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Marty Overview:

Marty (1955) was a Drama - Romance Film directed by Delbert Mann and produced by Harold Hecht, Burt Lancaster and Paddy Chayefsky.

SYNOPSIS

This icon of the '50s was first seen as Paddy Chayefsky's teleplay for Goodyear Playhouse two years earlier. Borgnine, in an Oscar-winning performance, plays a lonely Bronx butcher who discovers that, even though he doesn't look like Tyrone Power, he can still find love. Produced at the same time when Hollywood was fighting television with wide-screen formats and stereophonic sound, Marty's naturalistic dialogue and modest humanistic story were revolutionary in their own quiet way.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Marty was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1994.

Academy Awards 1955 --- Ceremony Number 28 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorErnest BorgnineWon
Best Supporting ActorJoe MantellNominated
Best Supporting ActressBetsy BlairNominated
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: Edward S. Haworth, Walter Simonds; Set Decoration: Robert PriestleyNominated
Best CinematographyJoseph LaShelleNominated
Best DirectorDelbert MannWon
Best PictureHarold Hecht, ProducerWon
Best WritingPaddy ChayefskyWon
See More Oscar Winners

Marty BlogHub Articles:

Ernest Borgnine is “Marty”

By Stephen Reginald on Jun 21, 2023 From Classic Movie Man

Ernest Borgnine is “Marty” Marty (1955) is an American drama directed by Delbert Mann and starring Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. Esther Minciotti, Augusta Ciolli, Karen Steele, Jerry Paris, and Joe Mantell round out the cast. Marty (Borgnine) is an Italian-American butcher who l... Read full article

Walt Disney's Adventures of Spin and Marty

By Rick29 on Jan 17, 2019 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

Marty arrives at the Triple R. Although later Mickey Mouse Club serials may be better remembered today, the most popular one--by far--during its original broadcast was The Adventures of Spin and Marty (1955). No, it wasn't based on a famous children's book series like The Mystery of the Applegate T... Read full article

Overlooked Gems: The Adventures of Spin and Marty (1955)

By Lesley Coffin on Aug 30, 2013 From Pretty Clever Films

In the transition from summer to fall, freedom to school, I wanted to take a closer look at some images of childhood and teenage life we don’t know of.  While the two I’ve picked aren’t “films” I thought for an example of an “overlooked gem,” the four hour ... Read full article

Marty Piletti: Classic Movie Characters with Kickass Confidence

By Annmarie Gatti on Jul 1, 2013 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Marty Piletti in Marty, played by Ernest Borgnine (Academy Award for Best Actor) There are certain movies that I love to watch over and over. Marty is one of them. Marty is the story of a sweet, but socially-awkward man whose family is constantly hounding him to get married. A 34-year-old butcher fr... Read full article

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Marty Quotes:

Aunt Catherine: So I'm an old garbage bag put in the street, huh?... These are the worst years, I tell you. It's going to happen to you. I'm afraid to look in a mirror. I'm afraid I'm gonna see an old lady with white hair, just like the old ladies in the park with little bundles and black shawls waiting for the coffin. I'm fifty-six years old. And what am I gonna do with myself? I've got strength in my hands. I want to clean. I want to cook. I want to make dinner for my children. Am I an old dog to lay near the fire till my eyes close? These are terrible years, Theresa, terrible years... It's gonna happen to you. It's gonna happen to you! What are you gonna do if Marty gets married? Huh? What are you gonna cook? Where's all the children playing in all the rooms? Where's the noise? It's a curse to be a widow, a curse! What are you gonna do if Marty gets married? What are you gonna do?
Mrs. Pilletti: [to Catherine] Where you go, rain go. Someday you gonna smile, we gonna have a big holiday.
Marty Pilletti: Ma, sooner or later, there comes a point in a man's life when he's gotta face some facts. And one fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like, I ain't got it.
Marty Pilletti: I've been looking for a girl every Saturday night of my life.
Marty Pilletti: All right, so I'll go to the Stardust Ballroom. I'll put on a blue suit, and I'll go. And you know what I'm gonna get for my trouble? Heartache. A big night of heartache.
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Marty Facts
Washington lawyer Edward Bennett Williams was offered a 10% ownership in the movie in lieu of a fee for legal work he had done. He turned down the stake and took his fee, thus losing a considerable amount of money.
Esther Minciotti (Mrs. Piletti), Augusta Ciolli (Aunt Catherine), and Joe Mantell (Angie) all repeat their roles from the television version of Marty.
First Best Picture Oscar winner to have been based on a TV program (Marty)
At 90 minutes long, this has the shortest running time of any film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Paddy Chayefsky: The character of Leo, who appears in the back of the car when Marty is approached by his friends to make up the pair for the "odd squirrel" they have with them. According to Delbert Mann, Chayefsky (who was once a moderately renowned stage actor) was recruited for the very visually obscured part solely to save the time and money of hiring an extra. According to Chayefsky, for his three lines he was required to rejoin the actor's union, which required dues of $140. He recalled the role as paying about $67.
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