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The Big Street

  • 1942
  • Approved
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Henry Fonda, Lucille Ball, Agnes Moorehead, and Sam Levene in The Big Street (1942)
A busboy in unrequited love with a nightclub performer grows closer to her after she is paralyzed in an attack by her gangster boyfriend.
Play trailer1:34
1 Video
99+ Photos
DramaMusicRomance

A busboy in unrequited love with a nightclub performer grows closer to her after she is paralyzed in an attack by her gangster boyfriend.A busboy in unrequited love with a nightclub performer grows closer to her after she is paralyzed in an attack by her gangster boyfriend.A busboy in unrequited love with a nightclub performer grows closer to her after she is paralyzed in an attack by her gangster boyfriend.

  • Director
    • Irving Reis
  • Writers
    • Leonard Spigelgass
    • Damon Runyon
  • Stars
    • Henry Fonda
    • Lucille Ball
    • Barton MacLane
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    1.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Irving Reis
    • Writers
      • Leonard Spigelgass
      • Damon Runyon
    • Stars
      • Henry Fonda
      • Lucille Ball
      • Barton MacLane
    • 55User reviews
    • 17Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:34
    Official Trailer

    Photos100

    View Poster
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    + 94
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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Henry Fonda
    Henry Fonda
    • Little Pinks
    Lucille Ball
    Lucille Ball
    • Gloria Lyons
    Barton MacLane
    Barton MacLane
    • Case Ables
    Eugene Pallette
    Eugene Pallette
    • Nicely Nicely Johnson
    Agnes Moorehead
    Agnes Moorehead
    • Violette Shumberg
    Sam Levene
    Sam Levene
    • Horsethief
    Ray Collins
    Ray Collins
    • Professor B
    Marion Martin
    Marion Martin
    • Mimi Venus
    William T. Orr
    William T. Orr
    • Decatur Reed
    • (as William Orr)
    George Cleveland
    George Cleveland
    • Colonel Samuel Venus
    Vera Gordon
    Vera Gordon
    • Mrs. Lefkowitz
    Ozzie Nelson and Orchestra
    • Night Club Orchestra
    Ozzie Nelson
    Ozzie Nelson
    • Orchestra Leader
    Al Bain
    Al Bain
    • Mug
    • (uncredited)
    Don Barclay
    Don Barclay
    • Eating Contest Emcee
    • (uncredited)
    Mary Bayless
    • Nightclub Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Louise Beavers
    Louise Beavers
    • Ruby - Gloria's Maid
    • (uncredited)
    Anthony Blair
    • O'Rourke
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Irving Reis
    • Writers
      • Leonard Spigelgass
      • Damon Runyon
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Lucille Ball's favorite of her films. She felt her performance was unjustly ignored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
    • Goofs
      A gathering to raise money to send Gloria Lyons to Florida doesn't raise enough, so a suggestion is made to put it on a horse. A face-on shot of Horsethief shows him sitting down and pulling a paper from his inside pocket. He stands up and unfolds the paper, but then a long shot shows him just starting to take the paper from his pocket.
    • Quotes

      Gloria Lyons: Love is something that gets you one room, two chins and 3 kids.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits: "Loser's Lane --- the sidewalk in front of Mindy's Restaurant on Broadway-- is not as high-toned a trading center as Wall Street, but the brokers are a lot more colorful. Generally they prefer to put their money on a prizefight or horserace, but when the action slows, anything can happen and it usually does. Tonight, for example, the citizens of the Lane are discussing the latest contest in their usual quiet way --"
    • Connections
      Featured in AFI Life Achievement Award: AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Henry Fonda (1978)
    • Soundtracks
      Who Knows?
      (1942)
      Lyrics by Mort Greene
      Music by Harry Revel
      Performed by Lucille Ball at the New York nightclub (uncredited)
      Reprised by her with Ozzie Nelson and Orchestra at the Florida nightclub (Vocals for Miss Ball by Martha Mears) (uncredited)
      Played often in the score

    User reviews55

    Featured review
    8/10

    Unselfish Love

    The comments about the Fonda character having 'no reason' to take the abusive and selfishness of the Ball character makes me wonder if this person ever loved anyone unconditionally. There are many people in this world that take worse than the verbal abuse from the person they love and stay with them their whole lives.

    The Ball character was very well done and I don't think I remember Ball being a character like that after this movie. I don't like Lucille Ball as a comedienne, its too bad that she wasn't able to continue as a dramatic actress she would have done well.

    But the movie is all about love conquering the selfish...wish it was that way all the time.
    • Tapestry6
    • Oct 23, 2006
    • Permalink

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    FAQ14

    • How long is The Big Street?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 4, 1942 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Damon Runyon's The Big Street
    • Filming locations
      • Miami, Florida, USA(second unit - exteriors)
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Henry Fonda, Lucille Ball, Agnes Moorehead, and Sam Levene in The Big Street (1942)
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