Little Old New York

Little Old New York
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Henry King
Produced by	Darryl F. Zanuck
Written by	Play: Rida Johnson Young Story: John L. Balderston Screenplay: Harry Tugend
Starring	Alice Faye Fred MacMurray Richard Greene
Music by	Alfred Newman
Cinematography	Leon Shamroy
Edited by	Barbara McLean
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	February 3, 1940
Running time	100 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	more than $2 million

Little Old New York is a 1940 black-and-white historical drama from 20th Century Fox that was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by Henry King. The film stars Alice Faye, Fred MacMurray, and Richard Greene and is based on the play by Rida Johnson Young, which opened on September 8, 1920 and starred Genevieve Tobin, Douglas Wood, and Donald Meek.

Little Old New York tells the story of the hardships of Robert Fulton in building the first successful steam-powered ship in America, which would then go on to first revolutionize river transportation and then ocean commerce around the world.

Plot

Engineer and inventor Robert Fulton (Richard Greene) comes to New York in 1807, where he meets tavern keeper Pat O'Day (Alice Faye). O'Day comes to strongly support Fulton and his visionary steamship after lodging at her establishment. O'Day's longtime suitor, Charles Browne (Fred MacMurray), opens his own shipyard to assist the dapper engineer by building Fulton's innovative steamboat. With financial assistance from Chancellor Robert L. Livingstone (Henry Stephenson) and additional investments from O'Day and her business acquaintances, Fulton eventually obtains all the financing needed to finish his revolutionary paddle steamer. After a shipwright named Regan (Ward Bond) has a run-in with Fulton, Regan attempts to turn every local deck hand and sail-powered passenger boat operator against the engineer, exploiting their fear of losing their livelihoods to a steam-powered vessel. In the end, against much adversity and additional interference from Regan, Fulton finally completes his steamboat and launches her to great success, silencing the critics and doubters who had previously labeled his venture "Fulton's Folly".

Cast

• Alice Faye – Pat O'Day
• Fred MacMurray – Charles Browne
• Richard Greene – Robert Fulton
• Brenda Joyce – Harriet Livingstone
• Andy Devine – 'Commodore' – Ferry Boat Owner
• Henry Stephenson – Chancellor Robert L. Livingstone
• Fritz Feld – Pearl Street Tavern Keeper
• Ward Bond – Regan – Shipyard Owner
• Virginia Brissac – Mrs. Rudolph Brevoort

Production

This is one of Faye's few non-musical features, and her fans complained about her not going to sing in the film while it was still in production. A song was later added during an outdoor political rally set in a festive beer garden; Faye's participation in the added song proved minimal.

Both a 12-foot shooting miniature and a full size mock-up of Clermont were built in Hollywood for the Fox production. Both were based on plans of an original full-sized 1909 Clermont reproduction that had been broken up for scrap in New York by her owners several years before, as a result of financial hardships brought on by the Great Depression.

North River Steamboat is the actual name of the historic steamboat upon which this film is based; the vessel was never known as Clermont in its era.

Little Old New York is a sound remake of the original film made in 1923 during the silent era. Under the same title, the 1923 version was directed by Sidney Olcott and starred Marion Davies, Stephen Carr, and J. M. Kerrigan.

Soundtrack

• Who Is the Beau of the Belle Of New York
  • Music and Lyrics by Mack Gordon
  • Performed by Tyler Brooke and joined by Alice Faye and other dancing patrons of Krausmeyer's Pavilion
• Ach Du Lieber Augustine
  • Traditional German folksong
  • Played as dance music at Krausmeyer's Pavilion
• Du, du liegst mir im Herzen
  • Traditional German folksong
  • Played as dance music at Krausmeyer's Pavilion

External links

• Little Old New York at IMDb
• Little Old New York film clip on YouTube