SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS
MGM, 1954 | COLOR (ANSCO)/CINEMASCOPE, 102 MINUTES
DIRECTOR: STANLEY DONEN PRODUCER: JACK CUMMINGS SCREENPLAY: FRANCES GOODRICH, ALBERT HACKETT, AND DOROTHY KINGSLEY, BASED ON THE STORY “THE SOBBIN, WOMEN” BY STEPHEN VINCENT BENET SONGS: GENE DE PAUL (MUSIC) AND JOHNNY MERCER (LYRICS) CHOREOGRAPHER: MICHAEL KIDD STARRING: HOWARD KEEL (ADAM PONTIPEE), JANE POWELL (MILLY), JACQUES D’AMBOISE (EPHRAIM), MATT MATTOX (CALEB), MARC PLATT (DANIEL), TOMMY RALL (FRANK), JEFF RICHARDS (BENJAMIN), RUSS TAMBLYN (GIDEON), BETTY CARR (SARAH), NORMA DOGGETT (MARTHA), VIRGINIA GIBSON (LIZA), NANCY KILGAS (ALICE), RUTA KILMONIS [LEE] (RUTH), JULIE NEWMEYER [NEWMAR] (DORCAS)
When an Oregon frontiersman brings home a bride, his six brothers decide to follow suit.
Contrary to legend, this was not a humble “sleeper” that no one cared about until it started to make money. Its great merit was clear from the start even in a time of uncertainty. By 1954, musicals were no longer the guaranteed proposition they had been in the previous decade. Television was a juggernaut, studio production was slowing down, and grosses were shrinking. It was in this shaky climate that Seven Brides for Seven Brothers burst through like a shot of adrenaline.
Its roots lay in, of all things, the legendary history of ancient Rome, specifically the abduction of the Sabine women by the male settlers of the newly founded city. The tale was given an Americanized spin by Stephen Vincent Benet in his short story “The Sobbin’ Women,” set in the Tennessee Valley, and then a team of MGM writers changed the setting to the Oregon Territory in 1850. Director Stanley Donen wanted it shot on location, the studio’s money people thought otherwise, and it does look jarring to modern eyes when Jane Powell launches into “Wonderful, Wonderful Day” by moving from an outdoor shot to an extremely artificial soundstage meadow. If filming at the studio was a way of cutting costs this was still, at $2.54 million, one of MGM’s biggest productions of the season. (The costliest was Brigadoon, which was also denied a location shoot and ended up a major box-office failure.) Cost considerations aside, some were caught off guard at just how massive a sensation Brides caused: it became the highest-grossing MGM musical up to that time and was an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture.
Ruta Kilmonis, Matt Mattox, Marc Platt, Norma Doggett, Nancy Kilgas, Russ Tamblyn, Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Betty Carr, Jeff Richards, Tommy Rall, Julie Newmeyer, Virginia Gibson, Jacques D’Amboise
The reasons for this popularity and esteem are evident. Thanks to Donen, the pace is almost as sprightly as in Singin’ in the Rain, and two of MGM’s musical stalwarts, Howard Keel and Jane Powell, have never been better. There was also the sense, due to the clever script, that this was racier than most musicals; how many of them, after all, end with a shotgun wedding? Most of all, there’s the dancing. After a first section devoted to plot and songs, choreographer Michael Kidd takes charge and Seven Brides soars. Its centerpiece is the barn raising, where the brothers’ budding interest in the local females plays out in a fierce competition with the local swains to see who can build a barn fastest. It isn’t simply about dance or athleticism, dazzling as they are. What’s most impressive is the storytelling; as with all the great artists creating musicals, Kidd is aware that the sheer display counts for little when not deepening and advancing the plot and characters. He does it again, in a far different key, in “Lonesome Polecat,” in which a vivid yet subtle depiction of sexual frustration is clear evidence of how a gifted artist could get “iffy” material past the still-active censors.
Seven Brides was seen as a boisterous and slightly bawdy romp when it was released, in a time when the term “non-consensual” was not part of the language. Not everyone today will be enamored of the sexual politics on display, while others will find it easier to simply shrug, enjoy the show, and accept it as the joyous fable it’s intended to be. For those willing to enter into the brightly colored spirit of things, the rewards will include a great deal of entertainment and, most certainly, some of the finest dancing ever put on film.
Howard Keel, Jane Powell, and lyricist Johnny Mercer on the set
Jane Powell and Howard Keel
WHAT’S MORE
Michael Kidd insisted that the six dancing Pontipee brothers be drawn from the ranks of the finest talent then available. He got his way for five of them, even if Russ Tamblyn was more a gymnast than a traditional dancer. The sixth brother was MGM contract actor Jeff Richards, an ex-professional baseball player whose dance ability consisted mainly of looking attractive. In most of the dances, he can be seen sitting things out while his brothers cut loose.
Two of the kidnapped brides may seem familiar to some viewers, and they should. Ruta Kilmonis (Ruth) changed her last name to Lee and became a staple on sitcoms and game shows for several decades. The statuesque Dorcas is Julie Newmeyer, later known as Julie Newmar, who had already appeared in the “Girl Hunt” ballet in The Band Wagon. Like Ruta Lee, Ms. Newmar stayed perpetually busy on TV, in film, and on the stage for many years, ever a welcome face (and figure).
MUSICALLY SPEAKING
Despite its popularity, this film produced no hit songs. It might have been otherwise had director Donen gone with his original choice of Harold Arlen to compose the music. Unfortunately, lyricist Johnny Mercer thought otherwise and complained to Donen that Arlen was “too picky about the words.” The eventual choice was journeyman tunesmith Gene de Paul, who produced quite engaging tunes that were, in the final analysis, not really memorable. As a result, Seven Brides is one of the rare big musicals that is truly less about the song and more about the dance.
Betty Carr, Tommy Rall, Ruta Kilmonis, Matt Mattox, Nancy Kilgas, Russ Tamblyn, Virginia Gibson, Jacques D’Amboise, Norma Doggett, Marc Platt, Julie Newmeyer, Jeff Richards