Pittsburgh

Director: Lewis Seiler

Overview

The three stars of Universal's The Spoilers -- Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne and Randolph Scott -- were reunited for the pageantlike adventure yarn Pittsburgh. As indicated by the title, this is a saga of the steel industry, with longtime buddies Pittsburgh Markham (Wayne) and Cash Evans (Scott) rising from the ranks of miners to run their own foundry. Ruthlessly devoted to his work, Pittsburgh eventually has a falling out with Cash and also jeopardizes his romantic relationship with beautiful Josie Winters (Dietrich). Thanks to his duplicitous business practices, Pittsburgh loses both Josie and his steel mill; but when America enters WW II, he redeems himself by signing on as a common workman with Cash's still-thriving organization. Well acted and directed, Pittsburgh nonetheless lacks the extra spark which transforms a good film into a great one.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/07/2014
UPC:	0025192096440
Original Release:	1942
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00
Sales rank:	25,383

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Marlene Dietrich	Josie Winters
John Wayne	'Pittsburgh' Markham
Randolph Scott	'Cash' Evans
Frank Craven	'Doc' Powers
Louise Allbritton	Shannon Prentiss
Shemp Howard	Shorty
Thomas Gomez	Joe Malneck
Ludwig Stossel	Dr. Grazlich
Samuel S. Hinds	Morgan Prentiss
Paul Fix	Mine Operator
William Haade	Johnny
Douglas Fowley	Mort Brawley
Sammy Stein	Killer Kane
Harry Seymour	Theater Manager
Charles Coleman	Butler
Nestor Paiva	Barney
Hobart Cavanaugh	Derelict
Virginia Sale	Mrs. Bercovici
Wade Boteler	Mine Superintendent
Mira McKinney	Tilda
Alphonse Martell	Carlos
Charles Sherlock	Chauffeur
Bess Flowers	Woman
Ray Walker	Reporter
Charles Arnt	Laborer
William Gould	Burns
Harry Cording	Miner
John Dilson	Wilson
H.J. Salter	Composer
Frank Skinner	Composer

Technical Credits

Derek Twist

Tom Reed

Kenneth Gamet

Charles K. Feldman	Producer
John P. Fulton	Special Effects
Derek Twist	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Tom Reed	Screenwriter
Kenneth Gamet	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Universal clearly hoped that lightning would strike twice with Pittsburgh, which reunited its trio of stars from The Spoilers. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh is at best only a moderately entertaining film, in need of a spark to ignite it. Blame rests primarily with the team of writers (at least five, and likely more that received no credit); the story they have crafted wants to have the sweep and grandeur of an Edna Ferber epic, but it lacks the clarity and vision. It also lacks originality, and this is much more damaging; there's too much of a "been there, done that" feeling to the goings-on. And it certainly doesn't help matters that there's more than a whiff of wartime propaganda in the writing, which places too much emphasis on the willingness of the steel industry to churn out product for the good of the war effort while glossing over the profit element involved. Lewis Seiler's direction also deserves some of the rap; it's not bad by any means, but it doesn't give a better shape to the story or disguise the familiarity. And it certainly doesn't provide the epic feel that the writers seem to be trying for. Fortunately, Pittsburgh has a cast that helps make up for its other flaws. True, Marlene Dietrich doesn't have enough to do, but she brings her special luminosity to what she does have. John Wayne is in fine form, playing up the caddishness of his part especially well, and Randolph Scott is a perfect foil for him. The stars can't make Pittsburgh a great film, but they make it more than watchable.