| The Man with the Golden Arm | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Otto Preminger |
| Produced by | Otto Preminger |
| Written by | Nelson Algren (novel) Walter Newman Lewis Meltzer Ben Hecht |
| Starring | Frank Sinatra Eleanor Parker Kim Novak |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
| Cinematography | Sam Leavitt |
| Editing by | Louis R. Loeffler |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | December 14, 1955 |
| Running time | 119 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Man with the Golden Arm is a 1955 film, based on the novel by Nelson Algren, which tells the story of a heroin addict who got clean while in prison but struggles to stay straight in the outside world. It stars Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang and Darren McGavin. The movie was adapted by Walter Newman, Lewis Meltzer and Ben Hecht (uncredited) from the novel by Nelson Algren. It was directed by Otto Preminger. It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Frank Sinatra), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. Sinatra was also nominated for best actor awards by the BAFTAs and The New York Film Critics. The Motion Picture Association of America refused to certify the film because it shows drug addiction. The next year the production code was changed to allow movies to deal with drugs, kidnapping, abortion and prostitution. The movie opens with one of the most famous title sequences in movie history, the animated paper cut-out of a heroin addict's arm, designed by Saul Bass. The soundtrack was a landmark in film history, being hitherto one of the most creative and inventive jazz scores heard in a major motion picture. The man with the Golden Arm earned $4,100,000 in rentals at the North American box office.
Trivia
The script for The Man With the Golden Arm was sent to Marlon Brando around the same time as it did Sinatra. Sinatra, who missed out on the lead role in On the Waterfront to Brando, quickly jumped at the chance to star before reading the entire script. Sinatra worked 12-hour days when shooting, even taking time out to visit clinics to observe real drug addicts going through cold turkey. In the video game The Darkness, this film can be watched on an old television set in a shopping cart, found early in the game in a subway station. Ministry uses samples from this film in their song "Just One Fix".
Academy Awards
| Award | Person | |
| Nominated: | ||
| Best Actor | Frank Sinatra | |
| Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White | Joseph C. Wright Darrell Silvera |
|
| Best Score | Elmer Bernstein | |
External links
 American films of the 1950s |
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| 1950 •1951 •1952 •1953 •1954 •1955 •1956 •1957 •1958 •1959 |
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Die große Liebe • Under Your Spell • Danger, Love at Work • Kidnapped • Clare Booth Luce's Margin for Error • In the Meantime, Darling • Laura • A Royal Scandal • Fallen • Centennial Summer • Forever Amber • Daisy Kenyon • That Lady in Ermine • The Fan • Whirlpool • Where the Sidewalk Ends • The 13th Letter • Angel Face • The Moon Is Blue • Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach • River of No Return • Carmen Jones • The Man with the Golden Arm • The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell • Saint Joan • Bonjour Tristesse • Porgy and Bess • Anatomy of a Murder • Exodus • Advise and Consent • The Cardinal • In Harm's Way • Bunny Lake Is Missing • Hurry Sundown • Skidoo • Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon • Such Good Friends • Rosebud • The Human Factor |
