Little Old New York
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Henry King
Alice Faye
Fred Macmurray
Richard Greene
Brenda Joyce
Andy Devine
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In New York in 1807, the courtly Robert Fulton, newly arrived from England and proudly bearing his model for a revolutionary new steam boat, stops at a waterfront tavern owned by the blustery yet fanciful Pat O'Day. There, Robert is assaulted by Regan, a bullying ship yard owner, and when Regan's employee, Charles Brownne, refuses to join the brawl, Regan fires him. After licking Regan, Robert hires Charlie to build the hull for his new boat. When his financial backer, Robert Livingstone, withdraws his funding, Robert is about to give up his dream until Livingstone's niece Harriet, who is in love with Robert, convinces her uncle to refinance the boat. As the boat nears completion, Regan incites his men to destroy the vessel. Undaunted, Harriet and Pat, who is also in love with Robert, set about raising money for a new hull. Another obstacle in Robert's path appears when Jefferson's embargo threatens delivery of his engine, but under cover of fog, Robert and his men steal the engine from the embargoed ship's hold. More problems arise when Pat's feelings for Robert cause friction between him and Charlie, but Robert ends the rivalry by declaring his love for Harriet. With all impediments removed, Robert's ship, the Clermont , begins to navigate under its own steam, astounding skeptics and revolutionizing river travel.
Director
Henry King
Cast
Alice Faye
Fred Macmurray
Richard Greene
Brenda Joyce
Andy Devine
Henry Stephenson
Fritz Feld
Ward Bond
Clarence Hummel Wilson
Robert Middlemass
Roger Imhof
Theodor Von Eltz
Arthur Aylsworth
Virginia Brissac
Stanley Andrews
Ben Carter
O. G. Hendrian
Harry Tyler
Victor Kilian
Paul Sutton
Tyler Brooke
Herbert Ashley
Jody Gilbert
Herbert Heywood
Major James H. Mcnamara
Marion Briscoe
Chick Collins
Harry Strang
Keith Hitchcock
Herbert Evans
Ed Hart
Iva Stewart
Dorothy Dearing
Pat Hartigan
Jessie Arnold
G. Pat Collins
Harry Cording
Crew
John Balderston
Alfred Bruzlin
Richard Day
Mack Gordon
Raymond Griffith
James Havens
Roger Heman
Thomas Little
Barbara Mclean
Alfred Newman
Royer
Fred Sersen
Leon Shamroy
Edward Snyder
Rudolph Sternad
Harry Tugend
Robert Webb
Darryl F. Zanuck
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was In Old New York. According to materials contained in the Twentieth Century-Fox Produced Scripts Collection at the UCLA Theater Arts Library, Darryl Zanuck originally wanted Henry Fonda to play the role of "Charles Brownne." Zanuck insisted that the film begin with Robert Fulton arriving in New York rather than with his boyhood as had been previously proposed. Zanuck also suggested that the character of "Brownne" be developed to break up the original love triangle between "Fulton," "Pat" and "Harriet." Fox story materials further disclose that Ethel Hill worked on a treatment, but her contribution to the final film has not been confirmed. Fox publicity materials contained in the Production Files at the AMPAS Library note that the film originally did not include any songs because Zanuck wanted to emphasize Alice Faye's acting abilities. A song was added however, after Faye's fans complained. The New York Times adds that studio mechanics used Fulton's diaries to build a replica of the two-cycle engine and paddle-wheel of the Clermont. According to a news item in Hollywood Reporter, Fox built three huge sailing ships and 25 smaller boats for this production. Another news item in Hollywood Reporter adds that cameraman Edward Snyder filmed background shots in New York. Fox borrowed Andy Devine from Universal for this film. In 1923, Goldwyn-Cosmopolitan produced a film based on Fulton's life, also titled Little Old New York, starring Marion Davies and directed by Sidney Olcott (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.3126).
