Rhapsody in Blue ( film ) - wikipedia Rhapsody in Blue ( film ) Rhapsody in Blue Film poster Directed by Irving Rapper Produced by Jesse L. Lasky Written by Howard Koch Elliot Paul Clifford Odets ( uncredited ) Harry Chandlee Robert Rossen Story by Sonya Levien Starring Robert Alda Joan Leslie Alexis Smith Hazel Scott Anne Brown Music by George Gershwin Max Steiner Ray Heindorf Cinematography Merritt B. Gerstad Ernest Haller Sol Polito Edited by Folmar Blangsted Distributed by Warner Brothers Release date June 26, 1945 ( 1945 - 06 - 26 ) ( New York ) September 22, 1945 ( 1945 - 09 - 22 ) ( US ) Running time 141 minutes Country United States Language English Rhapsody in Blue is a 1945 fictionalized screen biography of the American composer and musician George Gershwin ( September 26, 1898 -- July 11, 1937 ) released by Warner Brothers. Contents 1 Production background 2 Cast 3 Reception 4 Awards and nominations 5 References 6 External links Production background Starring Robert Alda as Gershwin, the film features a few of Gershwin 's acquaintances ( including Paul Whiteman, Al Jolson, and Oscar Levant ) playing themselves. Alexis Smith and Joan Leslie play fictional women in Gershwin 's life, Morris Carnovsky and Rosemary De Camp play Gershwin 's parents, and Herbert Rudley portrays Ira Gershwin. Oscar Levant also recorded most of the piano playing in the movie, and also dubbed Alda 's piano playing. Both the Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris are performed nearly completely, the `` Rhapsody... '' debut of 1924 conducted, as it was originally, by Whiteman himself. The film introduces two fictional romances into the story, one with a woman named Julie Adams ( played by Joan Leslie ) and the other a near - romance with a rich society woman played by Alexis Smith. The film notably features performances of Gershwin music by two talented and accomplished African - American musician / singers, Anne Brown ( 1916 - 2009 ) and Hazel Scott ( 1920 - 1981 ). Both were child prodigies whose training included study at the Juilliard School. Anne Brown, a soprano, created the role of `` Bess '' in the original production of George Gershwin 's opera Porgy and Bess in 1935. In the film, Brown sings the aria Summertime from Porgy and Bess. But in the film, the song is completely rearranged, with the first verse sung by chorus only. William Gillespie, an African - American bass - baritone, appeared uncredited as `` Porgy '' in the ' Porgy and Bess ' sequence, but did not sing. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Hazel Scott was raised in New York City and became known as a jazz and classical pianist and singer. Like Lena Horne, Scott was one of the first African - American women to have a career in Hollywood as well as television. Scott plays herself in the film, performing in a Paris nightclub. Cast Robert Alda as George Gershwin Joan Leslie as Julie Adams Alexis Smith as Christine Gilbert Charles Coburn as Max Dreyfus Julie Bishop as Lee Gershwin Albert Bassermann as Prof. Franck Morris Carnovsky as Poppa Morris Gershwin Rosemary DeCamp as Momma Rose Gershwin Oscar Levant as Himself Paul Whiteman as Himself Al Jolson as Himself George White as Himself Hazel Scott as Herself Anne Brown as Herself as Bess in ' Porgy and Bess ' scene Herbert Rudley as Ira Gershwin Reception Contemporary reviews praised the music but had more mixed opinions about the plot. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called the film a `` standard biography, '' explaining : `` There is never any true clarification of what makes the gentleman run, no interior grasp of his nature, no dramatic continuity to his life. The whole thing unfolds in fleeting episodes, with characters viewing the genius with anxiety or awe, and the progression is not helped by many obvious and telescoping cuts. Throughout, the brilliant music of Mr. Gershwin is spotted abundantly, and that is the best -- in fact, the only -- intrinsically right thing in the film. '' Variety reported that the film `` ca n't miss '' with `` such an embarrassment of musical riches, '' to the point that `` corny lapses '' in the script `` can easily be glossed over. '' Harrison 's Reports wrote that the musical score was `` in itself worth the price of admission, '' while the film also offered `` an inspiring, heart - warming story. '' Wolcott Gibbs of The New Yorker called the music `` magnificent '', but criticized the plot as a `` monumental collection of nonsense, '' describing the romance as `` silly and tiresome. '' Awards and nominations The film was nominated for the Grand Prize at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival. The film was also nominated for two Academy Awards ; Music ( Scoring of a Musical Picture, lost to Anchors Aweigh ) and Best Sound ( Nathan Levinson ). References Jump up ^ `` Rhapsody in Blue ''. American Film Institute. Retrieved March 11, 2016. Jump up ^ Crowther, Bosley ( June 28, 1945 ). `` Movie Review - Rhapsody in Blue ''. The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Film Reviews ''. Variety. New York : Variety, Inc. : p. 16 June 27, 1945. CS1 maint : Extra text ( link ) Jump up ^ `` Harrison 's Reports ''. June 30, 1945 : p. 102. CS1 maint : Extra text ( link ) Jump up ^ Gibbs, Wolcott ( July 7, 1945 ). `` The Current Cinema ''. The New Yorker. New York : F-R Publishing Corp. : p. 36. CS1 maint : Extra text ( link ) Jump up ^ `` Festival de Cannes : Rhapsody in Blue ''. festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 04. Jump up ^ `` The 18th Academy Awards ( 1946 ) Nominees and Winners ''. oscars.org. Retrieved 2011 - 08 - 16. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rhapsody in Blue ( film ). Rhapsody in Blue on IMDb Rhapsody in Blue at AllMovie Rhapsody in Blue at the TCM Movie Database Rhapsody in Blue at the American Film Institute Catalog hide Films directed by Irving Rapper Shining Victory ( 1941 ) One Foot in Heaven ( 1941 ) The Gay Sisters ( 1942 ) Now, Voyager ( 1942 ) The Adventures of Mark Twain ( 1944 ) The Corn is Green ( 1945 ) Rhapsody in Blue ( 1945 ) Deception ( 1946 ) The Voice of the Turtle ( 1947 ) Anna Lucasta ( 1949 ) The Glass Menagerie ( 1950 ) Another Man 's Poison ( 1951 ) Forever Female ( 1953 ) Bad for Each Other ( 1953 ) Strange Intruder ( 1956 ) The Brave One ( 1956 ) Marjorie Morningstar ( 1958 ) The Miracle ( 1959 ) Pontius Pilate ( 1962 ) The Story of Joseph and His Brethren ( 1962 ) The Christine Jorgensen Story ( 1970 ) Born Again ( 1978 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rhapsody_in_Blue_(film)&oldid=844385154 '' Categories : 1945 films English - language films 1940s drama films 1940s biographical films American films American biographical films American black - and - white films Biographical films about musicians Films about composers Films about musical theatre George Gershwin in film Warner Bros. films Films directed by Irving Rapper Films scored by Max Steiner Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Extra text Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch فارسی Français Italiano Português Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 4 June 2018, at 15 : 43. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who played george gershwin in rhapsody in blue
Answer: Robert Alda