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Role Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls specifically written and crafted for Sam Levene
The role of craps-shooter extraordinaire Nathan Detroit was written specifically for Sam Levene by Abe Burrows who wrote the 11th and final Guys and Dolls script for the 1950 original Broadway production. Guys and Dolls is universally recognized as the greatest of all Broadway musicals. Abe Burrows specifically crafted the legendary role of Nathan Detroit in the landmark 1950 Broadway musical Guys and Dolls around actor Sam Levene for whose New York Jewish cadences the role was written, a similar break Burrows said he had when he wrote Cactus Flower for Lauren Bacall. In Honest, Abe: Is There Really No Business Like Show Business?, Burrows recalls “I had the sound of their voices in my head. I knew the rhythm of their speech and it helped make the dialogue sharper and more real”.
Abe Burrows and Sam Levene had extensive conversations about the role of Nathan Detroit, and became very good friends with Sam Levene and his wife. Abe Burrows wrote the role of Nathan Detroit after Levene was signed for the project, so he had the added opportunity of tailoring the role from scratch around Levene's persona, recognizing Levene was going to star as Nathan Detroit. In other words, there was no script to read when Sam Levene signed a contract to star in Guys and Dolls.
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Sam Levene Never Appeared in Broadway Musical before Starring in Guys and Dolls
Although Sam Levene had a long and substantial Broadway stage career by the time Guys and Dolls opened, Levene had never appeared in a Broadway musical, only comedic and dramatic plays. In fact, Sam Levene told book writer Abe Burrows that he wasn't right for Guys and Dolls; Sam Levene pleaded with Abe Burrows and said, Abe, I really can't sing. A consummate actor and perfectionist, Sam Levene repeatedly tried to withdraw from Guys and Dolls because he couldn't sing but was repeatedly reassured he was the only actor meant for the role by Abe Burrows, Feuer & Martin and George S. Kaufman.
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Sam Levene didn't keep it a secret to the producers or creative talent he couldn't sing. Why didn't the producers of Guys and Dolls cast an actor who can sing? The short answer is because they wanted Sam Levene and he was great, and it didn't matter to Frank Loesser, Cy Feuer, George S. Kaufman or Abe Burrows that Sam Levene was not a singer. He was the first principal cast and each was passionate about casting him, recognizing there was only actor who should play Nathan Detroit. In fact Sam Levene gave the producers and creative team every opportunity to find someone else to play the role of Nathan Detroit, keeping in mind, Guys and Dolls book writer, Abe Burrows, specifically wrote the role of Nathan Detroit around Sam Levene and for only Sam Levene. Cy Feuer said we wrote Nathan Detroit with Sam Levene in mind. Nathan had to be Sam Levene. If Sam hadn't been available, we would have postposed the show until he was ready. In a 1959 interview Sam Levene recalled audition for Frank Loesser:
Frank Loesser: Well, this, of course, this is impossible. Now let's do it the right way. Guys and Dolls co-producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin were convinced Sam Levene was the best and only actor to play Nathan Detroit; he was an ideal Damon Runyon "type". The producers were not concerned Sam Levene couldn't sing and were willing to postpone the original Broadway production to accommodate Sam Levene's then busy stage and film schedule. The producers bent over backwards to accommodate Levene's musical shortcomings; it was because Sam Levene was not only brilliant but hilarious in the role, getting rave reviews for his performance. Cy Feuer: Sam Levene was ultimate Jew; It was perfect casting. He created the character by living. Cy Feuer, co-producer original Broadway production Guys and Dolls said in an interview for The New York Times, "Sam Levene was the ultimate Jew," referring to the original Nathan Detroit. "It was perfect casting. He created the character by living." As far as Cy Feuer was concerned, Sam Levene was born to play the part of Nathan Detroit. Cy Feuer said “Levene had a long string of movie credits ranging from urban crook to vaguely embittered cop. But in whatever part Levene played, he exuded a kind of knowing, big hearted and woeful fortitude. He was a universal archetypal Jew, with all of the implied baggage and forbearance. An Americanized, vulcanized, secularized world weary, wise unmistakable Jew, Nathan Detroit." In 1951 interview with Ward Morehouse, Sam Levene observed I never sang before, and I still don't. Levene told Morehouse this fellow I am playing, Nathan Detroit, he's a procrastinator like a lot of people. He also pointed out Nathan is afraid of getting married. |
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| Guys and Dolls music and lyrics created by Frank Loesser |
Frank Loesser specifically wrote and structured Sue Me for Sam Levene
Guys and Dolls co-producer Cy Feuer recalled Frank Loesser wrote Sue Me for Sam Levene.
The entire thing was sung out of tune, Mr. Feuer remembers. Sam Levene never, ever sang it in tune.
And it was absolutely right for the character of Nathan Detroit. Sam Levene was born to play the part of Nathan Detroit. Composer and lyricist Frank Loesser structured Sue Me so that Sam Levene and Miss Adelaide co-star Vivian Blaine never sang their duet show stopping number Sue Me together. By opening night in New York, Sam Levene wound up with one song duet, Sue Me and a group number, The Oldest Established.
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| Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit and Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide in original 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls |
Sam Levene sang Sue Me with wonderful Runyonesque flavor
The son of a cantor, Sam Levene was fluent in Yiddish: Alright, already, I’m just a no-goodnick; alright, already, it’s true, so nu? So sue me. Frank Loesser felt Nathan Detroit should be played as a brassy Broadway tough guy who sang with more grits than gravy. Sam Levene sang Sue Me with such a wonderful Runyonesque flavor that his singing had been easy to forgive, in fact it had been quite charming in its ineptitude."
Every night Sam Levene stopped Guys and Dolls with Sue Me duet with Vivian Blaine
When Sam Levene sang to Vivian Blaine “Sue me, sue me, what can you do me, I love you”, Sam Levene sang the song with such passion that he stopped the show every night. The audience didn't seem to notice or didn't care the notes Sam Levene sang were flat, as a matter of fact most of them weren't even notes. But Sam Levene's extraordinary comedic acting plus the strong accompaniment from the orchestra made it a great musical moment that brought the house down.
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Sam Levene pre-Guys and Dolls credits include 20 Broadway Shows
By the time Guys and Dolls opened at Broadway's 46th Street Theatre November 24, 1950, Sam Levene was the only Guys & Dolls lead who had prior legitimate Broadway experience which began with Levene's Broadway debut in 1927. In fact, Levene's Broadway resume was already extensive when Sam Levene signed his Guys & Dolls contract. Specifically Sam Levene's Broadway credits included legendary performances in 20 Broadway shows which included originating roles in 16 of these shows.
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1927–1949 Playbill covers from 18 Broadway shows starring Sam Levene: Wall Street, Jarnegan, Tin Pan Alley, Street Scene, Headquarters, This Man’s Town, The Up & Up, Three Times The Hour, Wonder Boy, Dinner At Eight, Yellow Jack, The Milky Way,, Spring Song, Three Men On A Horse, Room Service, Margin For Error, A Sound of Hunting, Light Up The Sky |
Guys and Dolls Director George S. Kaufman knew first-hand about Sam Levene’s Talent
Guys and Dolls director George S. Kaufman knew first-hand about Sam Levene’s talent because Levene created the role of Max Gordon in the original 1932 Broadway production of Dinner at Eight, co-authored with Edna Ferber, the first Broadway show where Sam Levene received critical recognition; two smash hit Broadway farces and long-runs directed by George Abbott, Room Service and Three Men On A Horse as well as originating Broadway performances in Wonder Boy, Yellow Jack, Otto Preminger's Margin For Error and Moss Hart's Light Up The Sky.
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| Sam Levene Film Credit Poster Collage: 1936-1950 |
Sam Levene pre-Guys and Dolls Credits Include 21 Films.
Sam Levene's pre-Guys and Dolls credits included roles in 21 films including two of six Thin Man films with Myrna Loy and Dick Powell, co-starring roles in films with Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Henry Fonda, Burt Lancaster, Jimmy Stewart, to name a few; numerous TV shows, 1944 USO tour of Three Men On A Horse, the first legitimate show to go overseas, numerous national tours and starring roles in Orson Welles’ Campbell Playhouse, including Lefty in the February 17, 1939 radio production of Burlesque and Owen O’Malley in the March 24, 1939 production of Twentieth Century.
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| Sam Levene and Vivian Blaine far left in Guys and Dolls company photograph from 1950 original Broadway production |
Sam Levene Performed Nathan Detroit Over 2,000 Times
Sam Levene performed the role of Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls over 2,000 times on Broadway in the original Broadway production for over 2 1/2 year, followed with reprising the role for over a year in the 1953 first UK production and for six months in 1955 in the first Las Vegas production. Initially in 1950, Sam Levene performed the role of Nathan Detroit 42 times opposite Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide in the 1950 pre-Broadway Philadelphia tryouts at the Shubert Theatre and the Erlanger Theatre where every performance was different. For the Philadelphia tryouts, only three cast members received star billing; Vivian Blaine, Robert Alda and Sam Levene,
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| Guys and Dolls 1950 Playbill cast billing for pre-Broadway tryout at the Shubert Theatre and Erlanger Theatre where every performance was different |
Broadway wag once suggested Sam Levene was born born playing Damon Runyon character.
After the pre-Broadway tryout, Sam Levene performed his legendary role as Nathan Detroit for over 2 1/2 years in the original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls which opened November 24, 1950 at the 46th Street Theatre. In a 1974 interview with The New York Times, "Sam Levene said he played the part of Nathan Detroit so long that some Broadway wag once suggested he was born born playing the Damon Runyon character".
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Alvin Colt costume design Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit in 1950 original Broadway production Guys and Dolls Adhesive tape, gouache, graphite pencil, pasteboard, swatch, tracing paper, watercolor on paper |
Alan Alda: Watching Sam Levene was thrilling. Not only did he play the same lines differently every night, but the laughs rolled in from audience in different places. How did he do it?
Six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Alan Alda, son of Guys and Dolls co-star Robert Alda who originated the role of Sky Masterson in the original 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls, recalls watching Sam Levene perform Nathan Detroit while standing in the wings. In “Never Have Your Dog Stuffed; And Other Things I’ve Learned”, Alan Alda writes "Watching Sam Levene was thrilling. He could ride a moment as if a wild animal. New meanings occurred to him on the spot. Not only did he play the same lines differently every night, but the laughs rolled in from the audience in different places. How did he do it? This kind of spontaneity and this utter commitment to the moment became what I wanted to have. As good as my father was, what I was seeing as they played together a few feet away was the difference between burlesque and theatre, between performing and acting. I chose acting. I wanted to be Sam."
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Peter O'Toole: Sam Levene's performance of Nathan Detroit, one of the great classical performances of our time. In Loitering With Intent, the Child, Peter O'Toole's autobiography, O'Toole writes about Sam Levene's performance in Guys and Dolls even though O'Toole and Levene didn't know each other. Peter O'Toole recalls "My heart had gone out to Sam Levene as Nathan. My actor's admiration for his playing remains an undimmed joy to me. Levene gave, uniquely, his form and pressure to the age and body of Detroit's time, which would have pleased my lord Hamlet who wisely instructs us actors to do just that, and makes the to consider Sam Levene's playing of Nathan (Detroit) to be one of the great classical performances of our time". Lord Laurence Olivier said Sam Levene's performance as Nathan Detroit in the first UK production of Guys and Dolls was the greatest stage performance he'd ever seen.
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| 1950 original Broadway production Guys and Dolls Window Card |
Levene & Blaine reprised 1950 Broadway performances in Guys and Dolls first UK production
Sam Levene and Vivian Blaine reprised their legendary original Broadway performances as Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide in the first UK production of Guys & Dolls at London's Coliseum; the first UK production ran for 555 performances in a run which was at least equal to the original Broadway production since the Coliseum Theatre was twice as large as Broadway's 46th Street Theatre. London's Coliseum Theatre has 2,600 seats vs. 1,319 seats at Broadway's 46th Street Theatre; after 1990, the 46th Street Theatre became known as the Richard Rodgers Theatre.
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| Sam Levene and Vivian Blaine received above the title star billing at London's Coliseum |
When Guys and Dolls first UK production opened at London's Coliseum May 28, 1953, Sam Levene and Vivian Blaine received above the title star billing. Seven of the eight featured players in the 1953 first UK production were Americans and five of these performers played on Broadway for 2 1/2 years before opening in the UK production. Robert Alda declined reprising his role as Sky Masterson in the first UK production of Guys and Dolls and was replaced by Jerry Wayne. Adrian Wright observed Guys and Dolls, the most street-wise American musical to have reached London since the end of the war, came extraordinarily close to expressing the humanity of the common man.....We know the people are unreal, but they seam real, having all the characteristics of real people.
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| Vivian Blaine & Sam Levene reprised their original Broadway roles in first UK production of Guys and Dolls at London's Coliseum |
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| Sam Levene and Vivian Blaine performed their legendary roles for eight performance Guys and Dolls tryout at London's Bristol Hippodrome |
Sam Levene Privileged to Perform At Queen Elizabeth 1953 Coronation
Vivian Blaine, Sam Levene, Jerry Wayne and Lizabeth Webb from the UK Guys and Dolls cast were privileged to perform during the 1953 Coronation celebration for Queen Elizabeth, the performance was televised on the BBC June 1, 1953. Five months later, Sam Levene and Vivian Blaine performed a Royal Command Variety Performance of Guys and Dolls November 2, 1953 for Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.
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| Sam Levene and Vivian Blaine, stars first UK production Guys and Dolls meet Queen Elizabeth after Royal Variety Performance, November 2, 1953 at London Coliseum. In background, the Duke of Edinburgh greets Jimmy James and Eve Boswell. |
Sam Levene recalled Royal Variety Command Performance was Thrilling
Sam Levene recalled Guys and Dolls Royal Variety Command Performance was a real thrill and said it was quite a night meeting the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh after November 2, 1953 Command Performance.
Excerpts between Sam Levene and Duke of Edinburgh after Royal Variety Command Performance follow:
Sam Levene:"How do you manage to do so much? You ride horses, play cricket, make speeches, you are in the Navy, you rear a family.”
Duke of Edinburgh:"Well you see I don't do it all at one time.”The Duke's reply floored Sam Levene!Duke of Edinburgh:“It was a pity you had to make certain cuts in the show and not use the Salvation Army costumes as well as deleting the name of the 'Save A Soul Mission'. I liked it so much better the original way.”Sam Levene:"Well, if you will come again, we will give you a private show, and of course, we will expect you to bring the wife and children!”
The UK Press claimed Sam Levene's conversation with the Duke of Edinburgh after the Guys and Dolls Royal Variety Command Performance was the most informal visit the Duke had ever received.
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| Sam Levene's congratulations from Queen Elizabeth after Royal Variety Performance, November 2, 1953 & Formal Invitation to Event Collection The Museum of The City of New York, Gift of Joseph K. Levene |
Sam Levene reprised Nathan Detroit twice nightly 7 days a week in 90 minute 1st Las Vegas production
Sam Levene performed the role of Nathan Detroit twice daily seven days a week for six months in 1955 opposite Vivian Blaine in 90 minute trimmed version of 1950 Broadway hit at Royal Nevada Theatre-in-the Desert, the first Las Vegas production ever mounted of a Broadway musical to transfer to the Las Vegas strip.
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| Vivian Blaine, Robert Alda & Sam Levene in Royal Nevada production of Guys and Dolls. |
Produced by Sid Kuller and Manny Frank, Ms. Blaine's then husband, the 90 minute show was a smash hit attracting numerous celebrities including Marilyn Monroe. The Las Vegas 90 minute trimmed production opened shortly before the movie version debuted.
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| Sam Levene, Robert Alda, Vivian Blaine re-created their original Broadway performances in 90 minute trimmed version of Guys and Dolls twice nightly, seven days a week at The Royal Nevada Theatre-in-the Desert |
Sam Levene's 2 songs from Guys and Dolls heard on over 38 Albums!
Sam Levene reprised his performance as Nathan Detroit on the Decca's original cast recording of the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls; according to Variety, original cast album sales totaled 250,000 as of September 1, 1954. In 1998, Sam Levene, Robert Alda, Vivian Blaine, Isabel Bigley and Pat Rooney, Sr. were posthumously inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame for the 1950 Decca original cast album of Guys and Dolls. Although San Levene sings only two songs on the original Guys and Dolls cast album, his portrayal of Nathan Detroit in the landmark musical is so popular Levene's legendary performance is heard on over 38 Guys and Dolls albums and compilations.
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| Sam Levene, Robert Alda, Vivian Blaine, Isabel Bigley and Pat Rooney, Sr. were posthumously inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame for 1950 Decca original cast album of Guys and Dolls |
For 7 decades Sam Levene Synonymous as Definitive Nathan Detroit
For over 7 decades Sam Levene has been synonymous as the definitive Nathan Detroit; despite having a singing voice so limited his show stopping number was written in a single octave. Hardly a Guys and Dolls revival is complete without referencing Sam Levene's original legendary and now classic performance of craps-shooter extraordinaire Nathan Detroit which still makes headlines! Sam Levene's original Broadway performance in 1950 original production of Guys and Dolls is regarded as nearly pitch perfect; as a result Sam Levene's performance as Nathan Detroit has remained the unequivocal gold standard for decades, and critical reviews often mention Sam Levene's classic performance. In fact, many of Sam Levene's original Broadway performances are considered the gold standard by directors reviving the many Broadway shows he originated.
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Sam Norkin caricature: Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide, Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit, Robert Alda as Sky Masterson, 1950 Broadway production Guys and Dolls |
Robert Guillaume: Sam Levene stands over Nathan Detroit like a St. Christopher medal in a car.
Sam Levene captured the bedraggled essence of Nathan Detroit so effortlessly and indelibly that Robert Guillaume, who took on the role of Nathan Detroit the 1976 all-black Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls said "I saw Frank Sinatra play Nathan Detroit in the film-as a matter of fact I saw it twice, but I never did see Sam Levene do it. Yet Sam Levene stands over the role every night like a St. Christopher medal in a car. You can't escape him." At first I hesitated taking the role, I couldn't help but be compared with Levene. So I kept telling myself that it's been more than 25 years since he did the part, and that's a long time between shows. Guillaume said that whenever he gets into trouble with the character, I think of the movies I saw Levene and try to use some of his technique, some of his spleen the could pour out on easily and still keep it sympathetic. He's a wonderful actor".
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| Robert Alda, left and Sam Levene, right wish Vivian Blaine Happy Birthday! |
Jerry Zaks recognized and respected Sam Levene's greatness, realizing Sam Levene's original Broadway performance left a permanent indelible stamp on the role of Nathan Detroit. Zaks recognized Sam Levene's original Broadway performance as Nathan Detroit was classic and bound to invite comparison. Zaks understood that anyone playing the role of Nathan Detroit should never let the role or the show become a cartoon, nor should anyone who plays a Sam Levene part, just play a Sam Levene role just for laughs. Play it for laughs without any reality and no one will find anything funny.
Frank Rich, Chief Theatre Critic, The New York Times, like most critics, lauded the 1992 Guys and Dolls revival directed by Jerry Zaks stating this is an enchanting rebirth of the show that defines Broadway dazzle. However, regarding Nathan Lane's performance as Nathan Detroit, Frank Rich observed the supremely gifted actor Nathan Lane does not remotely echo the first Nathan Detroit, Sam Levene, for whose New York Jewish cadences the role was written. Mr. Lane is more like a young Jackie Gleason and usually funny in his own right, though expressions like "all right, already" and "so nu?" do not fall trippingly from his tongue.
Los Angeles Times Critic Emeritus Sylvie Drake reviewed the 1993 touring production of Guys and Dolls also directed by Jerry Zaks when it opened at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre and reached a similar conclusion. Critic Sylvie Drake compared David Garrison's portrayal of Nathan Detroit to Sam Levene's original 1950 Broadway performance, writing the wiry Garrison’s Detroit physically harks back more to the 1950 original played by Sam Levene, than to Nathan Lane, who played the role on Broadway last year. But unlike Levene, Garrison doesn’t come across down, dirty or gritty. Knowing this actor’s talent, one finds his amiable New York gangster surprisingly bloodless and almost genteel.
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| Guys and Dolls 1950 original Broadway cast, Sam Levene in top hat and tails |
Guys and Dolls film Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz wanted to cast Sam Levene in film version
Sam Levene lost the role of Nathan Detroit to Frank Sinatra in the film version which is still talked about to this day. Guys & Dolls film director Joseph L. Mankiewicz wanted to cast Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit but producer Sam Goldwyn insisted on giving the part to Frank Sinatra who composer Frank production felt played the part like a "dapper Italian swinger".
Hedda Hopper confronted Sam Goldwyn about casting Frank Sinatra instead of Sam Levene
Legendary gossip columnist Hedda Hopper confronted Samuel Goldwyn about his decision to cast Frank Sinatra in the film version of Guys and Dolls. Hedda Hopper writes When Samuel Goldwyn was preparing Guys and Dolls, I heard he was talking about having Frank Sinatra play Nathan Detroit, the gambling man, brilliantly played by Sam Levene on Broadway. I bearded Samuel in his den. “Sinatra’s no more fitted for that part than I am. He’s a great entertainer, but not in that role. Nobody but nobody can play it like Sam Levene. Why don’t you get him?”
Producer Samuel Goldwyn: You can’t have a Jew playing a Jew
You can’t have a Jew playing a Jew, it wouldn’t work on screen", producer Samuel Goldwyn argued, explaining he wanted Frank Sinatra rather than Levene — who had originated the role — to play the part of Nathan Detroit in the film version even though film director Joseph L. Mankiewicz wanted Sam Levene, the original Broadway star. Joseph L. Mankiewicz said "if there could be one person in the world more miscast as Nathan Detroit than Frank Sinatra that would be Laurence Olivier and I am one of his greatest fans; the role had been written for Sam Levene who was divine in it".
Abe Burrows: Frank Sinatra and Sam Levene would have been wonderful together.
According to Guys & Dolls book writer Abe Burrows, Sinatra, besides being a big box-office draw, is a very talented actor. But I would have chosen him to play the leading man, Sky Masterson, "the greatest gambler of them all." With Frank's style and sex appeal, he would have been a delight in that role. But Sam Goldwyn was planning for a different superstar to play Sky - Marlon Brando.
When Burrows hung up the phone, he said to Cohn, "Goldwyn has hired Marlon Brando for the lead. What do you think?" And Harry Cohn, who never minced words, said crisply, "Good for Goldwyn, bad for the picture." Brando could never be bad, but he wasn't too comfortable doing a musical comedy. Some of the best scenes in the original Broadway show were between Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit. And Sinatra and Sam Levene would have been wonderful together.
When Guys and Dolls was finally finished, Elia Kazan called from the Coast to tell me that he had just been to see the first screening and he knew I would want to know how it went.
He wrapped it up in a short sentence: "Abe. I missed Levene."
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Sam Norkin caricature original 1950 Broadway production Guys and Dolls, left to right: Tom Pedi, John Silver, B.S. Pully, Sam Levene, Robert Alda, Bern Hoffman, Stubby Kaye. |
Fordham Professor of Music Larry Stempel, author Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater, said if given a choice, he would cast Sam Levene, who created the role on Broadway, as the ideal Nathan Detroit instead of Nathan Lane, who played the part in the Broadway revival or Frank Sinatra, who played the part on film, stating "Musically, he may have been tone-deaf, but he inhabited Frank Loesser’s world as a character more than a caricature."
Long before American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim became an American theatre legend with eight Tony Awards, eight Grammy Awards, an Academy Award and a Pulitzer Prize, he was 25 year old Steve Sondheim, film critic for Films In Review, founded in 1909 by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Films In Review was one of the first publications to seriously analyze motion pictures.
Steve Sondheim, 25 year old film critic before becoming Tony, Academy, Pulitzer and Grammy Award winner said Sam Levene sang off pitch, but acted while he sang; Sinatra ambles through his role as Nathan Detroit as though he were about to laugh at the jokes.
Film critic Steve Sondheim wrote a review of the film version of Guys and Dolls, observing: "Sinatra ambles through his role as Nathan Detroit as though he were about to laugh at the jokes in the script. He has none of he sob in the voice, and the incipient ulcer in the stomach, that the part requires and Sam Levene supplied so hilariously on the stage. Sinatra sings on pitch, but colorlessly; Sam Levene sang off pitch, but acted while he sang. Sinatra's lackadaisical performance, his careless and left handed attempt at characterization not only harm the picture immeasurably but indicate an alarming lack of professionally."
Frank Loesser's daughter, Susan Loesser, said her father "hated how Sinatra turned the rumpled Nathan Detroit into a smoothie", like Sinatra. Sam Levene's husky untrained voice added to the song's charm, not to mention its believability; clearly not a singer, Sam Levene can still break hearts; listen to him sing Sue Me on the original cast recording of Guys and Dolls.