Porgy and Bess (1959)
June 24, 1959Release Date
Porgy and Bess (1959)
June 24, 1959Release Date
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Plot.
Where to Watch.
Cast & Crew.
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Sidney Poitier
Porgy
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Dorothy Dandridge
Bess
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Sammy Davis Jr.
Sportin' Life
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Pearl Bailey
Maria
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Brock Peters
Crowne
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Diahann Carroll
Clara
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Leslie Scott
Jake
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Ruth Attaway
Serena Robbins
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Claude Akins
Detective
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Clarence Muse
Peter
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Everdinne Wilson
Annie
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Ivan Dixon
Jim
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Scatman Crothers
Crabman
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Maya Angelou
Dancer
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Nichelle Nichols
Dancer
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Leon Shamroy
Director of Photography
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Daniel Mandell
Editor
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Dorothy Heyward
Theatre Play
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Samuel Goldwyn
Producer
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Ken Darby
Original Music Composer
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Oliver Smith
Production Design
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Irene Sharaff
Costume Design
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Howard Bristol
Set Decoration
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Otto Preminger
Director
Media.
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Details.
Release DateJune 24, 1959
StatusReleased
Running Time2h 18m
Budget$7,000,000
Box Office$3,500,000
Genres
Last updated:
This Movie Is About.
Wiki.
Porgy and Bess is a 1959 American musical drama film directed by Otto Preminger, and starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge in the titular roles. It is based on the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin, in turn based on Heyward's 1925 novel Porgy, as well as Heyward's subsequent 1927 non-musical stage adaptation, co-written with his wife Dorothy. The film's screenplay, which turned the operatic recitatives into spoken dialogue, was very closely based on the opera and was written by N. Richard Nash. In 2011, the film was chosen for inclusion in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
The project was the last for Samuel Goldwyn. Due to its controversial subject matter, the film was shown only briefly following its initial reserved seat engagements in major cities, where it drew mixed reviews from critics. Two months after its release, Goldwyn grudgingly conceded "No one is waiting breathlessly for my next picture."
The film was unavailable on home video for years, and has been described as the "Holy Grail of "lost films." One of the few complete copies of the film was shown in 2007, 2010 and 2019.
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