Hello Dolly Film Remake Idea — Page 3

BWAY Baby2 said: "Hello, Dolly could not even make it on BWAY without Midler- whose voice was pretty much shot- though in her 70's- this is not rare-sorry, but this musical is very old fashioned and really does not resonate with contemporary life in so many ways. There are so many other musicals that need to be filmed- and many that have yet to be written or filmed- to be stuck on this show- I find to be tired. The role of women, gays, the rise of diversity in all phases of American life- so many interesting stories to tell- and with the pandemic- who knows what musicals will be created to dramatize this era- to look back on an old musical- with not much to say- let's face it-it seemed dated when Barbra did it way back when- is not a good bet. However, maybe in a decade, another BWAY revival will be mounted with a beloved diva- who will draw and audience for a limited engagement- and it will do very well- even Britney Spears at 55 years of age could be a bet- but not another film- that time has come and gone."

I get what you're saying, and sort of agree. However, there's an interesting segment in the interview with Tyne Daly for the American Television Archives, and she talks about how when she did a concert performance of Call Me Madam, the audience ate it up with as spoon. "And this was nothing but whipped cream," she says, by no means as a put-down. And she goes on to hypothesize that audiences are just so shell-shocked by dark and difficult subjects that there is more than just room for a piece of fluff--there's an absolutely need for it, at this point in time.

And in this sense, I think Hello, Dolly! absolutely does have an audience, and not just for a specific diva (although it will always draw a diva, and the diva's audience in turn). The subjects you're discussing would have to be the subject of serious, or at least partially serious, shows because the experience of being a woman, a gay man or lesbian, a trans person, any racial or ethic minority isn't all rainbows and sunshine, not in America as it exists today. And while we absolutely need--and I believe there's a large theater audience awaiting--those shows, people also need to be able to go to shows where they just relax, hear jaunty tunes and don't have to be troubled by serious topics.

Hello, Dolly! is just about perfect for that. It takes place in a idealized past that never existed, among people with no real worries and easily manageable (by Dolly) problems, and everyone winds up happily paired and in love. I think there is a real need for the show, or that kind of show--onstage, and maybe on platforms that draw an audience for Broadway shows. I don't think there's a big movie audience for it. But I'm also not sure there's a big movie audience for the kind of work you want to see more of, either.

BWAY Baby2 said: "There is always room for escapism and serious explorations of social issues- and also for entertainment that is very entertaining but also deals with issues of importance- Chicago, the film and BWAY musical, deals with important themes in a very entertaining way. WSS- the Spielberg edition- and the current one on BWAY- explores serious themes as well- and is also extremely entertaining. Personally, I do not like totally escapist fare- in movies, televisions shows, books, etc.- so Dolly is obviously not for me. Yet, I did enjoy Mame- even with Lucy- so go figyah. La Cage, the musical, also is excellent. Victor, Victoria dealt with important themes in very creative ways- as did Yentl, the movie. Sunday In The Park also deals with important themes. There will always be a need for escapist fare and for serious fare- I just do not think Dolly is a likely candidate for a remake for many reasons."

Even as I was typing, I was wondering if La Cage and Victor/Victoria were examples of shows that are just fun froth, so I get your pointing to them as examples of shows with more diversity that nonetheless are playing old fun musicals.

I personally agree with you about Dolly (and, personally I feel the same way about, Mame, too), but I was really talking about what kind of show there is a large, receptive audience for, not just what I want to see. I love, love, love Sunday in the Park with George. Was just listening to, and being brought to tears by "Finishing the Hat" and "We Do Not Belong Together" just a couple of days ago (I was in a mood, I needed them, it was healing). But no film version of Sunday is going to get financed anytime soon, and if it does, it isn't going to set the world's the box offices on fire. Its appeal is limited. The appeal of shows like Hello, Dolly! and Mame are just unquestionably broader (in fact, though thought of as a flop, I believe Mame actually did decently at the box office; according to Pauline Kael, though it wasn't the smash Warners expected, it made a profit). I was talking about what is likely to do well as a movie musical project, not specifically what I hope to see. Sorry, I probably wasn't clear about that.

Diana Ross as Dolly.

I'd actually like to see Anna Kendrick as Minnie Fay.

In Thornton Wilders THE MERCHANT OF YONKERS (1938), Dolly Levi was played by Jane Cowl who was 55 at the time. When the property was reworked as THE MATCHMAKER (1954), Ruth Gordon played Dolly. She was 57 at the time.

In the film version of THE MATCHMAKER (1958), Shirley Booth was 59 or 60 when she played Dolly.

Carol Channing was 43 when she originated the role in HELLO, DOLLY! (1964).

Still, as others have noted, it doesn't seem like Dolly's age was ever specified by Wilder, etc.

Barbra Streisand was 27 when she starred in the film version...so while it's always been said that she was too young for the part, Dolly could have married Horace when she was 17 (in the 1890s that would not have been uncommon), making Dolly's absence from the Harmonia Gardens (10 years) fit Streisand's age at the time of filming.

The 1969 film version of HELLO DOLLY! comes off as a homage to the old MGM musicals that were so popular in the '40s and early 50s, and it's no wonder with Gene Kelly at the helm, Michael Kidd's choreography, and Roger Edens producing, all MGM musical veterans. The "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" musical number is reminiscent of the "Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe" number from George Sidney's THE HARVEY GIRLS.

Dolly is not a bad film - not by a long shot. It boasts a winning performance by Streisand and an appropriately abrasive turn by Matthau as "Horace Van Degelder" with solid comedic support from Danny Lockin and E.J. Peaker as "Barnaby" and "Minnie Fae". Michael Crawford was grating as "Cornelius Hackl" and Marianne McAndrew was out of her depth as "Irene Molloy" - her one big solo number is clearly dubbed and she can't lip-sync to the track to save her poorly cast life.

The film is not nearly as maligned today as it was when it was originally released back in 1969. This very charming but very old-fashioned musical was released smack dab in the middle of the Age of Aquarius. Audiences were flocking to "Easy Rider" and "Midnight Cowboy" It was also the dawning of the "New Hollywood" era and in that landscape, HELLO DOLLY came across as a dinosaur and audiences stayed away.

A new television remake would be most welcome in my book.

Updated On: 4/2/21 at 09:41 PM

You're absolutely right, Carlos Alberta, and the homage to MGM was entirely intentional. It's why Kelly was hired in the first place. Maybe too soon for "homage" to be the right word for their goal, but the argument was that farce wouldn't translate to the screen, so best to do was to treat it like a big MGM musical (I learned this from Stephen M. Silverman's The Fox That Got Away).

joevitus said: "You're absolutely right, Carlos Alberta, and the homage to MGM was entirely intentional. It's why Kelly was hired in the first place. Maybe too soon for "homage" to be the right word for their goal, but the argument was that farce wouldn't translate to the screen, so best to do was to treat it like a big MGM musical (I learned this from Stephen M. Silverman's The Fox That Got Away)."

Thanks joevitus, I must seek out Stephen M. Silverman's The Fox That Got Away.

CarlosAlberto said: "joevitus said: "You're absolutely right, Carlos Alberta, and the homage to MGM was entirely intentional. It's why Kelly was hired in the first place. Maybe too soon for "homage" to be the right word for their goal, but the argument was that farce wouldn't translate to the screen, so best to do was to treat it like a big MGM musical (I learned this from Stephen M. Silverman's The Fox That Got Away)."

Thanks joevitus, I must seek out Stephen M. Silverman's The Fox That Got Away."

I really enjoyed the book. Read it back in the '90's. Hope you enjoy it, too.