Big City (1937 film)

Big City
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Frank Borzage
Produced by	Frank Borzage; Norman Krasna
Written by	Norman Krasna; Dore Schary; Hugo Butler
Starring	Luise Rainer; Spencer Tracy
Music by	William Axt
Cinematography	Joseph Ruttenberg
Edited by	Frederick Y. Smith
Production; company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Loew's Inc.
Release date	September 3, 1937;
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$621,000[1]
Box office	$1,601,000[1]

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]

Plot

Joe Benton (Spencer Tracy) and his wife Anna (Luise Rainer) 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.

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.

Cast

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

Reception

Writing 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

According 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

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

Big City at the American Film Institute Catalog
Big City at IMDb
Synopsis at AllMovie
Review of film at Variety

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[Mannix-1] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[2] The Great Depression in America by William H. Young, Nancy K. Young. p. 560

[3] 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.)