A Certain Smile (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“A Certain Smile” | |
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Artwork for the US 7-inch single | |
Single by Johnny Mathis | |
from the album More Johnny’s Greatest Hits | |
B-side | “Let It Rain” |
Released | June 1958 |
Genre | Popular |
Length | 2:47 |
Label | Columbia (US) Fontana (UK) |
Songwriter(s) | Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster |
Producer(s) | Mitch Miller |
Johnny Mathis singles chronology | |
“Teacher, Teacher” (1958)”A Certain Smile“ (1958)”Call Me” (1958) |
“A Certain Smile” is a popular song from the 1958 film of the same name. The song was written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster. Johnny Mathis performed the song in the film, and the song reached No. 4 on the UK chart.
The song was nominated for the 1958 Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Background
The music was written by Sammy Fain with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster for the 1958 film of the same name, based on the novel, also titled A Certain Smile, by Françoise Sagan. Johnny Mathis, who appeared in the 1958 film as a bar singer, performing the title song. Mathis’s recording, with backing orchestration by Ray Ellis and released in June 1958 (4-41193), backed with “Let It Rain”. The song reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 14 on the US chart.
Charts
Chart (1958) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) | 30 |
Norway (VG-lista) | 7 |
UK Singles (OCC) | 4 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 22 |
Other recorded versions
The song has been covered by artists such as:
- Astrud Gilberto recorded it for her 1966 album, A Certain Smile, a Certain Sadness.
- Jay and the Americans released a version of the song on their 1963 album, At the Cafe Wha?
- Ted Greene
- Mantovani & His Orchestra
- Engelbert Humperdink
- Florence Aguilar
- P.J. Proby
- The Four Preps
- Billy Terment and His Orchestra
Popular culture
- The song was featured in the 2010 BBC production of A Passionate Woman.
A Certain Smile (film
A Certain Smile | |
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Theatrical poster | |
Directed by | Jean Negulesco |
Written by | Frances Goodrich Albert Hackett Françoise Sagan |
Produced by | Henry Ephron |
Starring | Rossano Brazzi Joan Fontaine |
Cinematography | Milton Krasner |
Edited by | Louis R. Loeffler |
Music by | Alfred Newman |
Distributed by | Twentieth Century-Fox |
Release date | July 31, 1958 |
Running time | 104 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2.3 million |
Box office | $1.3 million (US rentals) |
A Certain Smile is a 1958 American drama film directed by Jean Negulesco, based on the book of the same name by Françoise Sagan.
Plot
In Paris, beautiful Dominique Vallon is involved with a young man, Bertrand Griot, until suddenly entering into an unwise week-long romance with his wealthy and married uncle, Luc Ferrand.
Cast
- Rossano Brazzi as Luc Ferrand
- Joan Fontaine as Françoise Ferrand
- Bradford Dillman as Bertrand Griot
- Christine Carère as Dominique Vallon
- Eduard Franz as M. Vallon
- Katherine Locke as Mme. Vallon
- Kathryn Givney as Mme. Griot
- Steven Geray as Denis
- Johnny Mathis as Himself
- Trude Wyler as Mme. Denis
- Sandy Livingston as Catherine
- Renate Hoy as Mlle. Minot
- Muzaffer Tema as Pierre
Production
Christine Carère was cast in the main role, although she didn’t know any English at the time. She was brought to Hollywood and trained for ten months before filming. The Production Code Administration only authorized the film after substantial changes to the novel’s story line. Negulesco later agreed “that A Certain Smile has not much of Sagan. She herself did not like it and she also wrote an article against it. She was right in saying that that was not her book.”
Awards and nominations
Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Academy Awards | Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and John DeCuir; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Paul S. Fox | Nominated |
Best Costume Design | Charles LeMaire and Mary Wills | Nominated | |
Best Song | “A Certain Smile“ Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster | Nominated | |
Laurel Awards | Best Song | 5th Place |
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