Bloodhounds of Broadway

This Damon Runyon story feels slightly related to "Guys and Dolls", but it does not have the production values of the better-known musical that was released in 1955.

Crime boss "Numbers" Foster (Scott Brady) leaves New York by car when the heat is on, afraid he might have to testify before the Crime Commission. When his driver/minion, "Poorly Sammis", takes a wrong turn, they find themselves in the Georgia backwoods, where a beautiful young Emily Ann (Mitzi Gaynor) treats them right neighborly. Numbers decides to take Emily back to New York with him, along with her two pet bloodhounds.

When back in the city, Numbers---whose intentions might be avuncular; it's hard to tell---tries to find a job for Emily Ann. Surprise, she can sing and dance! That works well for everyone except Numbers' girlfriend, Yvonne (Marguerite Chapman), who feels threatened.

This is a decent musical, but definitely B level. Mitzi Gaynor is quite good in her role. The wardrobe and the choreo have notable moments. The music cannot stack up to "Guys and Dolls", but having two cast members named Mitzi is unique.

Damon Runyon whose Guys And Dolls was still running on Broadway when Bloodhounds Of Broadway made its debut with a new musical star. It was a built in audience for 20th Century Fox's new musical star Mitzi Gaynor.

Sad to say that Gaynor came along just as musical films were getting fewer and fewer because of the expenses. She got in some good films though including the choice part of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific. Mitzi could sing, dance, and when called for could be very funny, the total package.

Bloodhounds of Broadway has Scott Brady leaving the New York jurisdiction to avoid testifying at a New York State Crime Commission. He and sidekick Wally Vernon come to a small Georgia town in the piney woods and there find Mitzi Gaynor with her two trained bloodhounds Nip and Tuck. She's also got Timothy Carey who has ideas of marrying her. I don't know about you but I consider that a fate worse than death. Brady takes her and the hounds back to Broadway though he has to lay low.

Brady also has a jealous girlfriend in Marguerite Chapman who might just blow the whistle on him. Brady is head of a large bookmaking operation that uses a laundry for a front. There is a very funny scene with Mary Wickes who has come in the place to get a wash done and she's being discouraged from patronizing the business for that purpose.

There's a really good performance from that other Mitzi, Green that is who spent most of her career on Broadway. She takes Gaynor under her wing. Also Michael O'Shea as a cop who grew up with Brady who is now looking to nail him.

The music comes from a variety of sources, best number is a hillbilly type dance that Gaynor does with Sharon Baird. You will also spot Charles Bronson in an early role as one of Brady's associates.

And those hounds make it complete. Bloodhounds On Broadway holds up well as nice musical entertainment.

Lots of slang like used in GUYS AND DOLLS. Well it is based on Damon Runyon's stories, so why not? Gamblers and dolls. Simple plot revolves around a numbers man Scott Brady meeting up with a little hick from GA, Mitzi Gaynor. Shades of what was to become her Nellie Forbush in SOUTH PACIFIC. Her character development in this is kind of sudden. In "life" a real cute little innocent, and in the musical numbers a regular siren. But who cares. This is a musical. Fox should release more of these little gems that were no great shakes at the box office, but are very much needed in this day and age of smutty and violent films. Nice interview with Mitzi on the new DVD. She says nice things about Marilyn Monroe during THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS, but I understand she didn't like her and didn't say very nice things about her. Has she changed her mind? Hope so. Well, let's have more of Mitzi like GOLDEN GIRL and THE I DON'T CARE GIRL. BLOODHOUNDS is certainly worth a look for nostalgia if nothing else.

Damon Runyon's "Bloodhounds of Broadway" (1952) is basically "Kissin' Cousins" meets "Guys & Dolls"; as New York bookie "Numbers" Foster (Scott Brady) stumbles onto calico-clad Emily Ann Stackerlee (Mitzi Gaynor) in rural Georgia and takes her (and her dogs) with him back to his New York City nightclub.

Simply put, no Hollywood actress ever glammed up or plained down with quite the degree of erotic fantasy contrast of Mitzi Gaynor, or at least of a young Mitzi (and she was only 21 when "Bloodhounds of Broadway" was filmed). The mind-blowing qualities of this disparity accounted for much of her popularity with audiences and producers, and gave a special sizzle to her most memorable films. On the other hand, her performances in films that failed to showcase this disparity (like "South Pacific") had a sterile flatness.

"Bloodhounds of Broadway" neatly exploits Gaynor's physical range, it is almost as if the storyline was written solely for this purpose. Her transformation deliberately lacks subtlety because the whole point is to overwhelm the observer with the contrast, causing them to participate in producing the synergy of the experience. It is plausible only because Gaynor has a unique physical quality which visually sells it, bookending the production at her most innocent with "In the Sweet Bye and Bye" and at her hottest (this side of Cole Porter's "Anything Goes") with "Jack of Diamonds".

The audience's reaction to the transformation of Emily Ann nicely illustrates the concept of a film as a semifinished product, to be used by the viewer to complete the artistic process rather than something they simply consume.

If you are buying the DVD used (or unsealed) be sure that the two-fold brochure and the 20th Century Fox envelope are included; the envelope contains four miniature black & white lobby cards on glossy heavy stock paper.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I am an entirely biased Mitzi Gaynor fan. The most all around talent of them all. Singer, Dancer, completely natural actress and entertainer extraordinaire.

I think the less said about Scott Brady the better. Someone once said about an early Katherine Hepburn movie "she covered the range of emotions from A to B" ... well she was still two up on Scott. Couple of nice Damon Runyon comedy relief characters that did do nice work, however. The bloodhounds were fun and provided a great ending.

The number "Bout Eighty Miles Outside of Atlanta" knocked my socks off. Straight out of a Lil Abner scene in Dogpatch (only better) The other big number, "Jack of Diamonds" was also a good example of Mitzi comin' on full blast. Throw the rest of the movie away and just give me those two numbers and I am still happy.

Thank you for your attention .. go see the movie.