Wabash Avenue

Wabash Avenue (1950)

Andy Clark discovers he was cheated out of a half interest in partner Mike's business, now a thriving dance hall in 1892 Chicago. Unable to win it back, Andy schemes to make Mike's position untenable. He also hopes to turn Ruby Summers, Mike's motor-mouthed burlesque queen, into a classier entertainer, and incidentally to make her his own. But at the last minute, Andy's revenge comes unravelled.

Date of release
1950-03-31
TMDB
5.3 / 10 (7)
Runtime
1h 32m
Genres
Music
Director
Henry Koster

Casting

Interesting facts

Wabash Avenue is a 1950 American musical film directed by Henry Koster and starring Betty Grable. The film was a remake of Grable's earlier hit 1943 film Coney Island.

Background

Wabash Avenue, named from a major Chicago street, was reportedly conceived as a biopic of Chicago songwriter Gus Kahn. Negotiations dissolved but exhibitors had been promised that title so 20th Century Fox hastily substituted a rewrite of its 1943 Coney Island. (The Kahn biopic was made at Warner Bros. in 1951 as I'll See You in My Dreams, with Danny Thomas as Kahn.)

The film became a vehicle for Betty Grable with Richard Widmark and Paul Douglas to co-star. The setting was to be the 1893 Chicago Exposition. Eventually Widmark was replaced by Victor Mature. Eventually Paul Douglas dropped out and was replaced by Phil Harris.

Filming started on 9 May 1949. It was the first in a three-picture contract Koster had with Fox.

The film featured five new numbers in addition to some old favourites. 87 sets were constructed included a recreation of Wabash Avenue.

Grable enjoyed working with director Henry Koster so much she insisted he direct her next film, My Blue Heaven.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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