Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, such as "Pick the Winner". The show premiered on Broadway in 1950, where it ran for 1,200 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The musical has had several Broadway and London revivals, as well as a 1955 film adaptation starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine. Guys and Dolls was selected as the winner of the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. However, because of writer Abe Burrows' communist sympathies as exposed by the House Un-American Activities Committee, the Trustees of Columbia University vetoed the selection, and no Pulitzer for Drama was awarded that year.
| Music | Frank Loesser |
| Lyrics | Frank Loesser |
| Book | Jo Swerling, Abe Burrows |
| Basis | "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure" by Damon Runyon |
| Productions | 1950 Broadway, 1953 West End, 1976 Broadway revival, 1982 London revival, 1992 Broadway revival, 2005 West End revival, 2009 Broadway revival, 2015 West End revival |
About Guys and Dolls
A gambler needs to find a location to host his big craps tournament. He locates a garage but the owner wants $1000 for the space. He makes a bet that he can get the town's most virtuous woman to agree to go on a date with him. The musical was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
Achievement of Guys and Dolls
The musical took home two Golden Globe awards and received four Academy Awards nominations.
Top Facts You Did Not Know About Guys and Dolls
Musicals by Frank Loesser.. Musicals based on short fiction.. Laurence Olivier Award-winning musicals.. Plays set in New York City.. West End musicals.. Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients.. United States National Recording Registry recordings.
Latest information about Guys and Dolls updated on July 28 2021.
