Directed by Academy Award Winning Director Vincente Minnelli, Some Came Running was released on December 18, 1958, and was based on James Jones’ 1957 novel of the same name. The film stars Old Hollywood Stars like Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Dean Martin, Martha Hyer, and Arthur Kennedy in leading roles.
While upon release, many national and international critics criticized the lack of complexity that the source material originally had, they did, however, praise Frank Sinatra’s and Dean Martin’s performance.
Overall, the movie was the 10th highest-earning film of 1958 and was nominated for several Academy Awards- Best Actress, Best Song, Best Costume Design, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor.
Some Came Running is set in the late 1940s and follows a cynical Army Veteran, Dave Hirsh, who returns to his hometown of Parkman, Indiana. Before he was an army veteran, he worked as a writer and published two books. Meanwhile, his brother Frank has inherited a jewelry store from his wife’s father and is concerned with Dave’s return as it can damage their social status.
Dave soon starts to date a schoolteacher called Gwen, who loves his books and is fascinated with his lifestyle. However, when Dave proposes to her, she rejects him, and this leads to Dave starting a relationship with Ginny, a simple woman.
The movie follows Dave’s exploits with Ginny and Gwen as he deals with family drama and a friend struggling with alcoholism and gambling.
In his film ‘A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies,’ Martin Scorsese included clips of Some Came Running to express that the film was the best and most expressive use of CinemaScope. In director Peter Bogdanovich’s book Who The Hell’s In It, he analyzes the film and talks extensively about its influence on cinema.
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Some Came Running Filming Locations
Some Came Running was filmed mostly in the town of Madison, Indiana, where, according to Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra was surrounded by thousands of women from the town.
Main Street, Madison, Indiana
Most of Some Came Running was shot in author James Jones’ home state of Indiana in the town of Madison. The protagonist of the movie, Dave, spends a considerable amount of time walking around the town looking for bars with people from his own social status. Many scenes are also shot in Madison, Indiana’s suburban areas.
As Dave becomes frustrated with the idea of being stuck in a small town, he asks his friend Bama Dilbert, played by Dean Martin, to accompany him.
According to press reports from that time, it was reported that Dean Martin really enjoyed filming his part in Madison, Indiana, because it reminded him of his hometown of Steubenville, Ohio. Several establishing shots of Madison, Indiana, featured the iconic Ohio Theatre.
Park Auditorium, Hanover College, Indiana
Hanover College, Indiana, is the first private college in Indiana and was founded in 1927 by Reverend John Finley Crowe. The college features in the scene where Ginny visits Dave’s ex-lover, Gwen, a schoolteacher whose father, Robert, is a Professor at Hanover College.
Moffett Cemetery, Milton, Kentucky
The ending of Some Came Running was filmed at Moffett Cemetery, which is across the Ohio River in Milton, Kentucky.
Courthouse, Madison, Indiana
Although nobody enters the Courthouse during the film, it is featured in the background during a quintessential scene. In this scene, Frank Sinatra’s character is with his lover, Ginny, played by Shirley MacLaine.
The Central Hotel, Madison, Indiana
The Central Hotel in Madison, Indiana, is regarded as Carroll and Trimble County’s go-to bar and lounge. In the movie, The Central Hotel was renamed as ‘Parkman Hotel.’ The hotel is featured heavily in the film as Dave finds lodging at the ‘Parkman Hotel’ when he arrives in town.
Where to Watch Some Came Running Online?
Some Came Running by Vincente Minnelli is a 1958 American drama film produced by Sol C. Siegel and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. You can stream Some Came Running on WATCH TCM and can rent it on AppleTV, YouTube, VUDU Fandango, DIRECTV, and Google Play.
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