Picnic (1955 film)

Picnic
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoshua Logan
Screenplay byDaniel Taradash
Based onPicnic
1953 play
by William Inge
Produced byFred Kohlmar
StarringWilliam Holden
Kim Novak
Betty Field
Rosalind Russell
CinematographyJames Wong Howe
Edited byWilliam A. Lyon
Charles Nelson
Music byGeorge Duning
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release dates
Running time
115 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million
Box office$9 million (worldwide rentals)

Picnic is a 1955 American romantic comedy-drama film adapted from William Inge's 1953 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. Joshua Logan, director of the original Broadway stage production, directed the film version, which stars William Holden, Kim Novak, and Rosalind Russell, with Susan Strasberg and Cliff Robertson in supporting roles. It was adapted for the screen by Daniel Taradash. Picnic was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won two.

The film dramatizes 24 hours in the life of a small Kansas town in the mid-20th century during the Labor Day holiday. It is the story of an outsider whose appearance disrupts and rearranges the lives of those whom he encounters.