All the Fine Young Cannibals

All the Fine Young Cannibals
Directed byMichael Anderson
Written byRobert Thom
Based onnovel The Bixby Girls by Rosamond Marshall
Produced byPandro S. Berman
StarringRobert Wagner
Natalie Wood
Susan Kohner
George Hamilton
CinematographyWilliam H. Daniels
Edited byJohn McSweeney, Jr.
Music byJeff Alexander
Production
company
Distributed byLoew's Inc.[1]
Release date
  • September 15, 1960 (1960-09-15)
Running time
112 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,638,000[2]
Box office$1,810,000[2]

All the Fine Young Cannibals is a 1960 American drama film directed by Michael Anderson, starring Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Susan Kohner, George Hamilton, and Pearl Bailey.[3] Hamilton said that the film "combined Southern Gothic with a biopic of jazzman Chet Baker."[4] It was loosely based on The Bixby Girls, a 1957 novel by Rosamond Marshall that was set in the World War I era.

Plot

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Two young people in love, musician Chad Bixby (Robert Wagner) and Sarah "Salome" Davis (Natalie Wood), are forced apart despite the latter's pregnancy. They marry others, but are brought back together by chance. A downtrodden blues singer (Pearl Bailey) mothers Bixby while guiding his career.

Cast

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Production

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All the Fine Young Cannibals was the first film that Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood made together.[5] George Hamilton says that director Vincente Minnelli shot some scenes when Michael Anderson was unavailable, including an ending for the film that was not used.[6]

Wagner's character is loosely based on the jazz trumpeter Chet Baker.[7]

Box office

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According to MGM records, the film earned $950,000 in the U.S. and Canada, and $860,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $1,108,000.[2]

Influence

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The film's title was later taken by the English band Fine Young Cannibals.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ All the Fine Young Cannibals at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  3. ^ "All the Fine Young Cannibals". The New York Times. 23 September 1960.
  4. ^ George Hamilton & William Stadiem, Don't Mind If I Do, Simon & Schuster, 2008, p 139
  5. ^ Hopper, Hedda (Jan 24, 1960). "Smooth Sailing for the Wagners: Sure Sign of Success in Hollywood: Bob and Nat Are Buying Fifth Boat". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. f22.
  6. ^ Interview with George Hamilton, The Diva Review, accessed 23 December 2014
  7. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Chet Baker Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  8. ^ Jessica Berens (April 1986). "Fine Young Cannibals – They're England's latest sultans of soul. Soon they'll be bringing it on home to America, where at least a band can get a decent meal". Spin Magazine. p. 73. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
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