Top Banana

Director: Alfred E. Green Alfred E. Green

Overview

Shot on location in New York City's Winter Garden Theatre, this is essentially a filmed performance of Phil Silver's hit Broadway show in which he plays a moody and egotistical television comic (allegedly patterned after Milton Berle). Trouble begins when the ratings for Jerry Biffle's (Silvers) television show begin to sag. The producer spice up the show by adding sales clerk Sally Peters (Judy Lynn) and handsome young Cliff Lane (Danny Scholl) as love interests. Jerry falls in love with Sally, but Sally is in love with Cliff. The ensuing tension is most problematic for Jerry's every diplomatic personal assistant Vic Davis (Jack Albertson).

Product Details

Release Date:	09/12/2011
UPC:	0883904251996
Original Release:	1954
Source:	Mgm Mod
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	1:24:00
Sales rank:	57,775

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Phil Silvers	Jerry Biffle
Rose Marie	Betty Dillon
Danny Scholl	Cliff Lane
Judy Lynn	Sally Peters,Dancer
Jack Albertson	Vic Davis
Johnny Coy	Tommy Phelps
Joey Faye	Pinky,Moe
Walter Dare Wahl	Walter
Bradford Hatton	Mr. Parker
Dick Dana	Danny
Johnny Trama	Little Man
Gloria Smith	Featured Dancer
George Marci	Featured Dancer
Carolyn Anderson	Dancer
Marcia Mann	Dancer
Kaye Gordon	Dancer
Iris Burton	Dancer
Mickey Barton	Dancer
Vito Durante	Dancer
Bill Joyce	Dancer
Walter Koremin	Dancer
Nikki Cellini	Dancer
Charles Zulkeski	Dancer
Sammy Steen	Dancer
Lee Whitney	Singer
Dee Harless	Singer
Kathy Collins	Singer
Gloria Wallace	Singer
Arlen Stuart	Singer
Patti Shafter	Singer
Joyce Stansell	Singer
Emmaline Henry	Singer
Candy Montgomery	Singer
Dave Gard	Singer
Pat Welch	Singer
Ed Whitman	Singer
Dell Hanley	Singer
Wayne MacIntyre	Singer
Hank Roberts	Singer
Tommy Ryan	Singer
Dean Campbell	Singer
Brad Hatton	Mr. Parker
Albert Glasser	Composer

Technical Credits

Gene Towne

Alfred E. Green	Director
Ben Peskay	Producer
Albert Zugsmith	Producer
Gene Towne	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

While Top Banana is moderately entertaining on its own terms, it is of primary interest to audience members with a real fondness for or interest in standard-issue Broadway musical comedies of the 1950s. Even with some deletions, it's hard to get more faithful to a stage version, as Banana is essentially a filmed record of the play, shot during performances using the original sets and costumes. Needless to say, this results in a film that is enormously static and of very little visual interest; combined with the style of humor on hand and the players involved, it sometimes seems as if one is viewing a very extended vintage segment of The Ed Sullivan Show. The script is just a collection of gags (many of them corny) strung along a loose plot line; the score is better, but a letdown, coming from the usually dependable Johnny Mercer. The film's biggest asset -- as was the case with the play -- is the inimitable Phil Silvers, giving a star comic performance that is polished yet effortless. Silvers is in full command of his performance, whether giving an incredibly extended take, casually tossing off insults or hammering home a gag line for all its worth. It's also fun to watch a young Rose Marie, although much of her part was cut from the final print. Banana is both a museum piece and a curiosity, but Silvers makes it amusing.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler