the year: 1956
the genre: drama
the cast: Cantinflas (Passepartout); David Niven (Phileas Fogg); Shirley MacLaine (Princess Aouda); Robert Newton (Mr. Fix)
the plot: When Phileas Fogg is challenged to prove his contention that a man can go around the world in 80 days, he bets his entire fortune and leaves with a new butler on a world tour. This Victorian adventure has a kicker: the Bank of England has been robbed. Is this Fogg's way of avoiding arrest? The detective following him believes so, and his butler is becoming unsure.
count: how many countries Fogg and Passepartout visit.
watch for: the bajillion famous actors/actresses in this movie...John Mills, Beatrice Lillie, Red Skelton, Frank Sinatra, Cesar Romero, Peter Lorre, Glynis Johns, Buster Keaton, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Coburn, Ronald Coleman, Charles Boyer, Hermione Gingold...
listen for: "You play an abominable game of whist, sir."
did you know: the barge used in Bangkok belonged to the King of Thailand, who lent it to producer Michael Todd.
extra bonus points: if you know how long this movie showed (consecutively) at the Rivoli Theatre in NYC.
don's miss: the 8,552 animals (3,800 sheep, 2,448 buffalo, 950 donkeys, 800 horses, 512 monkeys, 17 bulls, 15 elephants, 6 skunks, and 4 ostriches).
did you also know: this was the movie that popularized the term "cameo".
also listen for: "Madam, will you join me on the verandah? I understand they serve an outstanding lemon squash."
3 comments:
This post is so lonely without a comment! I've only seen this once (or maybe it was even parts of it once) MANY moons ago. But the vistas and scenery look amazing in the trailer. ;)
Aw. That's sweet of you. Great music and sweeping vistas. Warning: it will only fuel wanderlust.
Answer: The film played for three consecutive years at the Rivoli Theatre in New York, from 1956 to 1959.
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