| Marty | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Delbert Mann |
| Written by | Paddy Chayefsky |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Joseph LaShelle |
| Edited by | Alan Crosland, Jr. (editorial supervision) |
| Music by | Roy Webb |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $350,000[2][3] |
| Box office | $2,000,000 (U.S./Canada rentals)[4] $1,500,000 (overseas rentals)[2] |
Marty is a 1955 Americanromanticdrama film directed byDelbert Mann in hisdirectorial debut. The screenplay was written byPaddy Chayefsky, expanding uponhis 1953 teleplay, which was broadcast onThe Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse and starredRod Steiger in the title role.[5][6]
The film starsErnest Borgnine, who won theAcademy Award for Best Actor, andBetsy Blair. It won both theAcademy Award for Best Picture and theCannes Film Festival'sPalme d'Or.The Lost Weekend (1945),Parasite (2019), andAnora (2024) are the only other films to win both awards.
In 1994,Marty was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in theLibrary of Congress'National Film Registry.[7]
Marty Piletti is an Italian-American butcher who lives inThe Bronx with his mother. Unmarried at 34, the good-natured but socially awkward Marty faces constant badgering from customers, family, and friends to settle down as they point out that all of his brothers and sisters are married, most of them with children. Not averse to marriage but disheartened by his lack of prospects, Marty has reluctantly resigned himself to bachelorhood.
After being harassed by his mother into going to the Stardust Ballroom one Saturday night, Marty connects with Clara, a plain high school science teacher, who is weeping outside on the roof after being abandoned by her blind date. Marty and Clara spend the evening together dancing, walking the busy streets, and talking in a diner. Marty eagerly spills out his life story and ambitions, and they encourage each other. He takes Clara to his house, where he awkwardly tries to kiss her and is rebuffed. Clara explains that she just didn't know how to handle the situation; she does like him and wants to see him again. They kiss briefly and embrace.
At this point, Marty's mother returns, not pleased to see her son with a strange woman. Marty takes Clara home by bus, promising to call her at 2:30 the next afternoon, after Mass. Overjoyed on his way back home, he punches the bus stop sign and weaves between the cars, looking for a cab instead.
Meanwhile, Marty's Aunt Catherine reluctantly moves in with Marty and his mother. Catherine privately warns her sister that Marty will soon marry and cast her aside. Fearing that Marty's new romance could spell her abandonment, his mother belittles Clara to Marty the next day before Mass.
Marty's friends, with an undercurrent of envy, deride Clara for her plainness. They try to convince Marty to forget her and remain with them, unmarried, in their fading youth. Harangued into submission by the pull of his friends, Marty fails to call Clara.
That night, back in the same lonely rut, Marty realizes that he is giving up a woman whom he not only likes but who makes him happy. Over his friends' objections, he dashes to a phone booth to call Clara, who is disconsolately watching television with her parents. When his friend Angie asks what he's doing, Marty bursts out:
You don't like her, my mother don't like her, she's a dog and I'm a fat, ugly man! Well, all I know is I had a good time last night! I'm gonna have a good time tonight! If we have enough good times together, I'm gonna get down on my knees and I'm gonna beg that girl to marry me! If we make a party on New Year's, I got a date for that party. You don't like her? That's too bad!
Just before calling Clara, Marty needles Angie with the same words he's heard so often himself: "Hey, Ange, when are *you* gonna get married? You should be ashamed of yourself." Marty closes the phone booth door when Clara answers the phone.
In the last line of the film, Marty says, "Hello...Hello, Clara?"
For the film, Esther Minciotti, Augusta Ciolli and Joe Mantell reprised their roles from the live television production. The screenplay changed the name of the Waverly Ballroom to the Stardust Ballroom. The film expanded the role of Clara, and added subplots about Marty's career, his mother, and her sister.[8]
Rod Steiger, who had played Marty in the teleplay, declined an offer to reprise the role afterHarold Hecht andBurt Lancaster, the film's producers, demanded Steiger sign a multiple-picture commitment as a condition of retaining his role.[9] Ernest Borgnine assumed the title role in Steiger's stead.
Shooting for the film began on September 7, 1954, in The Bronx and included many aspects of the borough into the film, such asGrand Concourse,Arthur Avenue,Gun Hill Road,White Plains Road, and several Bronx subway and elevated train lines, including theConcourse,Third Avenue,White Plains Road, andJerome Avenue lines. On-set filming took place at Samuel Goldwyn Studios on November 1, 1954. Bronx nativeJerry Orbach made his film debut in an uncredited role as a ballroom patron. Chayefsky had an uncredited cameo as Leo.
The role of Clara initially was going to be reprised by actressNancy Marchand, later ofLou Grant andThe Sopranos fame, who had portrayed the character in the television version. However, actress Betsy Blair was interested in playing the role and lobbied for it. At the time, Blair, who was married to actorGene Kelly, had beenblacklisted due to herMarxist andCommunist sympathies. Kelly used his status as a major star withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer and his studio connections to pressureUnited Artists to give Blair the role. Reportedly, Kelly threatened to withdraw from the filmIt's Always Fair Weather if Blair did not get the role of Clara.[10][11]
Mann shot the film in sixteen days and an additional three days for retakes.[12]
Borgnine reported that the film was intended to be partially completed and written off. “That way, the producers could pay themselves a salary, yet not have to show a corporate profit.” Fortunately, “the tax man said no. In order to do that, they had to finish the picture, show it once, and then take a loss.”[13]
Upon its premiere on April 11, 1955 (followed by a wide release on July 15),Marty received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics.[14] Ronald Holloway ofVariety wrote "IfMarty is an example of the type of material that can be gleaned, then studio story editors better spend more time at home looking at television."[15]Time described the film as "wonderful".[16]Louella Parsons enjoyed the film, but she felt that it would not likely be nominated for Oscars.[17] At a budget of $343,000, the film generated revenues of $3 million in the U.S., making it a box-office success.[18]
Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 96% rating based on 77 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's consensus reads: "ScriptwriterPaddy Chayefsky's solid dialogue is bolstered by strong performances fromErnest Borgnine andBetsy Blair in this appealingly low-key character study."[14]
The film is recognized by theAmerican Film Institute.
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