''Marty'' is a 1955 American romantic

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by Delbert Mann in his

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

. The screenplay was written by

Paddy Chayefsky Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (January 29, 1923 – August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays. He was ...

, expanding upon his 1953 teleplay of the same name, which was broadcast on The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse and starred

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

in the title role. The film stars

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...

and Betsy Blair. In addition to winning the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only categ ...

, the film enjoyed international success, becoming the fourth American film to win the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

. ''Marty'', '' The Lost Weekend'' (1945) and ''

Parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson h ...

'' (2019) are the only three films to win both organizations' grand prizes. In 1994, ''Marty'' was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

Plot

Marty Piletti is an Italian-American butcher who lives in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

with his mother. Unmarried at 34, the good-natured but socially awkward Marty faces constant badgering from family and friends to settle down, as they point out that all his brothers and sisters are already 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 science teacher at Benjamin Franklin High School, who is quietly weeping on the roof after being callously abandoned at the ballroom by her blind date. They 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 and they awkwardly express their mutual attraction, shortly before his mother returns. Marty takes her 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 moves in to live with Marty and his mother. She warns his mother that Marty will soon marry and cast her aside. Fearing that Marty's romance could spell her abandonment, his mother belittles Clara. Marty's friends, with an undercurrent of envy, deride Clara for her plainness and try to convince him to forget her and to 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 the objections of his friends, he dashes to a phone booth to call Clara, who is disconsolately watching television with her parents. When his friend asks what he's doing, Marty bursts out saying: Marty closes the phone booth's door when Clara answers the phone. In the last line of the film, he tentatively says "Hello...Hello, Clara?"

Cast

Ernest Borgnine-Betsy Blair in Marty trailer

as Marty Piletti * Betsy Blair as Clara Snyder * Esther Minciotti as Mrs. Teresa Piletti, Marty's mother * Augusta Ciolli as Aunt Catherine, Ms. Piletti's sister * Joe Mantell as Angie, Marty's best friend *

Karen Steele Karen Steele (March 20, 1931 – March 12, 1988) was an American actress and model with more than 60 roles in film and television. Her most famous roles include starring as Virginia in '' Marty'', as Mrs. Lane in ''Ride Lonesome'', and as Ev ...

as Virginia, Aunt Catherine's daughter-in-law * Jerry Paris as Tommy, Aunt Catherine's son * Frank Sutton as Ralph (uncredited)

Production

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.Chayefsky, Paddy. "Two Choices of Material". ''Television Plays'', Simon & Schuster, 1955.

, who had played Marty in the teleplay, initially declined an offer to reprise the role after Harold Hecht and

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

, the film's producers, demanded Steiger sign a multiple-picture commitment as a condition of retaining his role. 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 as Grand Concourse,

Arthur Avenue Arthur Avenue is a street in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, which serves as the center of the Bronx's "Little Italy". Although the historical and commercial center of Little Italy is Arthur Avenue itself, the area stretch ...

, Gun Hill Road,

White Plains Road White Plains Road is a major north-south thoroughfare which runs the length of the New York City borough of the Bronx. It runs from Castle Hill and Clason Point in the south to Wakefield in the north, where it crosses the city line and becomes ...

, and several Bronx subway and elevated train lines, including the

Concourse A concourse is a place where pathways or roads meet, such as in a hotel, a convention center, a railway station, an airport terminal, a hall, or other space. The term is not limited to places where there are literally pathways or roadways or t ...

Third Avenue Third Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, as well as in the center portion of the Bronx. Its southern end is at Astor Place and St. Mark's Place. It transitions into Cooper Squ ...

, and

Jerome Avenue Jerome Avenue is one of the longest thoroughfares in the New York City borough of the Bronx, New York, United States. The road is long and stretches from Concourse to Woodlawn. Both of these termini are with the Major Deegan Expressway which r ...

lines. On-set filming took place at Samuel Goldwyn Studios on November 1, 1954. Bronx native

Jerry Orbach Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a " ...

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 actress Nancy Marchand, later of '' Lou Grant'' and ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'' 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 actor

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

, had been

blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, ...

ed due to her

Marxist Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialecti ...

and

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

sympathies. It was only through the lobbying of Kelly, who used his major star status and connections at MGM to pressure

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

, that Blair got the role. Reportedly, Kelly threatened to withdraw from the film '' It's Always Fair Weather'' if Blair did not get the role of Clara. Mann shot the film in 16 days and an additional three days for retakes.

Reception

Upon its premiere on April 11, 1955 (followed by a wide release on July 15), ''Marty'' received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Ronald Holloway of ''Variety'' wrote "If ''Marty'' 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." ''Time'' described the film as "wonderful".

Louella Parsons Louella Parsons (born Louella Rose Oettinger; August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) was an American movie columnist and a screenwriter. She was retained by William Randolph Hearst because she had championed Hearst's mistress Marion Davies and s ...

enjoyed the film, but she felt that it would not likely be nominated for Oscars. At a budget of $343,000, the film generated revenues of $3 million in the U.S., making it a box-office success. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a "Certified Fresh" 96% rating based on 77 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's consensus reads: "Scriptwriter

's solid dialogue is bolstered by strong performances from

and Betsy Blair in this appealingly low-key character study." The film is recognized by the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

. * 2002: AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Passions – 64

Awards and nominations

''Marty'' received the first

ever awarded. ''Marty'', '' The Lost Weekend'' and ''

'' are the only films ever to win both the

and the highest award at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

(''Marty'' and ''Parasite'' both received the Palme d'Or, which, beginning at the 1955 festival, replaced the ''Grand Prix du Festival International du Film'' as the highest award).

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control 1955 directorial debut films 1955 films 1955 romantic drama films American romantic drama films American black-and-white films Best Picture Academy Award winners 1950s English-language films Fictional butchers Films based on television plays Films directed by Delbert Mann Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award-winning performance Films featuring a Best Drama Actor Golden Globe winning performance Films produced by Burt Lancaster Films produced by Harold Hecht Films scored by Roy Webb Films set in 1954 Films set in the Bronx Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award Films with screenplays by Paddy Chayefsky Norma Productions films Palme d'Or winners Social realism in film United Artists films United States National Film Registry films 1950s American films