Gaby (1956) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

In this remake of Waterloo Bridge, a ballerina turns to prostitution when her fiance is reported killed in World War II.

Cast & Crew

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Curtis Bernhardt

Leslie Caron

Gaby [Gabriel CeCe Natalie Marguerite André Dupluis]

John Kerr

Gregory Y. Wendell

Sir Cedric Hardwicke

Mr. [Edgar] Carrington

Taina Elg

Margalo Gillmore

Mrs. [Helen] Carrington

Photos & Videos

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Gaby - (Original Trailer)

Film Details

Genre

Romance

Adaptation

Drama

War

Release Date

May 11, 1956

Premiere Information

New York opening: 9 May 1956

Production Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.

Distribution Company

Loew's Inc.

Country

United States

Screenplay Information

Based on the play Waterloo Bridge by Robert E. Sherwood (New York, 6 Jan 1930) and the film Waterloo Bridge , written by S. N. Behrman, Paul H. Rameau and George Froeschel (M-G-M, 1940).

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 36m

Sound

Mono

Color

Color (Eastmancolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

2.35 : 1

Film Length

8,724ft

Synopsis

Paratrooper Gregory Y. Wendell arrives in London in 1944 for a 48-hour leave. While he and his Army buddies rush to catch a cab to a dance hall, Greg bumps into French dancer Gabriel Dupluis, who drops some change. As he picks it up for her and accidentally hands her some of his, Greg is immediately smitten with Gaby and listens as she gives the cab driver directions to the Viceroy Theater. Later that night, Greg goes to the theater, where Gaby gracefully performs as part of the corps de ballet. When Greg meets her backstage, Gaby assumes that he has come for his change. Greg instead tries to entice her into joining him on a date, but Gaby coldly informs him that she has business entertaining forlorn French troops at a French canteen.

After Greg jokes that she can leave the soldiers, Gaby is offended by his insensitivity and goes backstage, where she complains that Americans are boastful, spoiled and over four years delinquent with their help in the war effort. Determined to win her heart, Greg searches all the French canteens until he finds Gaby, who caustically insinuates that he has no sympathy for the French soldiers' trauma. Trying to prove his worth, Greg stands on a table and begins singing a traditional French song in his goofy broken French, thoroughly entertaining all the canteen patrons. Charmed by his efforts, Gaby allows him to walk her home. When an air raid warning sounds, they rush to a shelter, where he admits that as an isolated Nebraskan he has clichéd notions of the French but comes from happily married parents, while Gaby admits that she believed most American couples were divorced. After the all clear signal is given, they go to a posh American "bottle club" where Greg invites Gaby to dance and professes he fell in love with her the first moment he saw her.

Meanwhile, Gaby tells him that her family was killed in Paris during the German invasion. When he escorts her home, Gaby offers to pray for his safety but refuses a second date. The next morning, Gaby tells her roommate and fellow dancer Elsa that she is tired of penny-pinching, being prompt for performances and always distancing herself from anyone involved in the war. Soon after, when Greg shows up unannounced and asks for Gaby's hand in marriage, Gaby jumps at the chance to change her life. Fearing her friend will be hurt, Elsa reminds Greg that as a Catholic, Gaby can never be divorced. Greg tries to reassure Elsa that he is worthy of Gaby, telling her "if we were willing to wait, it wouldn't be worth waiting for."

Later that day, Greg and Gaby go to the marriage license office and discover that the American Army requires a "cooling off period," which includes obtaining approval from a family member and his commanding officer. Greg calls Aunt Helen Carrington, who resides in London, and makes an appointment for her to meet Gaby the next day. That night they return to her apartment to find Elsa has bought them a wedding cake and left the apartment so that they might share their newlywed night alone. As Greg kisses Gaby, she grows nervous about sleeping with him before their marriage is official, prompting Greg to offer to leave to assuage her fears. Later that night, Greg calls Gaby to inform her that his leave has been canceled and he must report to a train station immediately. Gaby rushes to the station just in time to see Greg waving to her from a closed car. After several months of receiving letters from Greg, Gaby learns that D-Day, an all-out Allied offensive, has begun.

Weeks later, Helen invites Gaby to visit her at her upscale London apartment. Believing that she is being interviewed as a prospective new family member, Gaby solemnly vows to make Greg a good wife, prompting Helen to break down in tears. Gaby then realizes that Helen, far from judging her, has actually called to tell her that Greg is dead. Horrified, she leaves for her apartment, where she laments to Elsa that she will never forgive herself for cruelly refusing Greg during their one night together. Weeks later, after Paris is liberated, Gaby sleeps with a traumatized French soldier to comfort him and appease her own grief. Arriving back at her apartment the next morning, Gaby tells Elsa she has lost faith in the virtue she was trained to hold sacred. When weeks later Gaby receives word that Greg is actually alive, she is distraught about her sins.

Ecstatic to see Gaby, Greg explains to her and Helen that after being wounded, he was so delirious that he did not know who he was for several months. When Helen senses Gaby's shame during the reunion, she sends Greg on an errand and suggests to Gaby that her own happiness is in part due to keeping her troubles to herself. Soon after Helen's husband Edgar surprises the couple with a wedding party and tells them he has arranged official permission for them to marry the following day. Gaby is so disturbed by the prospect of keeping her secret from Greg for the rest of their lives, that she goes to her room to pack her things and leave. Finding her there, Greg begs to know the truth and assumes Gaby has fallen in love with someone else. Gaby finally tells him that she has slept with many other men after learning he was dead.

Shocked by the news, Greg is unable to speak, causing Gaby to flee from the house into the dark, war-torn London streets. Hobbling after her on his injured leg, Greg finds Gaby just as bombs begin to fall again. After a building explodes just above Gaby, Greg rushes to her aid and tells her that they cannot blame each other for what the war has done to them. As they embrace and kiss, a nearby constable lightly cautions them to stop, stating, "there's a war on, you know."

Director

Curtis Bernhardt

Cast

Leslie Caron

Gaby [Gabriel CeCe Natalie Marguerite André Dupluis]

John Kerr

Gregory Y. Wendell

Sir Cedric Hardwicke

Mr. [Edgar] Carrington

Taina Elg

Margalo Gillmore

Mrs. [Helen] Carrington

Scott Marlowe

Ian Wolfe

Joe Di Reda

Joseph Corey

James Best

Lisa Montell

Ruta Lee

Narda Onyx

Gloria Wood

Bottle club singer

Betty Sinclair

Paul Playdon

Norman Du Pont

Willard Sage

Train announcer voice

Michel Panaieff

French ballet master

Georges Saurel

Lillian Kemble Cooper

James Fairfax

Keith Mcconnell

Don Hicks

Don Burnett

Queenie Leonard

Bill Lechner

Ron Hargrave

Sonny Howe

Walter Beaver

Roger Mcgee

Jack Grinnage

Gene Marlowe

Jimmy Murphy

Dick James

Harry Mackin

June Mitchell

English Red Cross worker

Irene Lang

English Red Cross worker

Betty Fairfax

Tom Cound

English soldier

Gary Montgomery

English soldier

Alma Lawton

Betty Harford

Ann Howard

Dorris Ritter

Leslie Barton

Stanley Fraser

English stagehand

William M. Griffith

English stagehand

Zahra Norbo

Joyce Vanderveen

York Sherwood

Jimmy Aubrey

Rosalind Brooks

Vera Denham

Keith Hitchcock

Air raid warden

Gordon Richards

Air raid warden

John Dodsworth

John Irving

Roger Etienne

Christopher Essay

Francis Ravel

French civilian

Frank Arnold

French civilian

Jeanne Lafayette

Alana Monet

Leo Kreingel

Ray Lamont

Canadian soldier

Gerald Hamer

Roberta Laune

Specialty ballet dancer

Crew

Marinette Andrews

Technical Advisor

Henry Carey

Daniel B. Cathcart

Frédéric Chopin

Tom Edwards

Cedric Gibbons

A. Arnold Gillespie

Special Effects

Frances Goodrich

Sydney Guilaroff

Albert Hackett

Charles K. Hagedon

Color Consultant

Lorenz Hart

Donald Jahraus

Special Effects

Edwin H. Knopf

Charles Lederer

John Mcsweeney Jr.

Dr. Wesley C. Miller

Recording Supervisor

Jack D. Moore

Michel Panaieff

Robert Planck

Director of Photography

Richard Rodgers

Helen Rose

Conrad Salinger

Music Adapted and comp

William Shanks

Assistant Director

Samuel Francis Smith

William Tuttle

Makeup created by

Edwin B. Willis

Charles Wolcott

Music Supervisor and Conductor

Photo Collections

Videos

Gaby - (Original Trailer) Gaby (1956), Waterloo Bridge in color and widescreen with Leslie Caron as the woman left behind in World War II.

Film Details

Genre

Romance

Adaptation

Drama

War

Release Date

May 11, 1956

Premiere Information

New York opening: 9 May 1956

Production Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.

Distribution Company

Loew's Inc.

Country

United States

Screenplay Information

Based on the play Waterloo Bridge by Robert E. Sherwood (New York, 6 Jan 1930) and the film Waterloo Bridge , written by S. N. Behrman, Paul H. Rameau and George Froeschel (M-G-M, 1940).

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 36m

Sound

Mono

Color

Color (Eastmancolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

2.35 : 1

Film Length

8,724ft

Articles

Gaby

August 13, 2009

In MGM's 1956 drama Gaby, Leslie Caron stars in the title role as a young French ballet dancer living in London during World War II. Gaby falls in love with Greg (John Kerr), an American soldier on a 48-hour leave, after a whirlwind romance. The two want to be married right away, but too much red tape stands in the way. When the war parts them, a terrible misunderstanding leads Gaby down a dark path. Bursting from the screen in vivid Technicolor and CinemaScope, Gaby is a lavishly mounted tearjerker that was primarily conceived for female moviegoers of its era.

Gaby was based on the hit 1930 play Waterloo Bridge by Robert E. Sherwood and was the third film version of the story. Universal Pictures had made the first version called Waterloo Bridge in 1931 starring Mae Clarke. Produced in the Pre-Code era, the film was much more frank and realistic in its handling of sexual matters than any subsequent interpretation. MGM released the second version in 1940 (also called Waterloo Bridge) starring Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor. The screenplay for Gaby, written by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich and Charles Lederer, was based heavily on the screenplay to MGM's 1940 film, written by S.N. Behrman, Paul H. Rameau and George Froeschel. Behrman, Rameau and Froeschel all received screen credit on Gaby. While the previous versions of Waterloo Bridge took place during World War I, Gaby updated its story to World War II and changed the ending. The film was also decidedly less grim and downbeat than the two previous versions.

Gaby was intended as a vehicle for lovely Leslie Caron, who had begun her film career auspiciously, co-starring opposite Gene Kelly in An American in Paris (1951). As a classically trained dancer, Caron was naturally associated with the musicals in which she had become popular. However, Gaby was a straight dramatic role for her without musical numbers. Even though Caron plays a ballerina, dancing takes a secondary role to the complex emotions that her character must portray. Gaby gave Caron an opportunity to showcase her versatility as an actress.

Producer: Edwin H. Knopf
Director: Curtis Bernhardt
Screenplay: Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, Charles Lederer; S.N. Behrman (earlier screenplay), Paul H. Rameau, George Froeschel (earlier screenplay); Robert E. Sherwood (play "Waterloo Bridge")
Cinematography: Robert Planck
Art Direction: Daniel B. Cathcart, Cedric Gibbons
Music: Conrad Salinger
Film Editing: John McSweeney, Jr.
Cast: Leslie Caron (Gaby), John Kerr (Gregory Y. Wendell), Sir Cedric Hardwicke (Mr. Edgar Carrington), Taina Elg (Elsa), Margalo Gillmore (Mrs. Helen Carrington), Scott Marlowe (Jan), Ian Wolfe (Registrar), Joe Di Reda (Allen), Joseph Corey (Pete), James Best (Jim), Lisa Montell (Claire), Ruta Lee (Denise), Narda Onyx (Olga), Gloria Wood (Singer at the Bottle Club).
C-97m. Letterboxed. Closed Captioning.

by Andrea Passafiume

Gaby

Gaby

In MGM's 1956 drama Gaby, Leslie Caron stars in the title role as a young French ballet dancer living in London during World War II. Gaby falls in love with Greg (John Kerr), an American soldier on a 48-hour leave, after a whirlwind romance. The two want to be married right away, but too much red tape stands in the way. When the war parts them, a terrible misunderstanding leads Gaby down a dark path. Bursting from the screen in vivid Technicolor and CinemaScope, Gaby is a lavishly mounted tearjerker that was primarily conceived for female moviegoers of its era. Gaby was based on the hit 1930 play Waterloo Bridge by Robert E. Sherwood and was the third film version of the story. Universal Pictures had made the first version called Waterloo Bridge in 1931 starring Mae Clarke. Produced in the Pre-Code era, the film was much more frank and realistic in its handling of sexual matters than any subsequent interpretation. MGM released the second version in 1940 (also called Waterloo Bridge) starring Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor. The screenplay for Gaby, written by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich and Charles Lederer, was based heavily on the screenplay to MGM's 1940 film, written by S.N. Behrman, Paul H. Rameau and George Froeschel. Behrman, Rameau and Froeschel all received screen credit on Gaby. While the previous versions of Waterloo Bridge took place during World War I, Gaby updated its story to World War II and changed the ending. The film was also decidedly less grim and downbeat than the two previous versions. Gaby was intended as a vehicle for lovely Leslie Caron, who had begun her film career auspiciously, co-starring opposite Gene Kelly in An American in Paris (1951). As a classically trained dancer, Caron was naturally associated with the musicals in which she had become popular. However, Gaby was a straight dramatic role for her without musical numbers. Even though Caron plays a ballerina, dancing takes a secondary role to the complex emotions that her character must portray. Gaby gave Caron an opportunity to showcase her versatility as an actress. Producer: Edwin H. Knopf Director: Curtis Bernhardt Screenplay: Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, Charles Lederer; S.N. Behrman (earlier screenplay), Paul H. Rameau, George Froeschel (earlier screenplay); Robert E. Sherwood (play "Waterloo Bridge") Cinematography: Robert Planck Art Direction: Daniel B. Cathcart, Cedric Gibbons Music: Conrad Salinger Film Editing: John McSweeney, Jr. Cast: Leslie Caron (Gaby), John Kerr (Gregory Y. Wendell), Sir Cedric Hardwicke (Mr. Edgar Carrington), Taina Elg (Elsa), Margalo Gillmore (Mrs. Helen Carrington), Scott Marlowe (Jan), Ian Wolfe (Registrar), Joe Di Reda (Allen), Joseph Corey (Pete), James Best (Jim), Lisa Montell (Claire), Ruta Lee (Denise), Narda Onyx (Olga), Gloria Wood (Singer at the Bottle Club). C-97m. Letterboxed. Closed Captioning. by Andrea Passafiume

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

According to a January 19, 1955 Hollywood Reporter news item, Liliane Montevecchi was considered for the second female lead. An September 8, 1955 Hollywood Reporter news item notes that Kitty White was considered for the "Bottle club" singer role. September 1955 Hollywood Reporter news items also add the following persons to the cast, although their appearance in the final film has not been confirmed: Jennifer Raine, Mary Finley and Anna Cheselka.
Robert E. Sherwood's play Waterloo Bridge was used as the basis for two earlier films, both entitled Waterloo Bridge. The 1931 Universal production was directed by James Whale and starred Mae Clark and Kent Douglas. The 1940 M-G-M production was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starred Vivian Leigh and Robert Taylor (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40 for both entries). Gaby's screenplay was based on the screenplay for the 1940 picture, written by S. N. Behrman, Paul H. Rameau and George Froeschel, who received the onscreen credit "Based on a screenplay by" for Gaby. Although the earlier films were also set in London, the action took place during World War I. In the 1931 film, the female lead is killed in an air raid, while in the 1940 version, she commits suicide by jumping off Waterloo Bridge, out of shame that she had become a prostitute and fear that she would ruin the male lead's life.

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