Why wasn't Channing in the HELLO, DOLLY movie? — Page 2

This wasn't one of my favorite films up until this year. I re-watched it with my Mom and Dad because they went to see it when it originally played theatres in 1968/69 (?) and my mother asked me to get it for her on DVD.

On second viewing I enjoyed it quite alot. I love the opening number "Just Leave Everything To Me" which I understand was written especially for Streisand by Jerry Herman himself.

The addition of Louis Armstrong to the show's title number was an inspired idea. Love seeing that bit where he and Barbra trade off lines and she scats.

Production values are high and a bit overblown but then name me one musical from the 1960's that wasn't.

Streisand's age never came into question for me when watching the film.

The dance sequences were great, "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" was a stand out for me. It kind of reminded me of the "Atchinson, Topeka and the Santa Fe" number from "The Harvey Girls" towards the end.

Love "Before the Parade Passes By" especially that last chorus where she hits that last high note on "by".

I didn't really care for Michael Crawford's singing in this film. He bordered on annoying the sh!t out of me every time he opened his mouth. I found Marianne McAndrew bland and a bit of a waste. On the other hand Danny Lockin and E.J. Peaker were well matched but they were given very little to do.

Walter Matthau was funny but only when he wasn't opening his mouth to sing (if that's what you want to call it).

Overall I like it. It's not the greatest but it's entertaining and it has a catchy score.

Barbra has said that she isn't really happy with the film and really didn't want to do the role, but was under contract. Too bad, they didn't use Channing. Funny because, since I saw the movie first, I got the wrong impression with Dolly Levi, thinking she was a younger woman!

Streisand wasn't under contract as in the old studio system. She had stated that she asked for what she thought was a sum they'd never pay for someone who had never released a movie - $1,000,000 and was shocked when they said yes.

No one at that time knew what level of success, if any, she would have as she was never on screen before.

She signed the contract knowing she was wrong for the role, took the money and has since regretted the way the film turned out.

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Updated On: 7/11/05 at 11:01 AM

Barbra was cast as Dolly long before she won the Oscar for Funny Girl, as you've pointed out. She was anything but "bankable" as a film star at the time they began production on the film Hello, Dolly! In fact, there were some Fox executives who were very nervous about casting her in the Funny Girl film, since she'd never carried a movie before. A TV personality and recording star does not necessarily transfer onto the big screen successfully, so it was a big gamble for her to step into the lead. Fox finally worked out a 3-picture deal with Barbra and gave her Fanny Brice. She had no say at all in them casting her in Hello, Dolly! She walked into it happily, not wanting to create waves, and then had a miserable time doing it. But she was bound to do Dolly, because of her Fox contract. While Carol Channing or her suporters may think this was an elaborate scheme cooked up by Streisand to steal her stage role, it's far from true. These were executive decisions made by the heads of an ailing Fox studio, risking piles of money and even possible bankcruptcy on a big stage adaptation.

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Funny Girl was not a Fox film. It was a Columbia Release and Ray Stark tied Streisand to a multi film deal. That was the only way he would give her Funny Girl. Hello Dolly had nothing to do with Funny Girl or any multi-film deal. In fact, Dolly was Streisand's only Fox film to date.

The other films in the Ray Stark Deal were Owl & The Pussycat, The Way We Were, Funny Lady. He had to threaten her with legal action to get her to sign for Funny Lady which is didn't want to do. He was angry that she was making films for other studios while she still owed him films. When she filmed her last scene, she sent him an antique mirror and, in lipstick, wrote PAID IN FULL.

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Updated On: 7/11/05 at 11:24 AM

I find it interesting as to how many different versions there are in regards to the Dolly casting. Up until now I had thought it was fact that Channing was cast in "Millie" soley as an audition for "Dolly" since there was very little of her on recent film to view . Although she was Oscar nominated for the role, 20th Century Fox thought she was much too cartoonish and stagey to carry the lead role of Dolly on film. Yea, Babs could be quirky but no where as over the top as Channing was as an actress. As to Ann-Margaret and Phyllis Newman as "Dolly", are you sure you're not confusing characters? There's an audition tape of Ann-Margaret singing "Ribbons Down My Back" for the role of Irene Molloy. I can also see Newman playing Irene but Dolly??? I don't feel Newman was ever considered that big of a star to be considered for the lead of Dolly in a mega musical. Besides having little if any film experience, she was best as a supporting player. Believe me, she was just adequate in replacing Barbara Harris in matinees of "The Apple Tree".

MargoChanning writes "Mainly because Streisand was a much bigger name at that point than Channing. She was an Oscar-winning movie star, a tv star and one of the top selling recording artists in the country. There was great interest in finding her another musical star vehicle as a follow up to Funny Girl, and Hello Dolly, one of the biggest stage hits of the decade, was an obvious choice (although Streisand was miscast -- she was WAY too young for the role). Streisand got the role simply because she was a far more bankable name than Channing at the box office. Too bad, though. "

Wrong yet again, Margo. Streisand was signed for Dolly well before Funny Girl had been released. She was not yet a proven box office star, and, thus, had not yet won an Academy Award.

It's too bad that Judy Garland was too far gone at this time. It would have been interesting to see what she could have done with the material.

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"Lucille Ball is an amazing actress and was in fact a joy in MAME."

What a brave statement. Does one really need to dredge up the old arguments to the contrary? Lucy was far too old for the role (sorry, but she was--the Vaseline on the lens didn't work!) and her singing and dancing were pitiful. Jerry Herman went through hell to get her songs onto the soundtrack. (She couldn't get the interval on "Open a new window, open a new door"--she always sang "door" a note sharp--so one day, when she came into the recording studio, Herman hit the note on the piano and said, "Sing 'door'". She did, and he spliced it into the recording later!). Her voice had gotten so raspy and low that in her duets with Bea Arthur, Bea is singing the soprano part! If you are a woman singing lower than Bea Arthur, something is definitely wrong!

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I love Lucy--but she ruined Mame
Can't sing=looks like she is following 1-2-3 when she dances
Bea Arthur did NOT want to make the film
Did it as a "favor' to her then-husband, Gene Saks...

And as has been pointed out, Channing is garish on-screen
She is SO Broadway...
Ever see Merman in a movie?
U wanna kiss the A-train

They got away with casting Ellen Greene, because the show wasn't called HELLO AUDREY. ;0

Plus they had Rick Moranas, Steve Martin et all in the cast!

Cause channing cant sing as well as barbra