tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post576835348468884401..comments2024-03-26T05:01:57.793-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: BYE, BYE, BIRDIE 1963Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-54400787152139252502021-07-14T11:18:48.514-07:002021-07-14T11:18:48.514-07:00Funny that you mentioned "Bus Riley's Bac...Funny that you mentioned "Bus Riley's Back in Town," Poseidon3. Do you know what that movie had in common with this besides Ann-Margaret? It also contained Kim Darby as a background dancer. It took me a while to find her in Birdie, but eventually I did. Unfortunately, I scanned the image, but I can't find the link to it.<br /><br />Do you know who else was said to be in this movie? Melody Patterson from "F-Troop." I was looking for a picture of her from this movie, but the only one I could find was a YouTube video that seems to have mistaken her for Trudi Ames. Anonymous Personhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16403649201973363502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-75807931053195209882020-02-06T06:58:50.758-08:002020-02-06T06:58:50.758-08:00Yes. The 1995 version was my first time ever seein...Yes. The 1995 version was my first time ever seeing Bye Bye Birdie structured like the Broadway show. I was stunned at what a minor part Kim plays in it. No wonder Paul Lynde was pissed about the film version!<br />And while I've never seen that 1981 sequel, I have the LP and have read the play...indeed, Mrs. Peterson's "big reveal" came out of nowhere. Thanks for responding, Mark.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-84608903116181214872020-02-04T19:02:41.047-08:002020-02-04T19:02:41.047-08:00Thank you for your quick reply!
Re Mrs. Peterson ...Thank you for your quick reply!<br /><br />Re Mrs. Peterson and Rosie - in the 1981 sequel musical, "Bring Back Birdie," which lasted only a couple of days on Broadway, Albert's mom admits that she's Spanish too! Not bloody likely!<br /><br />I did see the Jason Alexander/Vanessa Williams in 1995, but not since then, so I don't remember the details of it well; but I do believe they kept closer to the spirit of the 1960 show, albeit with some new Strouse/Adams songs. <br /><br />MarkMark R. Y.https://markrussyoung.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-27659555707905919932020-02-04T15:52:40.596-08:002020-02-04T15:52:40.596-08:00Hi Mark
Ha! In all honesty, as much as I love this...Hi Mark<br />Ha! In all honesty, as much as I love this film, I really feel like telling you to stick to your guns regarding your impressing of this film version falling short of its potential. Every single point you make is very well-taken: it's cool to imagine what kind of quirk Michael J Pollard would have brought to Hugo, Rita Moreno or Chita would have added some zest (and a provocative touch of racism awareness in Mrs. Peterson's rejection of her as a daughter in law), and of course, Ann-Margret is nobody's idea of a small town girl (and you're right, the comparatively bland Conrad Birdie would DEFINITELY be the one who should be in a contest to kiss Miss A-M).<br />So, while this movie is near and dear to my heart, your reasons for not feeling the same way are based on such keen observations, I would say save yourself the time of rewatching this. There's nothing rash or unobserved in your comments. They're quite entertaining to think about. <br />Perhaps if you have a moment, I'd like to know if you saw the 1995 TV adaptation and what you thought of it. Thanks for your contribution here!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-65706324127980381912020-02-04T15:24:19.812-08:002020-02-04T15:24:19.812-08:00Hi Ken,
I might have to give this another try, b...Hi Ken, <br /><br />I might have to give this another try, but I was let down by this film version of BBB.<br /><br /> - Ann-Margret as the sweet shy small town girl? I've always said that in this version it would make more sense that Birdie won a contest to kiss A-M's Kim!<br /> - Janet Leigh is a favorite of mine, but as the "Spanish" Rose? Not Chita Rivera or bankable Rita Moreno? Arrgh.<br /> - The literalized image of having the family in angelic robes for the "Ed Sullivan" hymn.<br /> - The heavy-handedness way Albert's mother is depicted. Yeah, we get it, she's meant to be overbearing. OK, OK, we GET it!<br /> - At least Paul Lynde is brought over from the Broadway show. It would have been interesting for the offbeat Pollard, as Hugo, to have been retained as well!<br /><br />This has long been near the top of my list of "Bad Broadway Musical Movie Adaptations," but maybe I ought to relax and give it another try, lol. <br /><br />MarkMark R.Y.https://markrussyoung.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-30301221187503391392019-10-16T23:36:12.623-07:002019-10-16T23:36:12.623-07:00Jesse Pearson did the best he could. A Southerner ...Jesse Pearson did the best he could. A Southerner from Louisiana, he looked and sounded far more like Elvis than Dick Gautier, who may have been more talented all around. I think Pearson got the semi-comedic cock-of-the-walk strut down fine, like a rooster in heat. And cute too. ("Unattractive and bloated"? Say what?) His career died and then he died 15 years later at 49 from cancer, now long forgotten. Let the dead rest in peace.Robert Siegernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-83424162372115971162019-10-16T23:29:45.766-07:002019-10-16T23:29:45.766-07:00Maureen Stapleton and Jean Stapleton were not sist...Maureen Stapleton and Jean Stapleton were not sisters as many had thought. Jean Stapleton was born Jeanne Murray, later adopting her mother's maiden name as her acting name.Robert Siegernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-9440307524904114852019-10-16T23:28:26.991-07:002019-10-16T23:28:26.991-07:00Maureen Stapleton was only 6 years younger than Ka...Maureen Stapleton was only 6 years younger than Kay Medford who played the role on Broadway. Robert Siegernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-77407441110692369492017-04-19T02:39:41.171-07:002017-04-19T02:39:41.171-07:00Indeed! It's actually Robert Louis Ridarelli, ...Indeed! It's actually Robert Louis Ridarelli, but you illustrate perhaps the very reason his managers opted for the snazzier and much easier to spell/remember name change.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-27268016203257562172017-04-18T08:37:50.114-07:002017-04-18T08:37:50.114-07:00JUST FOUND OUT BOBBY'S REAL NAME IS B...JUST FOUND OUT BOBBY'S REAL NAME IS BOBBY RIDDIDELLI ... Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-679252804472701222016-01-10T22:28:03.631-08:002016-01-10T22:28:03.631-08:00Thank you very much!
Yes, Ann-Margret is understan...Thank you very much!<br />Yes, Ann-Margret is understandably and deservedly the main attraction of this film, but I'm glad you called attention to both Trudi Ames (who is great and very funny), and Bobby Rydell. He's surprisingly good and I have all those songs you mentioned (and more) on my ipod.<br />Nice to hear this is one of your favorite Ann-Margret films. Thank you very much for reading my post and taking the time to comment! <br />Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-90725728712686794022016-01-10T14:53:08.628-08:002016-01-10T14:53:08.628-08:00Every serviceman who saw Ann-Margret in one of Bob...Every serviceman who saw Ann-Margret in one of Bob Hope's shows in Vietnam will always consider her a very, VERY special person! It's a joy to watch BBB at every chance, just to see her. She touched the hearts of every man there ... and perhaps a few other organs as well!<br /><br />That said, there are two more standouts that deserve mention. The first is the irrepressible Trudi Ames who has been mentioned before, but the other is equally deserving and even more overlooked: Bobby Rydell. In the opinion of many - and I include myself in this group - Rydell was the best young singer of his generation. His body of work stands by itself; check out "Wild One", "Volare", and "Wildwood Days".<br /><br />Thanks for your wonderful review of my favorite Ann-Margret film!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-51493825590947239172014-10-14T07:11:46.125-07:002014-10-14T07:11:46.125-07:00Ha! Yes, the fainting of the boys and cops when Co...Ha! Yes, the fainting of the boys and cops when Conrad walks by is as overtly gay as you'll get, if you don't count Paul Lynde's entire performance.<br />Happy that you , as one who hates musicals, found yourself enjoying "Bye Bye Birdie." Indeed, Conrad appears to have been cast so as to neuter any real sex appeal. And I'm sure you're right in that it was intentional.<br />I like Ann-Margret a great deal too, and I think she comes off much better in rear-view revisionism than she did in the actual late 60s. What I think impeded her stardom in the 70s was how mired in the 60s her image was. Next to Ali MacGraw and Karen Black and even Streisand, the big stars of the early 70s, Ann-Marget's lacquered, Vegas sexuality looked like she was from another planet.<br />She seemed to occupy a camp, Playboy bunny space in the public's mind (like Joey Heatherton, Stella Stevens) that didn't fit how seriously Hollywood was taking itself at the time. I'm glad Nichols and Russellsaw beyond the image(or at least knew how to utilize it) for she is genuinely talented in a way few stars are today.<br />Very much enjoyed hearing from you on this. So great to imagine someone coming upon Bye Bye Birdie for the first time! Thanks, Willem!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-44289300310872872092014-10-13T17:52:52.863-07:002014-10-13T17:52:52.863-07:00"Not a lot of sex and gay in the film"
W..."Not a lot of sex and gay in the film"<br />Well, I noticed that when all the females on the school ground have fallen into a Conrad Birdie swoon, the police guy has fainted too. You don't call that gay??<br />Anyway, for a rock star Pearson has as much sex appeal as Maureen Stapleton and he was even worse tone deaf than she. But I feel that such was the evil intention of the makers.<br />Maureen's lines were in the league of 'Laugh or I'll rip your head off', but I found them actually very funny. <br /><br />BBBirdie is a ADHD experience, in beautiful Panavision and Doris Day colors. <br />The dance session is fabulous - West Side Story really set a trend - and mine eyes too were following Ann-Margret constantly. Before this I watched her performance in Vivas Las Vegas, but what she did in Birdie was even better.<br />I hate musicals, I HATE musicals, and found myself enjoying this one...<br /><br />I can't understand why Ann-Margret Olsson wasn't a superstar around 1970. She had it all. (And it can't have been her singular name, actress Meow-Meow managed to rise to cinema fame in France, and till this very day no one knows her surname!). But even Robert Altman didn't seem to notice her. At least Mike Nichols and Ken Russell did. <br /><br />"Ann-Margret's rather mature sexuality"<br />1963, every teen boy's Mom: '...You told me that this actress was barely 16!' <br />dedeurshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09775849527808927607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-84612723699446161572014-04-25T18:19:36.901-07:002014-04-25T18:19:36.901-07:00Not a lot of sex andvgayin the film.Not a lot of sex andvgayin the film.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-70047672198798975052014-04-25T18:06:40.248-07:002014-04-25T18:06:40.248-07:00Love the 80s film with Ann Margret so I suggest y...Love the 80s film with Ann Margret so I suggest you go see the film/movie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-41190682448489105412014-04-14T00:10:18.185-07:002014-04-14T00:10:18.185-07:00Thanks, Michael!
Your position is the wisest to ta...Thanks, Michael!<br />Your position is the wisest to take: accept the movie and screen versions of "Bye Bye Birdie" as separate entities sharing the same title...they are SO dissimilar. As you point out, you miss all the good songs that were cut from the original show, but what IS there is so energetic and fun, it's hard to quibble. Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-3165389249881125532014-04-13T19:49:14.480-07:002014-04-13T19:49:14.480-07:00Dear Ken - again, love your review!! BBB is one of...Dear Ken - again, love your review!! BBB is one of my favorite stage musicals *and* film musicals, but I need to love them as separate entities. The movie is excellent, energetic, and loads of fun, but as a faithful film of the stage show- it wasn't. That doesn't have to be a negative, although I could have done without the speed pill/turtle/insane Russian Ballet. It also cut "Spanish Rose", "What Did I Ever See In Him", and "Normal American Boy", which were all great songs. But - with all that fun energy, the cast, the music, the choreography - you can't help but enjoy!! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-26379663094444733902014-02-18T03:21:09.140-08:002014-02-18T03:21:09.140-08:00Thank you very much for solving the puzzle for me ...Thank you very much for solving the puzzle for me and offering a bit of bio information. Emslie's work is really terrific, and I'm happy now to be able to credit that great caricature. Much appreciated!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-23351149602183978252014-02-18T01:24:05.763-08:002014-02-18T01:24:05.763-08:00The wonderful caricature of Bobby Rydell and Ann-M...The wonderful caricature of Bobby Rydell and Ann-Margaret is the work of the brilliant Canadian artist Pete Emslie. After having spent many years as an artist based at Walt Disney World in Florida, he returned to the Toronto area to teach and continue in illustration.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-48040368659085720292013-11-18T13:49:57.618-08:002013-11-18T13:49:57.618-08:00I'm so happy that you called attention to one ...I'm so happy that you called attention to one of "Bye Bye Birdie" greatest unsung assets: the wonderful Trudi Ames as Kim's best friend, Ursula. You're 100% right in saying that, should you ever find your eyes straying from Ann-Margret, it is Tudi's Ursula that captures your attention.<br />She is broad and funny in that way typical of the way teens were depicted in sitcoms of the day (she reminds me of Larue in TV's Gidget) and she is so believably teenage that she helps tone down Ann-Margret's rather mature sexuality. She has Paul Lynde's overstressed style of comic emphasis and is a major asset to the film. So cool of you to sing her well-deserved praises! Thanks very much for visiting the blog and encouraging us to take in a little more than Ann-Margret's star quality.<br />Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-68548183001876414552013-11-18T03:36:59.561-08:002013-11-18T03:36:59.561-08:00Great review! I agree with practically everything ...Great review! I agree with practically everything said. As a young boy seeing the movie when it first came out, seeing Ann Margret made me truly notice girls in a whole new way. Birdie's Ann forced young boys out of childhood into adolescence.<br /><br />But that said, I must add something that seems to get overlooked by everyone who has ever reviewed the film, and that is the other far less attractive starlet who gets little (no?) credit but is a definite scene stealer (if you allow your eyes to go her way). I am referring to the uncredited actress Trudi Ames. Watch the film again and try to tear your eyes away from Ann and what you get is Trudi comically over acting in a cartoonish fashion in every scene she appears in. Even in the dance numbers and wide angle shots Trudi is doing that no other cast member does and is adding an element to the film that none of the main cast can provide. She is a cartoon come to life.... which is perfect for a film like this!<br /><br />Though our subconscious is aware of Ann Margret's less sexy sidekick and appreciates her high jinks, it's not until we force our self to consciously pay attention to her that we realize she is making this film into something which it would not be without her charming presence. Take Trudi out of a scene and you are left with a more mundane film. Trudi is every bit as important in Birdie as every one of the main cast. When I think of Bye Bye Birdie in my mind's eye, I always see the incredible Ann Margret radiating and over powering the other stars, but not by her self. I also see the comical Trudi visually complimenting Ann and being an integral part of the overall scene.tAaOShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01371994201537916339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-50081472768517609952013-03-21T14:24:16.040-07:002013-03-21T14:24:16.040-07:00I'm with you 100% on Jesse Pearson. I've a...I'm with you 100% on Jesse Pearson. I've always felt that at it's heart "Bye Bye Birdie" is really an anti-rock and roll musical (like "The Girl Can't Help It") attempting to cash in with the teen audience while simultaneously siding with the parents and making fun of teen culture. It's like the filmmakers refused to make Conrad even remotely appealing and went out of their way to present him as adults might see him: gross and garish. Like you, I thought Pearson was unattractive and looked bloated. (I was actually going to say as much in the "Performance" section, but after doing some online research, Pearson's life sounded so sad and his demise was so young that I thought I'd take it out. Your comment allows me to vent a bit!)<br />Surprisingly, I only made that Conway Twitty/Conrad Birdie connection last year when the host on TCM mentioned it. How had that not ever occurred to me? I guess I can only see Twitty in his puffy, 70's, Grand Ol Opry period.<br />I agree with you on Janet Leigh in the film. By all accounts she was pretty miserable while making it. I kind of loathed that TV version of "Bye Bye Birdie" you mentioned, but I did see a good revival many years ago in Long Beach with Ann Reinking and Tommy Tune. However, I think I'm spoiled by Ann-Margret in this. I always wind up liking the movie version best.<br />And YES I've seen "Bus Riley's Back in Town"...she's very much channeling her "Kitten With a Whip" vibe there. If you ever want to see polar-opposite Ann-Margret, rent "Return of the Soldier" where she appears beside my idol, Julie Christie. She's so SUBDUED! <br />Thank you, Poseidon. Your always welcome posts are like talking to a like-minded friend!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-70921971978649964522013-03-21T12:16:55.692-07:002013-03-21T12:16:55.692-07:00Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for giving a shout...Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for giving a shout out to Dick Gautier in this post. I could not stand Jesse Pearson and felt he was out of shape and not very attractive in a role based mostly on Elvis (who was very pretty!) I say mostly because there was also an element of young Conway Twitty to it in the clothes and name (get it... Conrad Birdie?)<br /><br />After reading about your adoration of A-M, I do hope you've seen her 1965 film "Bus Riley's Back in Town" in which she is given full-on, living color, sex kitten treatment to the nth degree!<br /><br />I recognize all the good things you mention about BBB, but for me the less appealing things cause me to check out somewhat. I do not care for Janet in this at all, from her look to her performance, and really hate the changes to the plotline, particularly the finale. Still, it has charm and plenty of people with talent in it. When it was remade for TV in the mid-'90s, I thought they would finally do it right, but that one had issues, too!<br /><br />Anyway, I always love your posts whether the movie is a favorite or not because they are always so insightful and thought-provoking. Thanks!Poseidon3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-70631683763398203692013-03-21T10:30:24.570-07:002013-03-21T10:30:24.570-07:00You're totally right on the money there, Cathe...You're totally right on the money there, Catherine. If in our day, kids had to wait until after school to come home and spend the entire evening on the phone with a classmate they just left (and would be seeing in class the next day), nowadays kids speak, text, twitter, and FB all day long.<br />And I'm glad to hear you would break out in song occasionally (we did around our house, too!). This is a very fun movie. And while technology changes, kids pretty much stay the same. Thank you very much for reading this and commenting, Cathy. And have fun watching "Born Yesterday" I love that movie!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.com