Fifteen years after his death, a carousel barker is granted permission to return to Earth for one day to make amends to his widow and their daughter.Fifteen years after his death, a carousel barker is granted permission to return to Earth for one day to make amends to his widow and their daughter.Fifteen years after his death, a carousel barker is granted permission to return to Earth for one day to make amends to his widow and their daughter.
- Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations
- Heavenly Friend
- (as William Le Massena)
- Louise's 'Starlight Carnival' Dancing Partner
- (as Jacques D'Amboise)
- Graduation Spectator
- (uncredited)
- Ruffian in Louise's Ballet
- (uncredited)
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
- Dancer
- (uncredited)
- Dancer
- (uncredited)
- Third Policeman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film was not successful at the box office despite the positive reviews, but the soundtrack album became a national best seller.
- GoofsAbout one hour into the film, Billy Bigelow (Gordon MacRae) sings the "My Boy Bill" soliloquy on the beach. At one minute, seventeen seconds into the song, four jets fly over in formation in the upper left of the frame. This scene was filmed on the beach near Paradise Cove, Malibu, California, in 1955, when there were several operating Navy and Marine military bases in southern California.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Dr. Selden: [at Louise's graduation ceremony] It's the custom at these graduations to pick out some old duck like me to preach at the kids. Well, I can't preach at you. I know you all too well. I brought most of you into the world, rubbed linament on your backs, poured castor oil down your throats. I only hope that now I got you this far that you'll turn out to be worth all the trouble I took with you. I - I can't tell you any sure way to happiness. I only know that you've gotta go out and find it for yourselves. You can't lean on the success of your parents. That's their success. And don't be held back by their failures.
Billy Bigelow: [to Louise] Listen to him. Believe him.
Dr. Selden: Makes no difference what they did or didn't do. You just stand on your own two feet. The world belongs to you as much as to the next fella, so don't give it up. And try not to be scared of people not liking you, just you try liking them. And just keep your faith, and your courage, and you'll turn out all right. It's like what we used to sing every morning when I was a boy. Maybe you still sing it: "When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high." You know that one?
Singers at graduation: [singing] And don't be afraid of the dark.
[they continue with the rest of the song]
Billy Bigelow: [to Louise, as the singing is still going on] Believe him, darling. Believe.
[Louise joins in the singing, and puts her arm around the girl sitting next to her, who reciprocates]
Billy Bigelow: [Walks over to Julie] I loved you, Julie. Know that I loved you.
[Julie smiles and joins in singing. As the song reaches its climax, Billy and the Heavenly Friend walk away from the graduation and up a hill. Billy then takes a last look toward the schoolyard and follows the Heavenly Friend]
Singers at graduation: [singing] Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart/ And you'll never walk alone,/ You'll never walk alone!
- Crazy creditsA star hurtles downward and explodes in mid-air; out of this appears the credit "Twentieth Century-Fox presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel". The other credits all appear in a straightforward fashion.
- Alternate versionsIn the film's first two telecasts on ABC-TV in 1966, Mrs. Mullin's line "I don't run my business for a lot of sluts." followed by Carrie's retort "Who you calling a slut? Slut yourself!" and Julie says "Yeah, slut yourself!" was edited out. The line was kept on all local station telecasts of the film, and on all video releases.
- ConnectionsFeatured in King of the Movies (1978)
- SoundtracksThe Carousel Waltz
(1945) (uncredited)
Music by Richard Rodgers
Performed by the 20th Century-Fox Studio Orchestra Conducted by Alfred Newman
But back to Carousel, the story is beautiful and moving, sad and romantic. The stuff of great musicals. And the music is wonderfully scored by the Fox maestro of the time, Alfred Newman and the superb Fox orchestra!! I think that if Fox had made this film earlier (like in the 40's, the orchestrations might have been sparser. In 1956, with bigger production spending (to get audiences away from their TVs and back into theatres), the musicals are also beefed up orchestrally (with improved stereo recording techniques) to make the most of the score. (The soundtrack is also an enjoyable one to experience on its own.)
I loved the scenery of the Maine coast...I have even travelled to Maine and made a special stop in Boothbay Harbor--much changed since 1956 I am sure, but it felt wonderful to visit there. I only wish that the town would make more of an effort to promote the fact that Carousel's location filmwork was done there.
The cinematography is splendid and lush. I love the way the camera is used in the Carousel Waltz sequence, with the music dominating any dialogue. Modern directors wouldn't dare try that today!
I can live with the juxtapositional mixes of location photography vs. the in-studio filming. Not all the dancing could be done on a real beach. And I was very pleased that the entire Soliloquy scene was shot outdoors, very beautiful camera-work following Mr. MacRae's movements. And he sings that song like it was written for him. I agree with most other reviewers here, that Mr. Sinatra was not right for this part.
Shirley Jones is just gorgeous to look at and so believable in this role. Too bad, she only really has two songs, one being the duet with MacRae. Claramae Turner's rendition of the classic You'll Never Walk Alone always brings tears to me, even now after all these years.
Even at the end, I am teary-eyed. That tells me this movie is timeless.
I hope anyone who has never seen it, and reads the reviews here, that you will be able to find as much joy and love from this great music and story that we all have.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel
- Filming locations
- Boothbay Harbor, Maine, USA(scenes outside Nettie's Spa and in marina, including musical numbers "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" and "When The Children Are Asleep")
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $529
- Runtime2 hours 8 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.55 : 1