Main Line widow Liz Livingstone and her efforts to find a royal husband for her daughter Beth.-Plot:Liz Livingston and her...
, Mask and Gown, and Fanny (alongside Norma Doggett). She died in October 2008 (the first of the seven brides to pass away). - Alice: Nancy Kilgas made her film debut in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. She danced in the film versions of Oklahoma!, Shake, Rattle & Rock!Shake, Rattle & Rock! (1956 film)Shake Rattle and Rock! is a 1956 musical/comedy-drama film directed by Edward L. Cahn for American International Pictures.-Cast:*Touch Connors as Garry Nelson*Lisa Gaye as June Fitzdingle*Sterling Holloway as Albert "Axe" McAllister...
, and Alfred HitchcockAlfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's Torn CurtainTorn CurtainTorn Curtain is a 1966 American political thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Paul Newman and Julie Andrews.-Plot:On a cruise ship en route to Copenhagen, Michael Armstrong , an esteemed American physicist and rocket scientist, is to attend a scientific conference...
.
Reputation
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers came in third in a BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
listener poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
of the UK's "Number One Essential Musicals" and was listed as number eight in the "Top 10 MGM musicals" in the book Top 10 of Film by Russell Ash.
In 2004, this film was selected for preservation in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
In 2006, the film was ranked #21 on the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
's list of best musicals
AFI's 100 Years of Musicals
Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals is a list of the top musicals in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute at the Hollywood Bowl on September 3, 2006...
.
In 2008, the film was ranked number 464 in Empire magazine's list of the 500 greatest films of all time.
Stage adaptation
In 1979, an adaptation with a book by Lawrence KashaLawrence Kasha
Lawrence Kasha was a Tony Award-winning American theatre producer and director, playwright, and stage manager....
and David Landay, and new songs by Al Kasha
Al Kasha
Al Kasha is a Brooklyn–born composer, songwriter and arranger, as well as businessman. He is most noted for his years of collaboration with songwriter Joel Hirschhorn...
and Joel Hirschhorn
Joel Hirschhorn
Joel Hirschhorn, , was an American songwriter. During a successful career, he won the Academy Award for Best Song on two occasions...
were developed for the stage and enjoyed a lengthy critically and commercially successful national tour. After fifteen previews, the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production, directed by Kasha and choreographed by Jerry Jackson, opened on July 8, 1982 at the Alvin Theatre
Neil Simon Theatre
The Neil Simon Theatre, formerly the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway venue built in 1927 and located at 250 West 52nd Street in midtown-Manhattan....
, where it ran for only five performances. The cast included Debby Boone
Debby Boone
Deborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
, David-James Carroll
David Carroll (actor)
David Carroll , sometimes billed as David James Carroll, was an American actor whose last, and best remembered, role was that of Baron Felix von Gaigern in Grand Hotel: The Musical....
, Jeff Calhoun
Jeff Calhoun (choreographer)
Jeff Calhoun is an American director, choreographer, producer and dancer.As a student at Richland High School, now Pine-Richland High School , Calhoun was interested in both athletics and performance, playing football and studying tap dance. He danced in the ensemble at The Kenley Players in Ohio...
, Lara Teeter
Lara Teeter
Lara Teeter is an American dancer, actor, singer, theatre director and college professor.Born in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Teeter earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Oklahoma City University. He made his Broadway debut in the short-lived 1980 musical Happy New Year, followed by another flop, the...
, Craig Peralta, and Nancy Fox. Despite being hugely unsuccessful, the musical was nominated for a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Original Score.
A 1985 West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production proved to be more successful, and a London cast recording was released by First Night Records. A 2002 tour of the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
starred Dave Willetts
Dave Willetts
Dave Willetts is an English singer and actor known for having leading roles in West End musicals.Willetts is something of an enigma in that he has had no formal singing, dancing, or acting lessons. Before he was 20 he rarely visited the theatre...
.
In 2005, a major revival was staged at the prestigious Goodspeed Opera House starring Jacquelyn Piro Donovan
Jacquelyn Piro Donovan
Jacquelyn Piro Donovan is an American musical theatre actress and singer. She holds the distinction of portraying both Cosette and Fantine in Les Misérables , the only actor in Broadway history to do so...
and Burke Moses
Burke Moses
Burke William Moses is an American film and television actor. His brother is actor Mark Moses.Burke Moses first appeared on Broadway as a replacement in the role of Sky Masterson in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls...
. Directed by Greg Ganakas with choreography by Patti Colombo, the production earned rave reviews from Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
and the New York Times. The songs, "Where Were You?", "I Married Seven Brothers", and a revised version of "Glad That You Were Born" were added and the book was heavily rewritten. With a realistic approach, rustic orchestrations and a focus on the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
, the show was quite different from its film predecessor. Plans for a 2005-2006 National Tour of the production failed.
However, in 2007, this time under the direction of Scott Schwartz
Scott Schwartz
Scott Schwartz is a former child actor best known for his roles in The Toy and A Christmas Story.-Career:Schwartz co-starred opposite Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason in 1982's The Toy directed by Richard Donner. In 1982, Schwartz filmed Kidco directed by Ronald F. Maxwell...
, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers became a joint production between Houston Theatre Under the Stars, Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theatre with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey, less than 25 miles from Manhattan. Due to its location, it can draw from the pool of actors who live in New York City. Its location, as well as its focus on producing large-scale shows, makes...
, North Shore Music Theatre, and Atlanta Theatre of the Stars. With set design by Tony Award nominee, Anna Louizos
Anna Louizos
Anna Louizos is an American scenic designer and art director. She is best known for her Tony Award-nominated sets for the musicals In the Heights and High Fidelity, as well as the London, Broadway, Las Vegas, and touring productions of Avenue Q...
, the current version is a hybrid between the literal approach of the Goodspeed production and the slapstick camp of the original film. While reviews were positive, the real attention was given to Patti Colombo's acrobatic, athletic, and inventive choreography. The 2007 revival is expected to be the version that will be licensed by Music Theatre International
Music Theatre International
Music Theatre International, often abbreviated MTI, is a theatrical licensing agency based in New York City. The League of American Theatres and Producers calls MTI "A leader in the theatrical licensing industry."-Description:...
for stock and regional use.
Television adaptation
From September 19, 1982 to July 2, 1983, CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
broadcasted a weekly television series of the same name, which was loosely-based on the film. The series featured early appearances of Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson is an American television and film actor, producer and composer. He began his television career in 1976 as Dr. Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series General Hospital, then rose to prominence as the lead actor in the television series MacGyver...
and River Phoenix
River Phoenix
River Jude Phoenix was an American film actor, musician, and teen icon. He was the oldest brother of fellow actors Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix.Phoenix began acting at age 10 in television commercials...
.