Mogambo (1953)

There are 4 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 7,980 times. The latest Post () was by ethanedwards.

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!

  • MOGAMBO


    DIRECTED BY JOHN FORD
    PRODUCED BY SAM ZIMBALIST
    METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER (MGM)


    3beb4fd8d7434de11977cbedfc6ef036.jpg


    Information from IMDb


    Plot Summary
    Victor Marswell runs a big game trapping company in Kenya.
    Eloise Kelly is ditched there, and an immediate attraction happens between them.
    Then Mr. and Mrs. Nordley show up for their gorilla documenting safari.
    Mrs. Nordley is not infatuated with her husband any more, and takes a liking to Marswell.
    The two men and two women have some difficulty arranging these emotions
    to their mutual satisfaction, but eventually succeed.
    Written by Rob Hardy


    Full Cast
    Clark Gable ... Victor Marswell
    Ava Gardner ... Eloise Y. Kelly
    Grace Kelly ... Linda Nordley
    Donald Sinden ... Donald Nordley
    Philip Stainton ... John Brown-Pryce
    Eric Pohlmann ... Leon Boltchak
    Laurence Naismith ... Skipper
    Denis O'Dea ... Father Josef
    Samburu ... Themselves (as Samburu tribe of Kenya Colony)
    Wagenia ... Themselves (as Wagenia tribe of Belgian Congo)
    Bahaya ... Themselves (as Bahaya tribe of Tanganyika)
    Asa Etula ... Young native girl (uncredited)
    Bruce Seton ... Wilson (uncredited)


    Writing Credits
    John Lee Mahin (screenplay)
    Wilson Collison (play)


    Cinematography
    Robert Surtees
    Freddie Young


    Trivia
    Clark Gable and Grace Kelly began an affair on the set that lasted for several months. After filming had ended, they resumed the affair while Kelly was filming The Country Girl.


    Clark Gable did not get along with director John Ford during filming, and at one point walked off the set in protest at Ford's treatment of Ava Gardner. Ford also made several remarks about Gable's age and weathered appearance.


    The censors in Spain did not allow adultery to be shown on the screen. For that reason, MGM changed the relationship of the characters of Linda Nordley (Grace Kelly) and Donald Nordley (Donald Sinden) from wife and husband to sister and brother in the dubbed version released in Spain. However, they did not delete a scene in which both share a bed together.


    Donald Sinden (and all male members of the crew who removed their shirts) had to shave any hair from their chests daily, as Clark Gable (who did not have a hairy chest) thought it an affront to his 'manliness'.


    The lead role was originally intended for Stewart Granger but MGM decided to employ Clark Gable instead. Production chief Dore Schary suggested to Granger that the film would entail a long filming separation from his wife Jean Simmons though Granger wanted to make the film regardless and later spoke disparagingly about Gable in his memoirs.


    Gene Tierney was first choice for the role of Linda. She dropped out due to emotional problems which were now interfering with her work.


    One of only two MGM films not to have a scored musical soundtrack.


    Deborah Kerr and Lana Turner were sought for the female leads.


    During filming Ava Gardner flew to London to have an abortion after she became pregnant with Frank Sinatra's child.


    Despite the high budget, most of the movie was actually filmed in the studio in Hollywood.


    Clark Gable was unimpressed by the script and was wary of reprising his Red Dust role after 21 years. He only agreed to make the movie after Across the Wide Missouri and Lone Star both flopped at the box office.


    The "Ah Bey Ah Bay (Kooasawa)" chanted by the natives was later employed by celebrated rock and roll DJ and MC Murray The K as a popular "call and response" ritual with his listeners and fans.


    Maureen O'Hara was the first choice for Honey Bear Kelly, but MGM needed Ava Gardner in a movie and made John Ford cast Gardner instead, which is one of the reasons for Ford's vicious treatment towards Gardner while filming.


    Goofs
    Errors in geography: During the gorilla footage - shot separately from the rest of the film - the gorillas are shown eating pineapples, which, while being grown in ZImbabwe and Cote d'Ivoire, are not native to the region of Africa in this movie.


    Continuity: When the trio are singing around the piano, Brownie can be seen standing close to Nordley on Nordley's right-hand side. However in the shot of Marswell in the doorway, only Nordley can be seen at the piano in the background - Brownie has disappeared.


    Revealing mistakes: After Victor rescues Mrs Nordley when she wanders off, a sudden storm blows in. But only the trees and bushes near the actors are blown about by the 'storm', the trees visible a short distance behind them are completely calm.


    Revealing mistakes: When Honeybear is having dinner with Marswell, Brown-Pryce and Koltchak on her first night, it is visibly dark outside as Marswell had earlier told her dinner would be at 9:00. But when the servant comes running in calling for the men, it is clearly broad daylight as seen through the doorway.


    Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): A cheetah walks through Honey Bear's tent late one night. Cheetahs are diurnal, hunting only during the day and sleeping at night.


    Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): At the very start of the film, Victor Marswell asks if the "Jeep" is ready. It's not a Jeep but a British Series II Landrover.


    Memorable Quotes


    Filming Locations
    Democratic Republic Of Congo
    Hell's Gate National Park, Kenya
    Isoila, Uganda
    Kagera River, Tanzania
    Kagera River, Uganda
    Kenya
    MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK
    (studio)
    Mount Kenya, Kenya
    Mount Kilimanjaro, Kenya
    Okalataka, Democratic Republic Of Congo
    Serengeti Plain, Tanzania
    Tanganjika, Tanzania
    Tanzania
    Thika, Kenya
    Uganda

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 2 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Mogambo is a 1953 film directed by John Ford,
    featuring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly and Donald Sinden.
    The film was adapted by John Lee Mahin from the play by Wilson Collison.



    Kelly won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress (1954),
    and the film was nominated for two Oscars, Best Actress in a Leading Role
    (Gardner), and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Kelly).



    The film was also nominated for a BAFTA Film Award (Best Film from any Source USA).
    Mogambo is a lavish remake of the classic film Red Dust (1932).
    The earlier movie also featured Clark Gable in the lead role.
    Producer Sam Zimbalist thought of the title by modifying the name of the Mocambo night club.



    User Review


    Unusual John Ford
    20 August 2004 | by bkoganbing (Buffalo, New York)

    .

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 2 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • From what I've heard for many years, Grace Kelly had affairs with everyone of her leading men. But she was a good actress and Hollywood lost a good one when she married Prince Ranier.