Carnegie Hall is a 1947 American musical drama film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and starring Marsha Hunt and William Prince.[2] The film was produced by Federal Films and released by United Artists.
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Ulmer directed Carnegie Hall with the help of conductor Fritz Reiner, godfather of Ulmer's daughter Arianné.[3] The New York City concert venue Carnegie Hall serves as the film's setting for the plot and performances. A tribute to classical music and Carnegie Hall, the film features appearances by some of the prominent music figures of the 20th century. Based on a story by silent movie actress Seena Owen, Carnegie Hall follows the life of Irish immigrant Nora Ryan who arrives in the U.S. just as the grand concert hall is opened in 1891, and her life is intertwined with the performers, conductors, aspiring artists and employees who work there. The plot serves as a thread to connect the music performances.
Nora, a dresser at Carnegie Hall, is cleaning in preparation for the next evening's concert. Walter Damrosch is rehearsing his Symphony Society of New York in Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. Substitute pianist Tony Salerno begins deliberately changing the accents and rhythms to fit his own interpretation and after a tense exchange, Tony walks off the stage. Nora entreats Tony to apologize to Damrosch, who had admitted her to a Carnegie Hall performance when she was a child.
Nora and Tony are soon married, and a baby arrives. One night after an argument with Nora, a drunk Tony falls down the stairs and is killed. Several years later, Tony, Jr. is a promising piano player, and Nora takes a job to finance his musical training. As Tony reaches adulthood, he shows a tendency to improvise when playing classical music. He falls for Ruth, a backup singer with Vaughn Monroe's big-band orchestra, and Monroe offers Tony a job with his band. Nora beseeches Tony to decline Monroe's offer because he is a classical artist and not just another popular musician. However, he refuses to accept that playing with Monroe would compromise his standards.
Years pass and Tony has become a successful recording artist but remains estranged from his mother. Ruth informs Nora that Tony left her suddenly after an argument. Nora seizes the opportunity to reconcile with her son and plans to fly to Chicago with Ruth. However, Tony tricks them into coming to Carnegie Hall to see him. They are surprised when Tony leads the orchestra, and the audience cheers. Tony smiles from the stage at Nora and Ruth.
