By Violet LeVoit
The Great Morgan
Brief Synopsis
An actor's attempt to produce a movie results in a collection of random musical numbers.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Nat Perrin
Director
Frank Morgan
Himself
Carlos Ramirez
Singer in "Musical Masterpieces"
Lucille Norman
Singer in "Musical Masterpieces"
Eleanor Powell
Virginia O'brien
Film Details
Also Known As
Morgan's Folly
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Jan
1945
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
57m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
5,070ft
(6 reels)
Synopsis
At the Culver City home of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, character actor Frank Morgan complains to his dresser that he is tired of being an actor and wants to be a producer. As he is talking, studio production head K. F. calls, and when Morgan harangues his boss about becoming a producer, K. F. decides to let Morgan try if he thinks that it is so easy. Soon Morgan is situated in a large office with the sign "Frank Morgan, Producer" on the door and is desperately trying to get a movie started, despite the fact that he forgets every story idea, does not know who studio sound department head Douglas Shearer is and has trouble remembering why he wants to contact costume designer Irene and art director Cedric Gibbons. Morgan finally gets his first property into production, a historical melodrama entitled The Burning Secret . The picture goes on the M-G-M production schedule, but while the other films on the lot are completed, The Burning Secret continues until it has been in production for more than sixty days. When the picture is finally done, K. F. wants to see the finished product right away, so a nervous Morgan goes into the editing room. The editor is skeptical of Morgan's ability to "help," but Morgan insists that he can edit the film himself. He is totally incompetent to do so, and soon drops cans of film and has a hard time putting the reels back together correctly. When he rushes into the studio screening room, K. F. and others from the studio are impatiently waiting. Morgan confidently says that he wants $10,000 for his producing services, but soon finds that he has accidentally cut a musical short, Musical Masterpieces into his own film. After a brief return to The Burning Secret , John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short, Our Old Car appears on the screen. Morgan nervously says that he will go fix the print, but K. F. tells him to be quiet because they are watching "John Nesbitt." After more editorial mixups, they wind up seeing only a few minutes of The Burning Secret , but are entertained by several musical numbers from other M-G-M pictures, featuring Eleanor Powell, the King Sisters, Virginia O'Brien and Tommy Dorsey, all of them from other M-G-M films, as well as a Pete Smith short entitled Badminton . When Morgan's opus finally ends, he squirms in his seat, then shows K. F. and the others where his place is--sitting in for "Leo," the roaring lion in the M-G-M logo. Finally, Leo replaces Morgan in the screening room and says "If I could only act."
Director
Nat Perrin
Director
Cast
Frank Morgan
Himself
Carlos Ramirez
Singer in "Musical Masterpieces"
Lucille Norman
Singer in "Musical Masterpieces"
Eleanor Powell
Virginia O'brien
The King Sisters
Jacqueline White
Leon Ames
K. F.
George Chandler
Dresser
Tommy Dorsey
Himself
Irene
Herself
Cedric Gibbons
Himself
Ken Davidson
"Badminton"
Joe Watters
"Badminton"
Ben Blue
"Badminton"
Crew
Philip Anderson
Director "Badminton"
Joe Ansen
Original story and Screenplay "Badminton"
Sam Baerwitz
Conceived "Musical Masterpieces"
Sam Baerwitz
Prod "Musical Masterpieces"
Glen Barner
Associate (Sets)
Tom Biggart
Film Editor [and Film Editor "Our Old Car"]
Leon Bourgeau
Film Editor "Musical Masterpieces"
Earl Brent
Composer
Jerry Bresler
Producer
Nacio Herb Brown
Composer
Richard Duce
Associate [and Art Director "Musical Masterpieces," "Our Old Car" and "Badminton"]
J. J. Durant Jr.
Film Editor "Badminton"
Cyril Endfield
Director "Our Old Car"
Chet Forrest
Composer
Rudolf Friml
Composer
Cedric Gibbons
Art Director
E. Y. Harburg
Composer
Joseph Hackett Hickey
Dance "Musical Masterpieces"
Burton Lane
Composer
Walter Lundin
Director of Photographer "Badminton"
Herb Magidson
Composer
Herbert Moulton
Associate Producer
John Nesbitt
Prod "Our Old Car"
John Nesbitt
Original story and Screenplay "Our Old Car"
Parkyakarkus
Original story and Screenplay "Badminton"
Nat Perrin
Original story and Screenplay
Nikolay Rimsky-korsakov
Composer
Jackson Rose
Director of Photographer "Musical Masterpieces"
Charles Salerno Jr.
Director of Photographer [and Directorector of Photographer "Our Old Car"]
Douglas Shearer
Recording Director
Pete Smith
Prod "Badminton"
Johann Strauss Ii
Composer
Jule Styne
Composer
Max Terr
Composer
Max Terr
Music score [and Music score "Musicical Masterpieces"]
Edwin B. Willis
Set Decoration
Bob Wright
Composer
Videos
Movie Clip
Film Details
Also Known As
Morgan's Folly
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Jan
1945
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
57m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
5,070ft
(6 reels)
Articles
The Great Morgan
For years this film was considered lost, until a print rediscovered in 1980 stirred up waves of anticipation in classic film fans: did this strange hybrid concoction of a movie, intended only for foreign release and assembled from bits and scraps of MGM musical numbers otherwise doomed for the cutting-room floor, contain the lost "Jitterbug" number excised from The Wizard Of Oz (1939)? Sadly, no, but what it does contain is still worth a look. Starring Frank Morgan as "Frank Morgan", a beleaguered contract player who serendipitously becomes a movie executive, the film's entertaining interludes of rarely seen numbers performed by long-legged Eleanor Powell, Pete Smith, the King Sisters, and Virginia O'Brien are interspersed with cameos from behind-the-scenes contributors like costume designer Irene, art director Cedric Gibbons, and recording engineer (and sister to Norma) Donald Shearer. We still have to wait for the "Jitterbug", though.
By Violet LeVoit
By Violet LeVoit
The Great Morgan
For years this film was considered lost, until a print rediscovered in 1980 stirred up waves of anticipation in classic film fans: did this strange hybrid concoction of a movie, intended only for foreign release and assembled from bits and scraps of MGM musical numbers otherwise doomed for the cutting-room floor, contain the lost "Jitterbug" number excised from The Wizard Of Oz (1939)? Sadly, no, but what it does contain is still worth a look. Starring Frank Morgan as "Frank Morgan", a beleaguered contract player who serendipitously becomes a movie executive, the film's entertaining interludes of rarely seen numbers performed by long-legged Eleanor Powell, Pete Smith, the King Sisters, and Virginia O'Brien are interspersed with cameos from behind-the-scenes contributors like costume designer Irene, art director Cedric Gibbons, and recording engineer (and sister to Norma) Donald Shearer. We still have to wait for the "Jitterbug", though.
By Violet LeVoit
Quotes
Trivia
Movie was intended for export only, was presumed lost, but a print appeared in 1980.
Much of the movie consisted of cutting room floor footage and sequences from other films. For example, 'Eleanor Powell' 's dance number came from her film Honolulu (1939).
Notes
The working title of this film was Morgan's Folly. The film was never released theatrically in the United States and not submitted for copyright, although there is a copyright statement on the opening title card. Most of the action within the film consists of three complete M-G-M shorts: Musical Masterpieces, @LP277; April 25, 1946; Our Old Car, part of John Nesbit's Passing Parade series, @LP305; May 6, 1946; and, Badminton, part of the Pete Smith Specialty series, @LP13622; October 25, 1945. Additional musical numbers featuring Eleanor Powell, Virginia O'Brien, Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra, and The King Sisters were taken from numbers shot, but not used for the 1942 M-G-M picture Ship Ahoy (see below). According to a Hollywood Reporter news item, The Great Morgan marked the first screen appearance of M-G-M recording director Douglas Shearer. The film May also have marked the only feature film appearance of costume designer Irene and art director Cedric Gibbons.
