Bye Bye Birdie

Young Anne Margaret is amazing. Janet Leigh, best known for “Psycho’s” shocking shower scene, shows suburb talent and beauty. She has a nice song and dance number with Dick Van Dyke and terrific one on her own when her character is trying to get attention from her momma’s-boy boyfriend. The film is a picture of small-town America in the early sixties that evokes nostalgia.

Bye Bye Birdie is not Rodgers and Hammerstein, but it is a real blast from the past. Elvis Presley's real-life draft into the Army was a sensation in America and Bye Bye Birdie as a Broadway musical about the hero of teen music came quickly after this popular culture catastrophe. Teen-age girls were devastated. Not all of the music has survived the passage of time well, but there are enough memorable pop tunes to make the film enjoyable. Indeed, I had forgotten some of the standards that made the movie version of the musical film more tuneful. The best parts of the film may be the supporting cast. Janet Leigh's performance is noteworthy. So, too, is the comic timing of Maureen Stapleton. Dick Van Dyke's singing and comic gifts are sadly not up to par. Ann-Margret is great as the girl selected from millions of teen-age girl fans to receive Birdie's "One Last Kiss." For older viewers, the presence of Ed Sullivan and his top-rated Sunday night TV hour is a reminder of a simpler time. Some of the visual humor will be strictly tied to the past. The leading Russian (USSR) character imitates the once-famous outburst from the Soviet Premier who famously pounded his shoe from his desk during a meeting of the United Nations. The choreography is excellent. The movie has not survived as well as other high school musicals such as Grease, but there is plenty to like in this DVD. This is a musical that would have been more appealing in full-screen viewing as opposed to its wide-angle presentation. Overall, the comedy, color, dancing, and singing make this a fun choice to enjoy for multiple viewings.

I actually played "Kim" in my middle schools rendition of Bye Bye birdie, and since then, this has been my absolute favorite musical of all time - I'm sure this is partly due to my great memories of being in this play, but regardless of that, the songs are great and I love the story line. Bye Bye Birdie is about an Elvis-type guy who has just got word that he's being drafted into the army. Because of his popularity as a singer, they decide to run a contest where 1 lucky girl will be chosen to have "one last kiss" with him. Kim wins the contest, and will be given her kiss live on the Ed Sulliven Show (a show that was really popular in the 1950's). Much of the story surrounds the excitement about Kim winning the contest & the fact that her father and boyfriend don't want the kiss to happen. Will they be able to stop it? Then there's "Albert" played by Dick Van Dyke - an on & off again songwriter, and his girlfriend "Rosie" who wants nothing more than for Albert to propose to her. Unfortunately, Albert is such a "mommas boy" that he can't seem to make any decisions for himself, and his mother is not about to suggest that he get married and leave her all alone! Will he ever step up and pop the question? Overall, I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys musicals. It will remind you of a much simpler time - with the music and outfits in classic 1950's style. A great movie for "family night"!

First of all, this is VASTLY SUPERIOR to the *TOTAL DUD* of a 1995 TV film adaptation, but I think fans of the original stage show (which I would consider myself one of) have the Original Broadway Cast album to listen to and cherish. It's sad that Chita Rivera was robbed of the chance to recreate YET ANOTHER of her iconic roles onscreen, after not being able to play Anita just 2 years earlier as well, but I think she has come to terms with the fact that her legacy will always be that of a STAGE STAR, and I admire her for not being bitter about anything! Janet Leigh trying to play a Latina is definitely WRONG, even if it doesn't come anywhere close to the territory of Mickey Rooney in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', but the BIGGEST problem for me is that her dance with the Shriners is TOTALLY ANTI-CLIMACTIC after the "A Lot of Living to Do" sequence where Ann-Margaret and everyone else blew everybody's socks off. The end of "One Boy" where Janet Leigh and Ann-Margaret sing in counterpoint is VERY VERY POIGNANT AND EFFECTIVE however, and it's that one brief sequence that allows me to go easier on Leigh than some fans most justifiably might. And of course, this is ultimately ANN-MARGARET'S film. Even the great Dick Van Dyke only plays second fiddle AT BEST to the sheer brilliance of Ann-Margaret onscreen. She somehow manages to convince us that she IS just a rebellious vixen of a teenager after all, as opposed to the sexually mature young woman she was in real life! The supporting cast is all BRILLIANT of course, and even though Ann-Margaret was the apple of the director's eye, he still more than ensures that this is an *ENSEMBLE PIECE* where LITERALLY EVERYONE gets a chance to dazzle and shine, while retaining their own unique personae and styles as actors and/or singers and dancers!!!!!! I have seen this film twice on the big screen at the TCM Film Festival in Hollywood, CA where I live, and I hope I get to watch this on the big screen many many many many more times in the decades to come!! I can't believe how underrated the film is nowadays. To me, it's ALMOST like the early 60s equivalent of "Singin' in the Rain" when considered in its own right, without comparing it too much with the original Broadway production, and I think it's *OHHHHHHH* SO MUCH BETTER at the end of the day than "The Music Man" which was released the previous year (a mostly solid transfer from stage to screen, but Shirley Jones simply could not do with Marion Paroo what Ann-Margaret does with Kim, and of course THIS director here is a cinematic maestro who provides a unique screen experience that is simultaneously so emblematic and representative of the 1960s while also transcending time........EXCEPT for the casting of Janet Leigh as Rosie which is TOTALLY EGREGIOUS from our 21st century perspective). When you consider some of the Hollywood musicals that seemed to TOTALLY lose their way while trying to make changes from stage to screen from this time period - like "Camelot" in the late 60s, or "South Pacific" in the late 50s (both of which FAILED to convey why the musicals were such hits on Broadway) - this film COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY CONVEYS the sheer joy and exuberance and effervescence and magic of the original stage version, while ALSO making some pretty major changes that make the movie its own beast. That is a feat which very very few movie musicals have ever managed to do!!!!! P. S - The whole "sci-fi" subplot with the chemistry miracle and the Russian ballet might seem childishly ridiculous and worthy of Laurence Olivier's (in)famous eye-roll from 'Spartacus', but when taken in context of the ZANY 1960s, and the fact that the director ultimately set out to present a delectable "confection" of a film versus say the film version of 'West Side Story', it's much easier to digest and even enjoy!! And despite all this, it became abundantly clear to me upon my second viewing of the film that the HEART of the story is still COMPLETELY TRUE, AUTHENTIC AND TIMELESS......that is, the relationship/connection between Kim and Hugo (with the adult couples as foils and/or cautionary tales for the younger couple). And as splashy and unforgettable as the title song is, as performed by AM, I think the song ONE BOY is still the *DEFINING* number and the HEARTBEAT of the story. I think Ann-Margaret understood that perfectly, which is why we believe she is very innocent and pure at the end of the day, no matter HOW she moves her body when she dances, or no matter how sly some of her facial expressions might be. She represents the quintessential modern maiden in a FLATTERING light. :) One of the most underrated movie musicals of the time period!

Collection of musical movies

Crisp cinematography. Okay storyline but very good musical

Great movie even if the Broadway Show is more fun than this movie. Great for kids and adults but the silliness makes it very kid friendly. (My 7/8 grade music students loved it.) Fantastic music including the title song (which was never in the Broadway Show), Put On a Happy Face, Kids, The Telephone Song, I've Got a Lot of Living To Do. etc.

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A GREAT MOVIE, WE LOVE DICK VAN DYKE, ANN MARGARET @ ALL THE STARS, I GIVE THIS A MOVIE, A 30 RATING

Gotta love the cast. Schlocky maybe, but great for kids to watch.

older movie but worth the watch, provided you like musicals.

It is a good look at what we as teenagers used to find entertaining. It had laughs.