This screen version of Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson’s stage musical, directed by Harry Brown, stars Charles Coburn (in one of his few leading roles) as Peter Stuyvesant, the governor of 19th New Amsterdam, whose rival (Eddy Nelson) believes in democracy.
Walter Huston (John’s father) played Coburn’s part on the Broadway stage.
The cast also includes Shelley Winters.
Oscar Nominations: 1
Scoring: Werner R. Heymann and Kurt Weill
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Context:
The winners of the Scoring Oscar were Carmen Dragon and Morris Stoloff
About Kurt Weill
This is the only Oscar nomination of Kurt Weill, known for his collaborations with Bertolt Brecht (The Threepenny Opera). During Nazism, Weill escaped to the U.S. and left his mark on American music and theater with such original and provocative works as Lady in the Dark, One Touch of Venus, and Stret Scene.
