Jupiter's Darling

Jupiter's Darling
Film poster
Directed byGeorge Sidney
Screenplay byDorothy Kingsley
Based onThe Road to Rome
1928 play
by Robert E. Sherwood
Produced byGeorge Wells
StarringEsther Williams
Howard Keel
Marge Champion
Gower Champion
George Sanders
Richard Haydn
CinematographyCharles Rosher
Paul C. Vogel
Edited byRalph E. Winters
Music byDavid Rose
Production
company
Distributed byLoew's, Inc.
Release date
  • February 18, 1955 (1955-02-18)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3,337,000[1]
Box office$2,520,000[1]

Jupiter's Darling is a 1955 American Eastman Color musical romance film released by MGM and directed by George Sidney filmed in CinemaScope. It starred Esther Williams as the Roman woman Amytis, Howard Keel as Hannibal, the Carthaginian military commander and George Sanders as Fabius Maximus, Amytis's fiancé. In the film, Amytis helps Hannibal swim the Tiber River to take a closer look at Rome's fortifications.

The film features many historical characters, including Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Scipio Africanus who appears briefly, in addition to Hannibal. Carthaginians Mago Barca and Maharbal also appear.

Jupiter's Darling was based on Robert E. Sherwood's anti-war comedy play The Road to Rome (1927).[2]

The film was the last of three films Williams and Keel made together, the other two being Pagan Love Song (1950) and Texas Carnival (1951). He later said he felt it was the best picture they made together.[3] The movie was a huge financial flop and the last movie Williams made at MGM.

  1. ^ a b The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. ^ New York Times review
  3. ^ Keel p 179