Happy 50th Anniversary to SWEET CHARITY! — Page 3

Nice to see so much love for the movie. It's always been one of my favorite movie musicals, and I've always been puzzled by its unpopularity. I think it's actually a better movie than Nights of Cabiria.

The movie Sweet Charity has aged really well, helped in no small part by the iconic Fosse choreography, but it's also the entire late-'60s nostalgia factor that (at the time) was probably considered a "sanitized modern" viewpoint. I just think it was bad timing for musicals in general that year. Hello Dolly (also from 1969) has aged well, too, when other musicals of the '50s and '60s have not. Another one that comes to mind is "Hair" from the late '70s. It's a much better film than it was given credit for at the time of its release.

For me, the film version of Charity is about Fosse's choreography AND direction, the amazing costumes, makeup, and hair, and a central performance by Shirley MacLaine that I consider one of her best ever.

I wasn't a huge fan of the Dolly movie initially, but I am now. I grew to really love it.

Hey "Best 12 Bars": I always enjoy your posts, though I rarely comment. I appreciate you knowledge and obvious affection for so much of the good work that has been done.

One point regarding what you said re: appreciating some of these film adaptations. Maybe you don't know it, but the 1979 film of HAIR was RAPTUROUSLY received, and very much appreciated by many. At the end of 1979 Variety did a survey of the best reviewed films of the year, from a representative array of critics and entertainment writers all across the country, as they often did at year-end/awards time in those years. Not only did HAIR make the "Top 10 List"of best reviewed films of '79, it had more rave reviews (according to Variety) than several of the ultimate Oscar nominees for "Best Picture." If the Oscar noms went by reviews, HAIR, with it's powerful Michael Weller screenplay, and direction by Milos Forman that actually dances along with Twyla Tharp's choreography, would have been a Best Picture nominee. I helped John Willis compile info for SCREEN WORLD and THEATRE WORLD for many years, and I remember our HAIR film file had year end "10 Bests" from Time Magazine, NY Times, and many, many,others. (In fact, the only film musical I EVER have come across with as many good reviews as the HAIR adaptation are the MY FAIR LADY, and CABARET adaptations on their original releases. Some bigger hits, like SOUTH PACIFIC and SOUND OF MUSIC got far more mixed critical reviews (though, again opposite the "myth", SOUND OF MUSIC film did receive many good reviews, and outside of NY media, many rave reviews-see the excellent recent book SOUND OF MUSIC:FAQ for a truer record of how that film was received than "legend" has it).

Also, despite the fact HAIR didn't make as much money as United Artists hoped, in certain markets it did very, very well. If you were in NYC at the time, you may recall large, enthusiastic crowds at the late, lamented Ziegfeld, where it opened in March and had a nice run. I saw it there in March, at many other theatres during the summer of '79, and was even able to still see it in cinemas again at Christmastime (it was playing at the Kips Bay theatre then, and others). In today's quick in-and-out, disposable type of cinema exhibition, it is nice to remember when a film could develop word-of-mouth though a nice, long stay in cinemas. That exhibition model gave a chance for a film to have more cultural resonance

Let me also agree with you (and others) on the film of HELLO DOLLY. One can reasonably argue about Streisand's casting, BUT the film-making itself is marvelous-almost like a classic MGM musical (with the contributions of Roger Edens, Gene Kelly, Michael Kidd, etc..) with orchestrations of incredible style and beauty, and a truly gorgeous physical production. DOLLY may have been out of step with the angst/violence of 1969, but as you say, viewing it on its own merits, and not as something that didn't comment on the Vietman War or street riots, is a much fairer way to judge the film in the larger context. Don't believe that it didn't have champions even back in '69.. Not only was it among the top grossing films of 1969 (it was truly POPULAR, only a "flop" due to the cost over-runs, it paid off after the sale to tv), but it was also a Best Picture nominee.

I also like SWEET CHARITY onscreen, because that's the film that freed Fosse with the camera. Marvelous experiments, most of which pay off. The ending is much better than the original stage show (Fosse was right to change the ending from the original stage show).

C'mon people/fellow theatre lovers!!!!, these films (DOLLY, HAIR, CHARITY), ARE appreciated, and even cherished, by people who really are true lovers of the art of musical theatre and film. Would you really prefer to have a selection of only sci-fi, and "Alvin & Chipmunks" sequels???? Appreciate these flms for all they do offer and be glad they were made. I sure am!!!

Versus say a certain film musical adaptation, much in recent conversation, that mainstream America loves, but that is so clunkily directed, cuts clever 1950s parody songs in lieu of inappropriate to the source material 70s disco songs, mis-shoots all Patricia Birch's dance moves, and ends with a car flying in the air---hmmm, something that might appear in a Sandra Dee movie-for a work that was written to reject everything Sandra Dee represented in pop culture. Now that's a film I hope real theatre lovers would complain about, instead of saying how glad they are the new tv version used those elements. But that's a whole other thread, right?

Okay Steven carter you need to post more often. Your insight is great and count me as a big love of the move version of HAIR

Thanks for kind words, CarlosAlberto, will do. There are SO many interesting people that post here-just look at all the knowledge and affection in this thread.Mr. Nowack, Best 12 bars, Yourself..... posting rare film footage, videos that some of us would have missed, original production stills, plus just the good conversation that good company brings. A toast to you all, bringing warmth and color to a dreary February night!

Wow Steven Carter, what amazing insight you have. I too may have to revisit the HAIR film, it's been ages since I saw it and I think perhaps I was too young to really "get" it.

I do vastly prefer the (scare-quotes) "bloated" and "overdone" musicals like DOLLY and CHARITY. The work of painstaking artistry in terms of production design, orchestrations, costumes (the list goes on and on) are astounding. Whether it's a caricature of then-modern NYC ca. 1969 or a love letter to NYC in the late 19th century it's gorgeous to watch and listen to, and even though the morals displayed may be old-fashioned or quaint I don't find issue with that.

One of my all-time favorite films period and certainly probably my favorite musical film is the glorious Goodbye Mr. Chips, also from 1969. Sure Peter O'Toole was no Robert Goulet but the sheer artistry involved and yes even the perhaps overzealous sentimentality gets me every time. Too bad it wasn't appreciated in 1969.

Best 12-Thanks for clarifying. Of course I remember the HAIR film wasn't a popular, mainstream hit (which frustrated me, especially compared to the much sloppier GREASE film the year before), but I just wanted to highlight some of the great critical reception. It became apparent to me, when the recent Bdwy revival was done, that HAIR's lack of FINANCIAL success in '79 had somehow misled younger people into thinking it was poorly reviewed, when quite the opposite was true.

Mr. Nowack and Best12-re: the Dolly film: The orchestrations are indeed glorious (ever notice all the top arrangers who worked on it-more arrangers than any other movie musical I can think of). That's fascinating that one of Judy's dresses is in there-I'll watch for that. I've always thought that, if Judy had been in better shape in '68-69, she would have made an astonishing Dolly. Her warmth and humor would fit the role like a glove. Jerry Herman has said many times, and in many places, that his most inspired songwriting came when he would imagine hearing Judy's voice in his head. And when I see all the talents associated with Judy who worked on the DOLLY film (Roger Edens, Gene, etc...) it just would have been lovely to see her. I enjoy's Barbra's performance, but Judy would have fit the part age-wise better, the age issue being one of the major knocks on the film (if Dolly's returning to the Harmonia Gardens at age 25, was she 14 when she used to attend with Ephram?

And yes, I do recall some of the push-back over the "Best Picture" nomination, but that wasn't just DOLLY alone. The same thing happened after DOCTOR DOOLITTLE's nomination. Plus, remember MIDNIGHT COWBOY had been nominated, and suddenly any film that didn't have bjs in a seedy 42nd St. balcony was suddenly not relevant or real art. It was wrong for voters to let Fox wine & dine their way into nominations, but equally wrong to assume that anything X-rated like COWBOY, or Dennis Hopper made while stoned (remember the attempts to hail LAST MOVIE?), was the ONLY way to make real art.

Mr N: re MR. CHIPS-do you know anything about the improved, extended soundtrack recording that was released? I only came across it in Paris once, and I didn't have the francs to buy it. I assume it was available online at time of release, but didn't hear a peep about it being released. Are there other songs we don't know? As you probably know, the Palace was turned back into a movie theatre (after the runs of "Sweet Charity", "Judy at Home at the Palace", "Henry Sweet Henry" and all that publicity about the Palace being "legit" only....for the run of the CHIPS film. I didn't get there (I was a kid, and my folks weren't interested), but I'm told by one who went that there were truly seas of empty seats. As people in this thread have pointed out, the general public equated roadshow musicals with "family" entertainment only. And an adult love story like CHIPS ("You and I" is truly a gorgeous ballad, Petula is radiant, O'Toole's acting is great, and several of the boys are charming) was not what they were looking for. Likewise with CHARITY. Though it received a "G" rating (funny, when you think of the tone of the film), it's clearly for adults, not children.

As I said yesterday, one can bitch (as people do) about this or that on any of the productions in question, but my god, I am so glad they were made. They do represent craft and the art form in a way not often seen onscreen. And though a few of these so called over-produced, etc... (blah, blah-like you'd really prefer them done as on-the-cheap, knockoff productions???) musicals truly had a small audience, most found quite respectable popularity. It was the extremely high costs that made some not able to show profit (at the time of the original run, anyway. TV sales, cable, home video, etc... have made most, if not all, profitable down the line. In chasing the kind of dollars that WEST SIDE STORY, FAIR LADY, and SOUND OF MUSIC made, the studios let costs get out of control (like paying Christopher Plummer his complete star salary for DOCTOR DOOLITTLE, and dumping him when Rex Harrison decided to do it after all), but the costs should really only matter to the accountants. The WORK is what matters to me

Thanks for all your perceptions.

Bumping this thread. February 14th will mark the 50th anniversary of the film's release.

The film is being re-mastered for a blu-ray release by Kino-Lorber licensed from Universal Pictures.

Sweet Charity blu-ray news

I don't remember reading this topic when it was written 2 years ago. Steven Carter was right on re the reviews that Hair received. It got great reviews, was a great movie, much better than the live show IMO because it fleshed out the actual story beautifully.

I actually saw it again in the past 6 months, probably on TCM, and my opinion hasn't changed. I have always assumed that it was a flop because it was released too late...audiences had moved on. Which was a real shame, because Milos Forman did a great job.

I also thought that Sweet Charity was a terrific movie, also impacted by timing, i.e., too many big musicals opening around then. At the time, I am pretty sure that Shirley MacLaine was in one of her (more than once) 'has-been' phases (boy, has she gotten the last laugh), which did nothing to help the box office. Bob Fosse brought such imagination to the movie and MacLaine brought such heart.

I too am in the the 'I Love the movie Hello, Dolly' club. I also watched it in the past year and really enjoyed it all over again. I thought that Just Leave Everything to Me was perfect for Streisand and that her So Long, Dearie still ranks as the best I have ever seen / heard, with the possible exception of Donna Murphy (who I admit to having a bias towards). The ending had to serve as a model for the recent Broadway revival, and was a perfect blend of schmaltz and skillful filming. (Ironically, the main disappointment to me was the filming of the title number, which was just too muted...I wanted more brass than on Broadway and got smoothness instead, and smooth does not compare favorable to brass, when discussing that number.

To the person who loved Goodbye, Mr Chips, I also loved that, even though it was pretty reviled in its day. The main reason, of course, was Peter O'Toole's magnificent and under appreciated (though Oscar-nominated) performance, aided by the gorgeous cinematography.

Of course, none of these movies came close to Fiddler on the Roof, which may be for me the best movie adaptation of a Broadway musical ever. Everything worked beautifully for that movie, which I also fgeelhas never gotten the respect that it deserves.