Pagan Love Song is a 1951 American romantic musical film released by MGM and starring Esther Williams and Howard Keel. Set in Tahiti, it was based on the novel Tahiti Landfall by William S. Stone.
| Pagan Love Song | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Alton |
| Written by | Robert Nathan Jerry Davis William S. Stone (novel) |
| Produced by | Arthur Freed |
| Starring | Esther Williams Howard Keel Minna Gombell Charles Mauu Rita Moreno |
| Cinematography | Charles Rosher |
| Edited by | Adrienne Fazan |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Loew's, Inc. |
Release dates | December 25, 1950 (New York City) December 29, 1950[1] |
Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,920,000[2] |
| Box office | $3,360,000[2] |
Plot
Mimi Bennett lives with her wealthy aunt Kate on the South Pacific isle of Tahiti. A half-Tahitian, half-Caucasian girl, Mimi's dream is to someday leave this world to live in America.
Hazard Endicott's arrival changes her plans. He is a school teacher from Ohio who has inherited a Tahiti estate. His first task is to hire a servant and he mistakes Mimi for a native girl, offering her a job. She amuses herself by not telling him the truth.
The estate turns out to be little more than a shack. Endicott also miscalculates an invitation to a party at Kate's, coming in casual island attire to an event with elegantly dressed guests. Mimi takes pity on him and a romance blooms.
Cast
- Esther Williams as Mimi Bennett (singing voice was dubbed by Betty Wand)
- Howard Keel as Hazard Endicott
- Minna Gombell as Kate
- Charles Mauu as Tavee
- Rita Moreno as Teuru
Production
The film was originally announced as Tahiti and was to star Ann Miller, Howard Keel and Ricardo Montalban.[3] Eventually Miller was replaced by Esther Williams and Montalban by Charles Mauu.[4] The title was then changed to Hawaii.[5]
The film was to have been directed by Stanley Donen but Williams refused to work with him again after Take Me Out to the Ballgame.[6] Location work was done on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.[7][8]
Esther Williams realised she was pregnant during the shoot. She claimed she nearly drowned during filming.[7]
The film went $400,000 over budget.[7]
Deleted songs
"Sea of the Moon", performed by voice-dubbed Esther Williams, was cut from the released film; this video outtake still survives today.[9]
Howard Keel sings "Why Is Love So Crazy?" in the released film version, but a reprise performed by Esther Williams was cut; this video outtake also still exists.[10][11]
Howard Keel's song "Music on the Water" was deleted from the released film. The audio pre-recording survives; the status of the video outtake is unknown.[12]
Reception
According to MGM records the film earned $2,157,000 in the US and Canada and $1,203,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $108,000.[2] This was considered a relative disappointment for an Esther Williams movie.[7]
References
- ^ "Pagan Love Song (1950): Release Dates". IMDb. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
- ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ^ Looking at Hollywood Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) [Chicago, Ill] 07 May 1949: 17.
- ^ David Wayne to Stay for Films Till Fall Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 18 Mar 1950: 10.
- ^ Looking at Hollywood Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963); Chicago, Ill. [Chicago, Ill]19 May 1948: a4.
- ^ DRATTLER DRAMA IS BOUGHT BY RKO: Studio Acquires 'Miami Story' as Vehicle for Robert Ryan --Author Named Producer Of Local Origin By THOMAS F. BRADY Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 28 Jan 1950: 10.
- ^ a b c d http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3499/Pagan-Love-Song/articles.html
- ^ HAWAII HAILS CONQUERING HEROINE: Attraction Boom Actors All By JOHN ROTHWELL LIHUE, Kauai, T.H.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 07 May 1950: 116.
- ^ "Sea of the Moon" from Pagan Love Song at YouTube
- ^ Esther Williams performing "Why Is Love So Crazy?" dubbed by ghost singer - outtake on YouTube
- ^ Performances of "Why Is Love So Crazy?" by Esther Willams and Howard Keel on YouTube
- ^ "Music on the Water" pre-recording by Howard Keel at YouTube
External links
- Pagan Love Song at IMDb
- Pagan Love Song at the TCM Movie Database