American Film Institute West Side Story Excerpt from the AFI Catalog of Feature Films © 1999 American Film Institute. Mirisch Pictures; Seven Arts Productions; Beta Productions; A Robert Wise Production; Dist United Artists Rel 1961; New York opening: 18 Oct 1961 (c) Mirisch Pictures; 18 Oct 1961; LP21934 155 min. Sd (Westrex); col (Technicolor); 35 & 70 Prod Robert Wise; Assoc prod Saul Chaplin; Dir Robert Wise; Dir Jerome Robbins; Asst dir Robert E. Relyea; 1st & 2nd asst dir Jerome M. Siegel; Scr Ernest Lehman Song(s): "Jet Song," "Something's Coming," "Dance at the Gym," "Maria," "America," "Tonight," "One Hand, One Heart," "Gee, Officer Krupke!" "Quintet," "The Rumble," "Cool," "I Feel Pretty," "Somewhere," "A Boy Like That" and "I Have a Heart," music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Source: Based on the play West Side Story by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim (New York, 26 Sep 1957). Cast: Natalie Wood (Maria), Richard Beymer (Tony), Russ Tamblyn (Riff), Rita Moreno (Anita), George Chakiris (Bernardo), Simon Oakland (Lieutenant Schrank), Ned Glass (Doc), William Bramley (Officer Krupke), John Astin (Glad Hand, a social worker), Penny Santon (Madam Lucia), The Jets: Tucker Smith (Ice), Tony Mordente (Action), David Winters (A-Rab), Eliot Feld (Baby John), Bert Michaels (Snowboy), David Bean (Tiger), Robert Banas (Joyboy), Scooter Teague (Big Deal), Harvey Hornecker (Mouthpiece), Tommy Abbott (Gee-Tar), Their Girls: Susan Oakes (Anybodys), Gina Trikonis (Graziella), Carole D'Andrea (Velma), The Sharks: Jose De Vega (Chino), Jay Norman (Pepe), Gus Trikonis (Indio), Eddie Verso (Juano), Jaime Rogers (Loco), Larry Roquemore (Rocco), Robert Thompson (Luis), Nick Covacevich (Toro), Rudy Del Campo (Del Campo), Andre Tayir (Chile) Genre: Musical; Youth; Drama Summary: The teeming slums of Manhattan's upper West Side are filled with racial tensions that frequently erupt in open warfare between the restless, embittered teenage members of rival gangs. Newly arrived in this violent atmosphere is Maria, a young Puerto Rican girl whose brother, Bernardo, is the leader of a street gang called the Sharks. Despite the warnings of Anita, Bernardo's fiery girlfriend, Maria, falls in love with a young Polish boy, Tony, who belongs to the Jets, the hated enemies of the Sharks. Their love affair fans the enmity between the two gangs and eventually leads to a showdown "rumble." Prodded by Maria, Tony tries to stop the bloodshed but is unsuccessful, and the Jets' leader, Riff, is stabbed to death by Bernardo. Suddenly overcome by his passions, Tony grabs a blade and fatally stabs Bernardo. In desperation, Tony runs to Maria, begs her forgiveness, and pleads with her to go away with him. But before they can escape, Tony is cornered in a neighborhood playground and killed by one of the Sharks. As Maria hysterically sobs over her dead lover, the remaining members of the two gangs wander onto the playground. The incredible waste of the triple tragedy deeply affects both sides, and they join together in carrying the dead Tony from the playground. Musical numbers: "Prologue" (the Jets and the Sharks); "Jet Song" (Riff & the Jets); "Something's Coming" (Tony); "Dance at the Gym" (Tony, Maria, the Jets, and the Sharks); "Maria" (Tony); "America" (Anita, Bernardo, the Sharks & Their Girls); "Tonight" (Tony and Maria); "One Hand, One Heart" (Tony and Maria); "Gee, Officer Krupke!" (Riff & the Jets); "Quintet" (Tony, Maria, Anita, the Jets, and the Sharks); "The Rumble" (the Jets and the Sharks); "Cool" (Ice & the Jets); "I Feel Pretty" (Maria, Consuelo, Rosalia, and Francisca); "Somewhere" (Tony and Maria); "A Boy Like That" and "I Have a Heart" (Maria and Anita). Note: Filmed in part in New York City. Although Jerome Robbins received screen credit for co-direction, he left the project early in its production after choreographing "Prologue," "America," "Cool," and "I Feel Pretty."

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