Hitchcoc It's a musical about gamblers and their efforts to keep a floating crap game in motion. The problem is that the cops are aware of them and then need a place to do their dirty work. Marlon Brando is Nathan Detroit, who is famous for his working the dice games. He meets a young Salvation Army woman who wants to put a stop to all evil doings by people like Detroit. Since her mission is to heal these guys, she falls for Detroit's shenanigans, when he admits it's time for him to be reformed. He soon turns his dishonesty into an advantage, furthering his enterprise. Of course, he has to cover up his doings since he is falling in love with the young woman. There are some nice songs like "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat." But there seem to be something lacking in the movie presentation of this Damon Runyon musical that is often better onstage.

beresfordjd Sinatra is OK in this as Nathan Detroit but I feel that Brando is going through the motions. It is a very talky movie which betrays its stage origins. Jean Simmons is , in my mind, stunningly beautiful, so can do no wrong for me. Vivian Blaine is terrific but just does not look right. Stubby Kaye is good value and the whole thing is colourful and has some real great moments. I really love musicals and was disappointed how I found my mind wandering at times. It is overlong and needed better editing to make it move along. Seven Brides was so much better as was Gypsy and some of the musical numbers in Guys and Dolls, choreographed by Michael Kidd work really well.Overall it has a comic strip feel a bit like Lil Abner , which disappointed me too.

Leofwine_draca GUYS AND DOLLS should be a fantastic, show-stopping musical...but it isn't. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something about this one that leaves me a little cold. Sure, it looks the part, and the cast is fine, but it's the storyline that I find lacking. It's just a little defunct, a little set back, so that you never really get involved with the various characters and their relationships.The problem I find with some musicals is that, between the song-and-dance numbers, they can be a little, well, dull. That's the case with GUYS AND DOLLS, particularly early on. This is an overlong film that feels notably drawn out, especially in the first half. Even worse, it lacks the razzmatazz that you come to expect from a Hollywood musical during the golden era.There's little to dislike in the pairing of Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, but to be fair these two don't get much screen time. I found the character played by Jean Simmons - a prim-and-proper Salvation Army girl - drained energy from the proceedings. It doesn't help that the songs aren't all that memorable, either, with the exception of the climactic "luck be a lady" number, which is the sole moment when GUYS AND DOLLS feels like a "proper" musical. Sadly, the rest is just so-so.

PWNYCNY This movie is terrific. Although shot on an interior set, this movie captures the essence of New York City and contains incredible performances by the the cast who succeed in making this movie work. This movie is character-driven, meaning that if the actors fail to make their characters believable, then the movie fails. This the movie avoids. Instead, what the movie delivers is first rate acting, a wonderful story, and first-rate music. Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons deliver surprisingly strong performances, which include dancing and singing (not dubbed). The chemistry between them is so strong that is it almost palpable. Although the story has an offbeat satirical quality, nevertheless it is strong dramatically. Vivian Blaine is also excellent as frank Sinatra's perennial fiancé, and the other members of the cast, especially Stubby Kaye and Johnny Silver, deliver wonderfully entertaining performances. If you like Hollywood musicals, then this movie is for you. If you don't like Hollywood musicals, watch this movie anyway; it may change your mind.