Guys and Dolls

The musical came out of Damon Runyon's stories about New York gamblers and became a legend on stage on the strength of Frank Loesser's songs. Adapting it, Joseph L. Mankiewicz made one very odd call and cast Marlon Brando as Sky Masterson. It was Brando's first and only musical, he sang his own numbers without dubbing, and because the voice would not carry, several songs from the stage show were cut. Frank Sinatra had wanted Sky. He got Nathan Detroit instead, and his name for Brando on set was Mumbles. The chill between them reads on screen and, strangely, helps, since the characters are two gamblers who do not trust each other either. The best stretch is the trip to Havana with Jean Simmons as the Salvation Army missionary. The weakness is length. At two hours and forty minutes the middle sags badly. Who it is for: fans of classic Hollywood musicals. Who it is not for: anyone who wants the songs sung by professionals.