The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) on Netflix
Approved19642h 8mComedyMusicalRomanceWestern
Molly Tobin is pulled from the Colorado River as a baby and raised by Seamus Tobin. She grows up wanting a rich husband, sings in a Leadville saloon, and marries Johnny Brown.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb6.6/104,696 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes88%
Trailer
Plot summary
Rescued from the Colorado River as an infant, Molly Tobin is raised by Seamus Tobin and grows up a tomboy set on marrying a wealthy man. She goes to Leadville, Colorado, where the saloon keeper Christmas Morgan hires her to sing. Molly assures him she can play piano too, and learns quickly. The miner Johnny Brown fixes up his cabin, and the two marry. He sells his silver claim for $300,000.
Cast
- Lauren Gilbertas Mr. Fitzgerald
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- MGM wanted Shirley MacLaine for the title role that Tony winner Tammy Grimes had originated on Broadway; MacLaine signed, but was then forced to withdraw when producer Hal Wallis claimed she was under contract to him.
- Judy Garland was reported to be the film's star in 1961, and when Debbie Reynolds was cast instead, Shirley MacLaine publicly accused her of taking a lower salary to land the part; director Charles Walters, who preferred MacLaine, tried to talk Reynolds out of it.
- Because MGM was pouring its money into Doctor Zhivago, at least $1 million was cut from Molly Brown's budget; to save the dance number "He's My Friend" from the axe, director Charles Walters and the cast and crew shot it in one rigorous day with multiple cameras.
- The sinking scenes were faked by intercutting black-and-white footage from the 1953 film Titanic and 1958's A Night to Remember with shots of Debbie Reynolds as Molly Brown aboard the ship and later in a lifeboat.
- Only five of the 17 musical numbers from the stage version were used, and composer Meredith Willson wrote a new song, "He's My Friend", to extend the score.
- The film set an opening-week record at Radio City Music Hall in New York City with a $222,000 gross, and went on to be the theater's highest-grossing film, taking $2 million in 10 weeks.
