[MMM]

A Carlyle Production - Released by United Artists

Based on the Novel by Nelson Algren
Producer and Director: Otto Preminger
Screenplay: Walter Newman & Lewis Meltzer
Music composed and conducted by Elmer Bernstein
Director of Photography: Sam Leavitt

Cast
Frank Sinatra: Frankie Machine
Eleanor Parker: Zosh
Kim Novak: Molly
Arnold Stang: Sparrow
Darren McGavin: Louie
Robert Strauss: Schwiefka

(Notes transcribed from Nancy Sinatra's "Frank Sinatra: An American Legend")

I might be going on a limb here, but I cannot forget this movie of Franks to save my soul. I remember seeing it in 1955-1956 in the movie theatres, when I was 16 years old....I was so intrigued by it that I bought the LP_ album of the sound-track music by Elmer Berstein. Ooohhhh, in those days how I LOVED (and still do) Frank and his ability to 'tell it like it is'.... as he and he alone could do.

God Rest His Soul!

"for how does any man keep straight with himself if he has no one with to whom to be straight?"

-Nelson Algren
<i> The Man with the Golden Arm</i>

Nancy, Frank , & Tina

Your dad definitely deserved The Oscar for his performance in this film. He went through the task of actually viewing people going cold turkey. I think it was somewhere in California, maybe Chino to get the freal deal before he made the movie. I have the video of the film and think it should be shown in grammar school so that our children can get a first hand view of what can happen if you play with drugs. I went so far as to approach a school committee man about showing the film in our local schools but I don't think he did or even approached anyone with the idea. The Manchurian Candidate was also another great movie that was Oscar material for him. He may be gone from this life but he will ALWAYS be with us no matter in what medium. The greatest of all time.

Sincerely
Walt Goncalo
ogrady26@attbi.com

This movie was pretty controversal in 1955. Covered some very serious subject matter. Frank was excellent in this movie - a very tough role to play. When this movie came out, it definitely would have scared the hell out of anyone who might be thinking about trying drugs. I just wish there was a better print out there of this movie.

Dennis

[DOUGofOHIO]

Good evening, it's a warm one, from TROY, OHIO-USA:

Thanks for listing this fine film.....I just wanted to mention the great music that was part of the story.....Frank worked extra hard to make this one.....it was way ahead of it's time...now it seems it is a teaching movie for folks who think it's cute to use heroin.....

There's a wonderful interview somewhere, where Frank describes how he had to learn to do the withdrawal scene and he still gets tears in his eyes when he thinks about watching somebody in a hospital going through it....

Great acting ....great music..

Respectfully,

hi, sinatra was great and should have won the academy award for best actor. terrific co-stars and background music. this subject was taboo back in 1955, and too bad society didn't pick up on this with drug awareness programs sooner then they did, many lives would have been saved. thanks, joe....

[MMM]

I've heard that was why the song "The Man With the Golden Arm" was not released until the Sinatra In Hollywood box came out last year. The subject matter in the song was a bit "too much" for a new pop song in 1955. They didn't even come up with a tape for it, but thankfully located an acetate that IIRC belonged to Sammy Cahn.

[Marty]

probably the finest in the canon of serious movies Frank Sinatra made. British members who may not have seen this particular film can see it tonite (Sat 23rd Aug) on BBC2, a rare treat.

Whre is The Man with the Golden Arm? Or am I blind? This is the one he should have won the Oscar for!
hannah

Here:

http://www.sinatrafamily.com/forum/s...?threadid=9380



Bernhard.

It's easy to see how a person could get emotional about a movie like this. I have worked with recovering drug addicts before I started working with the elder population and let me say it is not a pretty picture.Depression,eating disorders,and suicide attempts can be serious symptoms of the drug addiction...so often it goes deeper than just the addiction itself.
Watching someone go through withdrawal is also very painful.....it's a sight you want to forget but can't,it's an absolutlely impossible picture to get out of your mind.
You really want to keep someone off drugs let them watch a person withdrawing....Franks performance just touched the tip of the iceberg but I think it was certainly shocking to some in its day and showed that drugs are NOT something you want to do.
If only they would show this movie in our public schools today because I think it delivers a powerful message relevent yesterday and today.
hannah

Hi is there a new "Man With the Golden Arm" DVD out now from Hart Sharp Video? Amazon shows that they are selling one that was released on October 7th. Does anyone know about it, good transfer, extras?
Thanks

[Nancy]

Well, I'm not sure what Amazon has but the legitimate release
of MWGA by Hart Sharp has been delayed and will probably not
happen until early next year.

[DOUGofOHIO]

Good nice afternoon from
TROY, OHIO-USA:

bump

Speaking of which... I happened upon a DVD of TMWTGA yesterday at WALGREENS for $3.99!

This may or may not be a legitimate release, so I won't name the company that produced it... but at that price I just had to pick it up. If nothing else it will hold me over until the HART SHARP DVD releases next year (which I still plan on buying). I had never seen the film before, so I couldn't resist.

[Domenico]

This is the movie Sinatra should have won an oscar for.



Domenic Vitanza

That's what Frank always thought too!

[Domenico]

Does that mean that great minds think alike??

hahaha

[Marty]

Sinatra is frighteningly on the ball as Frankie Machine, a heroin addict and poker-dealer, who on release from prison wants to pursue a new career as a jazz drummer. As many of us know though, shaking off one's past doesn't prove to be that easy, and a downward spiral back to the life of a junkie culminates in a truly scary and realistic cold turkey sequence, it is said that Frank visited withdrawing heroin users to prepare and was moved to tears by what he'd seen.
Otto Preminger's The Man With The Golden Arm was a revolutionary film in many ways.
In 1955 drug addiction was considered to be a taboo subject matter, and the film was released contrary to Hollywood's strict production codes of the time (with director Preminger cannily using the controversy to aid the movie`s publicity campaign).
Featuring a landmark score by Elmer Bernstein (The music is famous for being the first entirely jazz based score for a major motion picture.)
The movie also boast one of Saul Bass's earliest iconic opening credits sequences, which would soon be his trademark in the openings of films such as Hitchcock's North By Northwest, Vertigo & Psycho, and other such Preminger classics as Anatomy Of A Murder & Carmen Jones.
The Man With The Golden Arm is a hugely significant American movie and one of 50s Hollywood's greatest achievements.