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Bye Bye Birdie (1963 film)

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Bye Bye Birdie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge Sidney
Screenplay byIrving Brecher
Based onBye Bye Birdie
by Michael Stewart
Produced byFred Kohlmar
Starring
CinematographyJoseph Biroc
Edited byCharles Nelson
Music by
Production
company
The Kohlmar-Sidney Company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • April 4, 1963 (1963-04-04)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$13.1 million[1]

Bye Bye Birdie is a 1963 American musical romantic comedy film directed by George Sidney from a screenplay by Irving Brecher, based on Michael Stewart's book of the 1960 musical of the same name. It also features songs by composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Lee Adams, and a score by Johnny Green. Produced by Fred Kohlmar, the film stars Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Maureen Stapleton, Bobby Rydell, Jesse Pearson, and Ed Sullivan. Van Dyke and featured player Paul Lynde reprised their roles from the original Broadway production. It was also Van Dyke's feature film debut.

The story was inspired by the phenomenon of singer Elvis Presley being drafted into the United States Army in 1957. Jesse Pearson plays the role of teen idol Conrad Birdie, whose character name is a word play on country singer Conway Twitty, who was, at that time, a teen idol pop artist.[2] Presley himself was the first choice for the role of Birdie, but his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, rejected the idea as he did not want Presley in any roles that were parodies of himself or his career. Ed Sullivan appears as himself, host of the popular long-running CBS variety show. The film is credited with making Ann-Margret a superstar during the mid-1960s, leading to her appearing with Presley himself in Viva Las Vegas (1964).

In 2006, the film was ranked number 38 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies.[3]

Plot

In 1958, popular rock and roll star Conrad Birdie receives an Army draft notice, devastating his teenage fans nationwide. Despite his doctorate in biochemistry, unsuccessful songwriter Albert Peterson schemes with his secretary and long-suffering girlfriend Rosie DeLeon to have Conrad sing a song Albert will write. Rosie convinces Ed Sullivan to have Conrad perform Albert's song "One Last Kiss" on The Ed Sullivan Show and then kiss a randomly chosen high school girl goodbye before joining the Army. After this succeeds, Albert will feel free to marry Rosie, despite his widowed, meddlesome mother Mae's long history of interfering with her son's life.

Columbus, Ohio, is chosen as the location for Conrad's farewell performance. The random lucky girl chosen, Kim MacAfee, is thrilled, unlike her high school sweetheart, Hugo Peabody. The teenagers of nearby Sweet Apple, blissfully unaware of their town's impending fame, are spending the "Telephone Hour" discussing the latest gossip: Kim and Hugo have just gotten pinned (a tradition where a boy gives a girl his fraternity pin, indicating a serious commitment to each other)[4] and Kim feels grown up ("How Lovely to Be a Woman").

Upon Conrad's arrival, the teenaged girls sing their anthem, "We Love You Conrad", but the boys despise him for stealing their girls' attention ("We Hate You Conrad!"). Sweet Apple becomes very popular, but some local adults are unhappy with the sudden celebrity, especially after Conrad's song "Honestly Sincere" and his hip-thrusting moves cause every woman, including the mayor's wife, to faint.

Pressured by the town's notable citizens, Kim's father Harry declines to allow her to kiss Conrad on television, until Albert placates him by promising that his "whole family" will be on Sullivan's TV show ("Hymn for a Sunday Evening"). Albert reveals to Harry that he is actually a biochemist who has developed a miracle supplement for domestic animals that will make a hen lay three eggs a day; they test it on the family's pet tortoise, which speeds out the door. Harry, a fertilizer salesman, sees a great future for himself marketing this pill with Albert.

Hugo feels threatened by Conrad, but Kim reassures him that he is the "One Boy" for her. Rosie, meanwhile, feels unappreciated by Albert, who persuades her to "Put on a Happy Face". Albert's mother Mae shows up, distressed to find the pair together; Harry is also agitated about Conrad's monopoly of his house and Kim's behavioral changes. Both lament the problems with "Kids" today.

During rehearsal for the broadcast, an impatient Conrad kisses Kim (who swoons). Hugo is hurt and Kim and Hugo break up, with all three asserting that they have "A Lot of Livin' to Do". Informed the Russian Ballet has switched to a different dance requiring extra time, therefore eliminating Conrad's song and farewell kiss to Kim, Albert unsuccessfully attempts to convince the Ballet's manager to shorten its performance, and he dejectedly decides to drown his sorrows at Maude's Madcap Café.

Surprisingly, he finds Mae there, playing canasta with the café's owner Mr. Maude, also a widower. Rosie, fed up with Albert and his mother, also goes to the café for "a night to remember". After ordering three drinks (but only gulping down one), Rosie goes into another room where the Shriners convention is taking place. She starts dancing and flirting with the men ("Sultans' Ballet"), but when the scene becomes too wild, Albert rescues her from the crazed Shriners.

The next day, Rosie formulates how to get back Conrad's spot on The Ed Sullivan Show that evening. She slips one of Albert's pills into the orchestra conductor's milk, which speeds up the ballet, amusing the audience, offending the Russians and placing Conrad back on the show to sing "One Last Kiss". However, just as Conrad is about to kiss Kim, Hugo runs onstage and punches him out on the live telecast, which shocks Albert and Rosie.

Kim and Hugo reunite. Albert is free to marry now ("Rosie") and his mother agrees, revealing her own marriage to Mr. Maude. All three couples live happily ever after. Kim, now wiser, bids Conrad a fond goodbye in "Bye Bye Birdie (Reprise)".

Cast

Uncredited roles

Musical numbers

  1. "Bye Bye Birdie" – Kim
  2. "The Telephone Hour" – Ursula and Sweet Apple Kids
  3. "How Lovely to Be a Woman" – Kim
  4. "We Love/Hate You Conrad" - Kim, Ursula, Hugo and Sweet Apple Kids
  5. "Honestly Sincere" – Conrad
  6. "Hymn for a Sunday Evening" – Harry, Doris, Kim and Randolph
  7. "One Boy" – Kim, Hugo and Rosie
  8. "Put on a Happy Face" – Albert and Rosie
  9. "Kids" – Harry, Mae, Albert and Randolph
  10. "One Last Kiss (Gym Rehearsal)" – Conrad
  11. "A Lot of Livin' to Do" – Conrad, Kim, Hugo and Sweet Apple Kids
  12. "Shriner's Ballet" – Rosie (non-vocal dance number)
  13. "One Last Kiss" – Conrad
  14. "Rosie" – Albert, Rosie, Kim and Hugo
  15. "Bye Bye Birdie (Reprise)" – Kim

Differences from stage musical

Several significant changes were made in the plot and character relationships in the film from the stage version. The film was rewritten to showcase the talents of rising star Ann-Margret, adding the title song for her and dropping songs by certain other characters.

  • The name of the character Rosie Alvarez was changed to Rosie DeLeon. In both versions the character is a positive portrayal of a Latina; however, the song "Spanish Rose", originally performed in the stage musical by Chita Rivera in a comic, exaggerated Hispanic style to irritate Albert's mother, who is portrayed in the film as annoying and insensitive, but not racist, was dropped for this film.
  • In the film, Albert is not Birdie's agent nor an aspiring English teacher but a talented research chemist. He contributed to Birdie's initial success, and therefore Birdie "owes" him a favor. Albert has not written "One Last Kiss" when Rosie pitches the idea to Sullivan.
  • In the film, Lou, of "Almaelou", is Mae's deceased husband. In the musical, he was Al and Mae's dog.
  • The film version of "A Lot Of Livin' To Do" features Pearson, Ann-Margret and Rydell in a colorful song-and-dance number staged to show Kim and Hugo trying to make each other jealous.
  • The songs “An English Teacher”, "Baby, Talk to Me", "What Did I Ever See in Him", and "Normal American Boy" were omitted from the film, as was the "100 Ways to Kill a Man" ballet.
  • The plot structure is altered so The Ed Sullivan Show broadcast is at the end of the movie; in the stage musical, it is at the closing of the first act.
  • The film version ends on a brighter note.
    • Hugo prevents the "last kiss" by running out on stage and knocking Birdie out with a single punch on live television. In doing so, he wins Kim's heart, and the young couple is reunited.
    • There is no arrest of Conrad for statutory rape, forcing him to flee in disguise. Albert's mother shows up with a man (Mr. Maude) in tow, informs Albert and Rosie that she has married him, and gives Albert and Rosie her blessing for their long-postponed wedding.
    • In the Broadway musical, Albert's mother is portrayed as a recalcitrant racist and abandoned by her son. Albert and Mr. McAfee agree to become partners selling Albert's chemical formulas.
    • The film then ends with Ann-Margret singing a slightly revised version of the title song: "Bye Bye Birdie, the Army's got you now...."

Production

According to Ann-Margret, she was cast when director George Sidney saw her dancing while on a date at the Sands Casino on New Year's Eve 1961.[5]

Sidney was so smitten with the rising new star that Janet Leigh was "very upset that all the close-ups were going to Ann-Margret", as Leigh herself was the lead star of the film.[8]

Sidney says originally he was only going to produce and Gower Champion would direct, but Champion told Sidney he could not see it as a film, so Sidney stepped in. "That was a great deal of fun," said Sidney. "It was a young people's picture, with a lot of bright, gay noisy cast members yelling and screaming."[9]

Ann Margret was paid $3,500 a week and earned $85,000 in all.[10]

Reception

As of July 2019, Bye Bye Birdie holds a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 89% based on 28 reviews. The consensus states: "A poppy satire on pop music, Bye Bye Birdie is silly, light, and very, very pink."[11]

Box office performance

Bye Bye Birdie grossed $233,825 in its opening week at Radio City Music Hall in New York, a house record.[12] It was the 13th highest-grossing film of 1963, grossing $13.1 million domestically,[1] earning $6 million in rentals in the United States and Canada.[13]

The film was given a Royal Charity Premiere when released in the U.K. on 7 November 1963, at the Odeon Marble Arch in the presence of H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh.

Accolades

Award Category Nominee(s) Result
Academy Awards[14] Best Scoring of Music – Adaptation or Treatment Johnny Green Nominated
Best Sound Charles Rice Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[15] Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Ann-Margret Nominated
Laurel Awards Top Comedy 4th Place
Top Musical Nominated
Top Female Comedy Performance Ann-Margret Nominated
  • In 1964, The Carefrees made a novelty record with a song called "We Love You Beatles" based on the song "We Love You Conrad" from Bye Bye Birdie. Released on the London International label #10614, the song peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. At the base of the Plaza Hotel in New York City, where the Beatles were staying for their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, scores of Beatles fans sang the song out so their voices would reach the band in their rooms up above.
  • In an episode of the television series Mad Men (Season 3, Episode 2), the opening sequence of Bye Bye Birdie is shown (twice), and later Peggy Olson sings the tune to herself in front of a mirror in an attempt to emulate Ann-Margret's appeal as somebody who can "be 25 and act 14", although Ann-Margret was, in fact, 21 at the time of filming, playing 16. Later, in Episode 4, Salvatore Romano directs a knock-off parody of the sequence for a commercial for Pepsi's new diet drink, Patio.[16]
  • "One Last Kiss" was featured on an actual episode of The Ed Sullivan Show from January 1967, featuring Gary Lewis & the Playboys. It was one of Lewis' last performances before going into the U.S. Army, so Sullivan chose a girl from the audience to come up to the stage. Lewis sang "One Last Kiss" to her and received that "one last kiss".
  • In Bye Bye Boyfriend, a Two of a Kind book, the White Oak Academy puts on a school play based on Bye Bye Birdie. Ed Sullivan is mentioned many times, and Mary-Kate wins the part of Kim, even though she auditioned for Rosie. In the book, the characters and the soundtrack of the movie, as well as some of its songs, are mentioned.
  • In "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken", an episode of the TV series The Simpsons, the kids, adults and seniors of Springfield perform a musical parody of the song "Kids" from Bye Bye Birdie.[17]
  • In the popular television series Friends (Season 1, Episode 18), during a charade-like game Monica draws a pictorial representation of the film Bye Bye Birdie for the remainder of the group to identify; however, nobody can.
  • The 1995 Oasis album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? derives its title from a line in the song "The Telephone Hour", with the album's title being referenced in the band's single "Morning Glory".
  • The animated show Home Movies references this play (along with Grease) in the episode "Bye Bye Greasy" in which the characters put on a play with similar themes.
  • Family Guy references two of the show's signature songs: "The Telephone Hour" (in reference to Peter being diagnosed as retarded in the Season 4 episode "Petarded") and "Honestly Sincere" (performed by Seth MacFarlane, voicing President Barack Obama in the Season 9 episode "New Kidney in Town").
  • Sonic Boom, a television series, parodied the song "The Telephone Hour" in the Season 2 episode "Mister Eggman". The parody song consisted of Sonic the Hedgehog and friends spreading the word that Doctor Eggman never truly earned his doctorate. The song also made reference to the fact that it itself was a parody, breaking the fourth wall.
  • "Kids" was the musical number at the end of "The Punch and Judy Affair" (Season 7, episode 8 of Are You Being Served?).

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Box Office Information for Bye Bye Birdie Archived 2013-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, the-numbers.com; retrieved September 5, 2013.
  2. ^ Conway Twitty website biography Archived 2007-06-30 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ AMC Filmsite - 50 Best High School Movies Archived 2008-12-29 at the Wayback Machine, filmsite.org; accessed October 18, 2016.
  4. ^ Conklin, John E. (2008). Campus Life in the Movies: A Critical Survey from the Silent Era to the Present. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 102. ISBN 9780786452354. Archived from the original on 2017-03-28.
  5. ^ a b King, Susan (2011-04-25). "Hello, 'Birdie'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2013-05-30. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  6. ^ "Pete Menefee". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  7. ^ "Let's Talk – Pete Menefe – FitNice with Judy Kessinger". Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  8. ^ Reynolds, Debbie (2013). Unsinkable: A Memoir. HarperCollins. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-06-221365-5.
  9. ^ Davis, Ronald L. (2005). Just making movies. University Press of Mississippi. p. 79.
  10. ^ Meet Ann-Margret: Hard Work, Ambition Propel a Young Actress To the Top in Hollywood By DAVID H. KELSEY Wall Street Journal 7 Apr 1964: 1.
  11. ^ "Bye Bye Birdie". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  12. ^ "Alltime Music Hall, N.Y. Records". Variety. April 24, 1963. p. 4.
  13. ^ "All-Time Top Grossers". Variety. 8 January 1964. p. 69.
  14. ^ "The 36th Academy Awards (1964) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on 2017-11-02. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
  15. ^ "Bye Bye Birdie – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Birdie's the Word: Mad Men's Pop Culture References". The Millions. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
  17. ^ Doyle, Larry (2007). The Simpsons: The Complete Tenth Season; DVD commentary for the episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

Further reading

  • Monder, Eric (1994). George Sidney:a Bio-Bibliography. Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313284571.
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