Big City is a 1937 American drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Luise Rainer and Spencer Tracy. The film was also released as Skyscraper Wilderness.[2]
| Big City | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Frank Borzage |
| Written by | Norman Krasna Dore Schary Hugo Butler |
| Produced by | Frank Borzage Norman Krasna |
| Starring | Luise Rainer Spencer Tracy |
| Cinematography | Joseph Ruttenberg |
| Edited by | Frederick Y. Smith |
| Music by | William Axt |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $621,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,601,000[1] |
Plot
editJoe Benton and his wife Anna are suspected of starting a taxi war. Although innocent, they are blamed for everything that has happened and the officials demand that Anna be deported from the United States. While trying to prove their innocence, the couple feels forced to hide.
Cast
edit- Luise Rainer as Anna Benton
- Spencer Tracy as Joe Benton
- Charley Grapewin as Robert, the Mayor
- Janet Beecher as Sophie Sloane
- Eddie Quillan as Mike Edwards
- Victor Varconi as Paul Roya
- Oscar O'Shea as John C. Andrews
- Helen Troy as Lola Johnson
- William Demarest as Beecher
- John Arledge as Bud
- Irving Bacon as Jim Sloane
- Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as Danny Devlin
- Regis Toomey as Fred Hawkins
- Edgar Dearing as Tom Reilley
- Paul Harvey as District Attorney Gilbert
- Andrew Tombes as Inspector Matthews
- Clem Bevans as Grandpa Sloane
- Grace Ford as Mary Reilley
- Alice White as Peggy Devlin
- Paul Fix as Comet Night Watchman (uncredited)
- Ray Walker as Eddie Donogan, Independent Cab Driver (uncredited)
- George Godfrey as himself
The film also casts a number of popular sports figures including Jack Dempsey, James J. Jeffries, Jim Thorpe and Frank Wykoff in minor comic roles.
Reception
editWriting for Night and Day in 1937, Graham Greene gave the film a poor review, describing it as "just possible to sit through". Greene's primary complaint was about the acting, which he found to be "heavily laid on" with "people in this film [being] too happy before disaster: no one is as happy as all that, no one so little prepared for what life is bound to do sooner or later". The only consolation for Greene was that of Borzage's direction, which Greene described as "sentimental but competent".[3]
Box office
editAccording to MGM records, the film earned $906,000 in the US and Canada, and $695,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $462,000.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ^ The Great Depression in America by William H. Young, Nancy K. Young. p. 560
- ^ Greene, Graham (14 October 1937). "Big City/Tales from the Vienna Woods/Children at School". Night and Day. (reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome. Oxford University Press. p. 173. ISBN 0192812866.)
External links
edit- Big City at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Big City at IMDb
- Synopsis at AllMovie
- Big City at the TCM Movie Database
- Review of film at Variety