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
The problem, perhaps, seems to be in the music. We have heard variations of these Rodgers and Hammerstein's songs in other musicals. Take for instance, "You'll Never Walk Alone", doesn't it sound suspiciously like "Climb Every Mountain" from "The Sound of Music"? In both cases, they are heard from much older and wiser women, Cousin Nettie, in this one, or Mother Superior in the other. Also there are shades of "Some Enchanting Evening", from "South Pacific", while Louise is seen playing around at the beach while Billy is looking from heaven. Of course, we realize "Carousel" came before.
One wonders what change of events took Billy Bigelow to heaven? After all, he wasn't a model of righteousness, let alone his way of giving Julie a slap or two at times. If all indicates that he was admitted through the Pearly Gates of heaven, then, there's a chance for most of us, or so, it seems to be the case.
Gordon McRae was more of a singer than an actor, and it sadly shows in this film. The lovely Shirley Jones, at the prime of her youth, fares much better because she could not only sing, but she was a notable actress of this genre and comedy. For some reason, the chemistry that might have existed between them in "Oklahoma", is not shown here. Cameron Mitchell, Gene Lockhart, Claramae Turner, Susan Luckey, among others do good supporting jobs in the film.
The choreography of Agnes de Mille is only seen in all its splendor in "June is busting out all over" and in the Carousel ballet, somehow abridged, and featuring Jacques D'Amboise with Louis Luckey in one of the best moments of the musical.
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