Documentary | 08 February 2005

Robert Chartoff, László Kovács, Martin Scorsese

Made in 2005, this documentary traces the history of NY, NY, beginning with the formation of the producing partnership between Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff. It was they who developed the initial script with writer Earl Rauch. Winkler met Scorsese at a screening of Mean Streets, and when Scorsese heard that Winkler was developing a script set in the "big band" era, he asked to read it. Winkler and Chartoff discuss casting, and Scorsese and Kovacs discuss the look of the film. Editor Tom Rolf notes the irony (some might say the injustice) that Minnelli, who brought Kander & Ebb into the project, did not have a hit with the title song, which wasn't even nominated for an Oscar. It didn't get noticed until two years later, when Frank Sinatra recorded it. Today most people probably don't realize it was written for a movie.