The Milky Way (1936 film)
Encyclopedia
The Milky Way is a 1936
comedy film
starring Harold Lloyd
. Directed by comedy veteran Leo McCarey
, the film was written by Grover Jones
, Frank Butler
and Richard Connell
based on a play of the same name by Lynn Root and Harry Clork which was presented on Broadway
in 1934.
An example of the popular screwball comedy
genre of the time, and critically Harold Lloyd's most successful talkie, it tells the story of a Brooklyn
milkman who becomes middleweight
boxing
champion. The Milky Way features supporting performances by Adolphe Menjou
and Verree Teasdale
.
McFarland's boss, the crooked Gabby Sloan (Adolphe Menjou
), decides to promote Sullivan in a series of fixed fights that will culminate in him being knocked out in a real fight with McFarland. Against all the odds, Sullivan triumphs and becomes world champion.
Cast notes:
with Edward Everett Horton
and Gertrude Michael in the main supporting roles, but when Oakie was replaced with Harold Lloyd
, the role of the manager was to go to William Frawley
, because studio executives felt that Lloyd and Horton were too similar in comic style. The part eventually went to Adolphe Menjou
. Both Brian Donlevy
, who played the role of "Speed McFarland" on Broadway, and boxer-turned-actor Max Baer were considered for roles in the film, but were not cast. Actress Ida Lupino
was to have played "Polly Pringle", but dropped out because of illness, to be replaced by Dorothy Wilson. Helen Mack
and Verree Teasdale
were also replacements, the parts having originally gone to Sally Blane
and Gail Patrick
. Although they are not in the film, before filming began, the Dionne Quintuplets
had been expected to make an appearance.
Filming on The Milky Way began on 22 July 1935, but it was interrupted by the illnesses of Menjou, Teasdale and director Leo McCarey
, who was hospitalized. McCarey's place was taken by his brother, Ray McCarey
and by veteran director Norman Z. McLeod
. During filming, when a suitable white horse for Burleigh could not be found, make-up artists bleached a dark-colored horse blonde.
bought the rights to the property in the mid-1940s for his remake, The Kid from Brooklyn
(with Danny Kaye
in the lead role), he also bought the original negative and almost all existing prints, and destroyed them. Harold Lloyd, however, had preserved his own original nitrate release print, which became the source for the new digital video transfer used by TCM
. Lionel Stander
played the role of "Spider" Schultz in both versions of the film.
In 2004, the premise of a mild-mannered milkman turned boxer would again be used in the mockumentary
The Calcium Kid
, starring Orlando Bloom
.
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
. Directed by comedy veteran Leo McCarey
Leo McCarey
Thomas Leo McCarey was an American film director, screenwriter and producer. During his lifetime he was involved in nearly 200 movies, especially comedies...
, the film was written by Grover Jones
Grover Jones
Grover Jones was an American screenwriter and film director. He wrote more than 104 films between 1920 and his death...
, Frank Butler
Frank Butler (writer)
Frank Butler was an American film and theatre actor; he was also a screenwriter.-Theatre:His theatre career included two appearances in Broadway-theatre productions in New York City, New York....
and Richard Connell
Richard Connell
Richard Edward Connell Jr. was an American author and journalist, probably best remembered for his short story "The Most Dangerous Game". Connell was one of the most popular American short story writers of his time and his stories appeared in the Saturday Evening Post and Collier's Weekly...
based on a play of the same name by Lynn Root and Harry Clork which was presented on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1934.
An example of the popular screwball comedy
Screwball Comedy
Screwball Comedy is an album by the Japanese band Soul Flower Union. The album found the band going into a simpler, harder-rocking direction, after several heavily world-music influenced albums.-Track listing:...
genre of the time, and critically Harold Lloyd's most successful talkie, it tells the story of a Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
milkman who becomes middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
champion. The Milky Way features supporting performances by Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Jean Menjou was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morocco, and A Star is Born...
and Verree Teasdale
Verree Teasdale
Verree Teasdale was an American actress born in Spokane, Washington.A second cousin of Edith Wharton, Teasdale attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn and trained as a stage actress at the New York School of Expression...
.
Plot
Timid milkman Burleigh Sullivan (Lloyd) becomes involved in a brawl which ends up with Speed McFarland, the world middleweight champion being knocked out cold (he never in fact threw a punch; he merely ducked to get out of the way of a punch which brought the champ down).McFarland's boss, the crooked Gabby Sloan (Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Jean Menjou was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morocco, and A Star is Born...
), decides to promote Sullivan in a series of fixed fights that will culminate in him being knocked out in a real fight with McFarland. Against all the odds, Sullivan triumphs and becomes world champion.
Cast
- Harold LloydHarold LloydHarold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
as Burleigh "Tiger" Sullivan - Adolphe MenjouAdolphe MenjouAdolphe Jean Menjou was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morocco, and A Star is Born...
as Gabby Sloan (Speed's manager) - Verree TeasdaleVerree TeasdaleVerree Teasdale was an American actress born in Spokane, Washington.A second cousin of Edith Wharton, Teasdale attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn and trained as a stage actress at the New York School of Expression...
as Ann Westley - Helen MackHelen MackHelen Mack was an American actress. Mack started her career as a child actress in silent films, moving on to Broadway plays, and touring the vaudeville circuit. Her greater success as an actress was as a leading lady in the 1930s...
as Mae Sullivan (Burleigh's sister) - William GarganWilliam GarganWilliam Gargan, born William Dennis Gargan July 17, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York, USA and died February 17, 1979 aged 73 on a flight between New York and San Diego.He was an American motion picture, television and radio actor...
as Speed McFarland (middleweight champ) - George BarbierGeorge Barbier (actor)-Career:Barbier entered Crozier Seminary to study for ministry but gave it up to go on the stage, beginning in light opera. Spent several years in repertory and stock companies and eventually appeared on Broadway...
as Wilbur Austin - Dorothy WilsonDorothy Wilson (actress)Dorothy Wilson was an American film actress of the 1930s.Wilson was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, moving to Los Angeles, California after her high school graduation. Ironically, she had no interest in acting, and had moved to Los Angeles due to an urge to travel...
as Polly Pringle - Lionel StanderLionel StanderLionel Jay Stander was an American actor in films, radio, theater and television.-Early life and career:Lionel Stander was born in The Bronx, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants, the first of three children...
as Spider Schultz (Speed's bodyguard) - Charles LaneCharles Lane (actor)Charles Gerstle Levison , better known as Charles Lane, was an American character actor seen in many movies and TV shows, and at the time of his death may have been the oldest living professional American actor. Lane appeared in many Frank Capra films, including You Can't Take It With You , Mr...
as Willard - Marjorie GatesonMarjorie GatesonMarjorie Augusta Gateson , was a character actress in Hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s....
as Mrs. E. Winthrop Lemoyne
Cast notes:
- Anthony QuinnAnthony QuinnAntonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
has an uncredited bit part as an extra, his first film appearance.
Production
The Milky Way had originally been optioned as a vehicle for Jack OakieJack Oakie
Jack Oakie was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on stage, radio and television.-Early life:...
with Edward Everett Horton
Edward Everett Horton
Edward Everett Horton was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television and voice work for animated cartoons. He is especially known for his work in the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.-Early life:Horton was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Isabella...
and Gertrude Michael in the main supporting roles, but when Oakie was replaced with Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
, the role of the manager was to go to William Frawley
William Frawley
William Clement "Bill" Frawley was an American stage entertainer, screen and television actor. Although Frawley acted in over 100 films, he achieved his greatest fame playing landlord Fred Mertz for the situation comedy I Love Lucy.-Early life:William was born to Michael A. Frawley and Mary E....
, because studio executives felt that Lloyd and Horton were too similar in comic style. The part eventually went to Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Jean Menjou was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morocco, and A Star is Born...
. Both Brian Donlevy
Brian Donlevy
Brian Donlevy was an Irish-born American film actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best known films are Beau Geste and The Great McGinty...
, who played the role of "Speed McFarland" on Broadway, and boxer-turned-actor Max Baer were considered for roles in the film, but were not cast. Actress Ida Lupino
Ida Lupino
Ida Lupino was an English-born film actress and director, and a pioneer among women filmmakers. In her 48-year career, she appeared in 59 films and directed seven others, mostly in the United States. She appeared in serial television programmes 58 times and directed 50 other episodes...
was to have played "Polly Pringle", but dropped out because of illness, to be replaced by Dorothy Wilson. Helen Mack
Helen Mack
Helen Mack was an American actress. Mack started her career as a child actress in silent films, moving on to Broadway plays, and touring the vaudeville circuit. Her greater success as an actress was as a leading lady in the 1930s...
and Verree Teasdale
Verree Teasdale
Verree Teasdale was an American actress born in Spokane, Washington.A second cousin of Edith Wharton, Teasdale attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn and trained as a stage actress at the New York School of Expression...
were also replacements, the parts having originally gone to Sally Blane
Sally Blane
Sally Blane was an American actress. Blane was the sister of actresses Polly Ann and Loretta Young, and half-sister to actress Georgiana Young, the wife of actor Ricardo Montalban...
and Gail Patrick
Gail Patrick
Gail Patrick was an American film actress.Born Margaret LaVelle Fitzpatrick, she appeared in 62 movies between 1932 and 1948, usually as the leading lady's extremely formidable rival; some of these roles include the second wife in My Favorite Wife with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, Anna May Wong's...
. Although they are not in the film, before filming began, the Dionne Quintuplets
Dionne quintuplets
The Dionne quintuplets are the first quintuplets known to survive their infancy. The sisters were born just outside Callander, Ontario, Canada near the village of Corbeil.The Dionne girls were born two months premature...
had been expected to make an appearance.
Filming on The Milky Way began on 22 July 1935, but it was interrupted by the illnesses of Menjou, Teasdale and director Leo McCarey
Leo McCarey
Thomas Leo McCarey was an American film director, screenwriter and producer. During his lifetime he was involved in nearly 200 movies, especially comedies...
, who was hospitalized. McCarey's place was taken by his brother, Ray McCarey
Ray McCarey
Raymond Benedict "Ray" McCarey was an American film director. He began working at Hal Roach Studios, where he did work on short films with Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy. Most of his feature film work consisted of "B" pictures and low-budget films...
and by veteran director Norman Z. McLeod
Norman Z. McLeod
Norman Zenos McLeod was an American film director, cartoonist and writer...
. During filming, when a suitable white horse for Burleigh could not be found, make-up artists bleached a dark-colored horse blonde.
Remake
When producer Samuel GoldwynSamuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn was an American film producer, and founding contributor executive of several motion picture studios.-Biography:...
bought the rights to the property in the mid-1940s for his remake, The Kid from Brooklyn
The Kid from Brooklyn
The Kid from Brooklyn is a 1946 comedy film starring Danny Kaye and co-starring Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen, Steve Cochran, and Eve Arden, about a milkman who becomes world boxing champion....
(with Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
in the lead role), he also bought the original negative and almost all existing prints, and destroyed them. Harold Lloyd, however, had preserved his own original nitrate release print, which became the source for the new digital video transfer used by TCM
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
. Lionel Stander
Lionel Stander
Lionel Jay Stander was an American actor in films, radio, theater and television.-Early life and career:Lionel Stander was born in The Bronx, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants, the first of three children...
played the role of "Spider" Schultz in both versions of the film.
In 2004, the premise of a mild-mannered milkman turned boxer would again be used in the mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
The Calcium Kid
The Calcium Kid
The Calcium Kid is a British mockumentary comedy film which was released in 2004. This film is presented in the style of a fictional documentary or a "Mockumentary". It stars Orlando Bloom as a milkman and amateur boxer. Billie Piper and Michael Peña are also featured...
, starring Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starring in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood...
.