Story of movie Good News 1947 Film : Good News is a 1947 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical film based on the 1927 stage production of the same name. It starred June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Mel Tormé, and Joan McCracken. The screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green was directed by Charles Walters in Technicolor.
| Good News | |
|---|---|
Poster for the 1947 film | |
| Directed by | Charles Walters |
| Produced by | Arthur Freed |
| Screenplay by | Betty Comden Adolph Green |
| Based on | Good News 1927 musical by Lew Brown Laurence Schwab Frank Mandel Buddy G. DeSylva Ray Henderson |
| Starring | June Allyson Peter Lawford Patricia Marshall |
| Music by | Conrad Salinger |
| Cinematography | Charles Schoenbaum |
| Edited by | Albert Akst |
Production company | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,715,000 |
| Box office | $2,956,000 |
Three additional songs were written for the film: "The French Lesson", "Pass That Peace Pipe", and "An Easier Way", the last of which was cut from the released film.
Good News was the second adaptation of the stage musical, after the 1930 film Good News. The 1947 film was a more sanitized version of the musical; the 1930 version included Pre-Code content, such as sexual innuendo and lewd suggestive humor.
Screenplay
The film is set in 1927 at fictional Tait College, where football is all the rage. ("Tait Song"/"Good News")
Tait's football star Tommy Marlowe (Peter Lawford) is a prime catch for the college girls. Tommy tells his friend and non-playing teammate Bobby Turner (McDonald) that the trick to attracting girls is to show no interest. ("Be a Ladies' Man")
New student Pat McClellan (Marshall) resists his advances, cutting Tommy down to size at a party. ("Lucky in Love") Pat is interested in French, so Tommy enlists part-time school librarian Connie Lane (June Allyson) to help him study the language. ("The French Lesson")
He gradually falls for Connie, who comes from a poor background, which does not bother her. ("The Best Things in Life are Free") Meanwhile, Babe Doolittle (McCracken) is seeking to leave a relationship with football player Beef (Tindall) so she can get involved with Bobby Turner.
At a local soda shop, Babe advises Pat not to lose her temper. ("Pass the Peace Pipe")
Connie grows attracted to Tommy, who she feels is not interested. ("Just Imagine") Tommy asks Connie to the prom, but reneges when Pat shows interest. He changes his mind again. In the end, Tait wins the big game, Tommy pairs off with Connie, Beef pairs off with Pat, and Babe pairs off with Bobby Turner. The college bursts out into song in a production number. ("Varsity Drag")
- June Allyson as Connie Lane
- Peter Lawford as Tommy Marlowe
- Patricia Marshall as Pat McClellan
- Joan McCracken as Babe Doolittle
- Ray McDonald as Bobby Turner
- Mel Tormé (billed as Mel Tormé) as Danny
- Robert E. Strickland (billed as Robert Strickland) as Peter Van Dyne III
- Donald MacBride as Coach Johnson
- Tom Dugan as Pooch
- Clinton Sundberg as Professor Burton Kennyon
- Loren Tindall as Beef
- Connie Gilchrist as Cora the cook
- Morris Ankrum as Dean Griswold
- Georgia Lee as Flo
- Jane Green as Mrs. Drexel
- "Good News"
- Music by Ray Henderson
- Lyrics by Lew Brown and Buddy G. DeSylva
- Sung by Joan McCracken and chorus
- "Tait Song"
- Music by Ray Henderson
- Lyrics by Lew Brown and Buddy G. DeSylva
- Performed by Joan McCracken and chorus
- "Be a Ladies' Man"
- Music by Ray Henderson
- Lyrics by Lew Brown and Buddy G. DeSylva
- Performed by Peter Lawford, Ray McDonald, Mel Tormé, and Lon Tindal
- "Lucky in Love"
- Music by Ray Henderson
- Lyrics by Lew Brown and Buddy G. DeSylva
- Performed by Patricia Marshall, Joan McCracken, Mel Tormé, June Allyson, and Peter Lawford
- "The French Lesson"
- Written by Roger Edens, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green
- Performed by June Allyson and Peter Lawford
- "The Best Things in Life Are Free"
- Music by Ray Henderson
- Lyrics by Lew Brown and Buddy G. DeSylva
- Performed by June Allyson
- Performed also by Mel Tormé
- "Pass That Peace Pipe"
- Written by Roger Edens, Hugh Martin, and Ralph Blane
- Performed by Joan McCracken, Ray McDonald, and chorus
- "Just Imagine"
- Music by Ray Henderson
- Lyrics by Lew Brown and Buddy G. DeSylva
- Sung by June Allyson
- "Varsity Drag"
- Music by Ray Henderson
- Lyrics by Lew Brown and Buddy G. DeSylva
- Performed by June Allyson, Peter Lawford, and chorus
Deleted song
"An Easier Way", sung by June Allyson and Patricia Marshall, was filmed but cut from the released version. This musical number survives and is included as an "extra" on the DVD.
Box office
The film was a box office disappointment, earning $2,545,000 in the US and Canada and $411,000 elsewhere, recording a loss of $7,000.
Awards
Edens, Martin and Blane were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song for "Pass That Peace Pipe".
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
