Big City

Director: Norman Taurog Norman Taurog

Overview

In this syrupy, tuneful heart tugger, a Jewish cantor, an Irish-Catholic cop, and a Protestant preacher team up to take care of an adorable orphan. The three disparate fellows do a fine job until the cop decides to marry and formally adopt the tyke. The other two are outraged and conflict ensues until a big-hearted judge and the child conspire to end the feuding.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/03/2012
UPC:	0883316481615
Original Release:	1948
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:43:00
Sales rank:	42,295

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Margaret O'Brien	Midge
Robert Preston	Rev. Philip Y. Andrews
George Murphy	Patrick O'Donnell
Danny Thomas	Cantor David Irwin Feldman
Karin Booth	Florence Bartlett
Edward Arnold	Judge Martin O. Abercrombie
Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins	Lewis Keller,Lewis Keller
Betty Garrett	`Shoo-Shoo' Grady
Lotte Lehmann	`Mama' Feldman
Connie Gilchrist	Martha, Abercrombie Maid
David Leonard	Waiter
Page Cavanaugh Trio	Themselves
George Davis	Flower Seller

Technical Credits

Joe Pasternak	Producer
Norman Taurog	Director

Editorial Reviews

The casting and the musical numbers are the strengths of The Big City, a maudlin little melodrama that would otherwise not be worth watching. Oh, City is certainly well-intentioned and carries a message of understanding, tolerance and cooperation that is entirely laudable. But it wraps that message up in a story that is trite, sticky, excessively sentimental and quite manipulative. There are individual scenes that work, but on the whole the screenplay is a liability. Fortunately, Margaret O'Brien, almost a teen-ager, is still young enough to make this mess work, aided immeasurably by the likes of Robert Preston, George Murphy and Danny Thomas. This three men and their little lady provide enough charisma and personality to make up for most of the script's failings; and what they can't overcome, Betty Garrett, in her film debut, can. Throw is some invaluable assistance from Edward Arnold and Karin Booth and bits by Connie Gilchrist and Butch Jenkins and City becomes surprisingly entertaining -- especially when the screenplay gets out of the way and lets the players engage in some nifty singing and stepping.