1961 Original Film

Release Date: October 18, 1961

Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, the 1961 film adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris.. Released on October 18, 1961, the MGM film received high praise from critics and viewers, and became the second highest-grossing film of the year in the United States. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10, including Best Picture (in addition to a special award for Robbins), becoming the record holder for the most wins for a musical.

The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for the National Film Registry in 1997.

Cast and Production Staff

Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood in *West Side Story* (1961). Courtesy of United Artists.

Male dancers as the jets leaping in the 'Cool' sequence of the film version, 1960. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Rita Moreno performing America in the motion picture West Side Story. Suzie Kaye and Yvonne Othon on far left and George Chakiris on far right, 1961. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

David Winters, Russ Tamblyn, Tucker Smith, Tony Mordente, and two unidentified dancers executing a grand battement a la seconde as Jets in the prologue of the motion picture version, 1960. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Jerome Robbins drawing with chalk on brick wall during West Side Story 1961 movie production. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Jay Norman as Pepe, Eddie Verso as Indio, and George Chakiris as Bernardo, three of the Sharks in the motion picture version, 1960. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Jerome Robbins, crew, dancers Exterior, city sidewalk Jerome Robbins conducting warm-up class, row of male dancers in street clothes using basement railings for barre, 1961. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Jerome Robbins directing scene for the motion picture West Side Story, 1961. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

David Winters, Harvey Hohnecker, Tony Mordente, Burt Michaels, Eliot Feld, others as members of the Jets, 1960. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Jerome Robbins directing George Chakiris and other actors during the filming of West Side Story, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Awards/Honors

1962 Academy AwardS

West Side Story won a total of 10 Oscars at the 34th Academy Awards in 1962, making it the musical film with the most Academy wins, including Best Picture. Jerome Robbins shared the Best Director Oscar with Robert Wise, becoming only the second director to win the Academy Award for Best Director for a film debut (after Delbert Mann for Marty). That same year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored him with a special award for his choreographic achievements on film.

Wins:
Best Picture – Robert Wise, producer
Best Director – Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins
Best Supporting Actor – George Chakiris
Best Supporting Actress – Rita Moreno
Best Art Direction–Set Decoration (Color)– Victor A. Gangelin and Boris Leven
Best Cinematography (Color) – Daniel L. Fapp
Best Costume Design (Color) – Irene Sharaff
Best Film Editing – Thomas Stanford
Best Original Score – Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Irwin Kostal, and Sid Ramin
Best Sound – Fred Hynes (Todd-AO SSD), and Gordon E. Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)

Nominations:
Best Adapted Screenplay – Ernest Lehman

Other:
Jerome Robbins received an Academy Honorary Award "for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film".

1962 Golden Globe Awards

West Side Story garnered seven nominations and three wins at the 1962 Golden Globe Awards.

Wins:
Best Motion Picture-Musical
Best Supporting Actress - Rita Moreno
Best Supporting Actor - George Chakiris

Nominations:
Best Director - Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins
Best Actor-Comedy or Musical - Richard Beymer
Most Promising Newcomer-Male - Richard Beymer
Most Promising Newcomer-Male - George Chakiris

1961 Grammy Awards

The film’s original soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album or Recording of Original Cast from Motion Picture or Television at the 4th Annual Grammy Awards in 1961.

For a complete list of awards, visit the film’s IMDB page.

Bystanders Rally Outside the Academy Awards ceremony, 1962, courtesy of the Academy Awards

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