The part of Horace Vandergelder, a “half-millionaire” widower known for his grumpiness, seemed perfect for Matthau, who is perhaps most famous today for playing the sarcastic slob Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple. May 11, 2014. The level of detail in the film was not lost on the antique locomotive and passenger cars. A short video of behind-the-scenes footage on the set of of Hello, Dolly! insisted that Matthau was to blame for the difficulty. It’s the locations Craig is drawn to, so much so that, on occasion, he has even been accused of overlooking plot failures and weak directing, having been so engrossed in the set design and location. The screenwriter, Ernest Lehman, said Streisand and Kelly were not “meant to communicate on this Earth.” It seems that choreographer Michael Kidd had problems with not only Gene Kelly but the film’s costume designer and wouldn’t communicate with the latter. AGATHA CHRISTIE’S AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, DAME MARGARET RUTHERFORD AS THE INCOMPARABLE MISS MARPLE, REVISITING A CHRISTMAS CLASSIC: IT HAPPENED ON 5TH AVENUE (1947), REVISITING THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN (1966). Hello, Dolly! The feuding between Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau during the filming is well known and documented. The film hadn’t quite come out yet, but buzz was strong, and the producers of Hello, Dolly! : “The intrigues, the bitterness, the backbiting, the deceits, the misery, the gloom. based on the musical play. Hello, Dolly! But when it came to Hello, Dolly!, everyone was in agreement about the title role. Hello, Dolly! And frankly, Walter Matthau gave a better performance here than Oscar "winner" John Wayne phoning it in as usual. And that was not all. In doing so she convinces his niece (Joyce Ames), his niece’s fiancé (Tommy Tune), and Horace’s two clerks (Michael Crawford and Danny Lockin) to travel with her to New York City as she manipulates Vandergelder to her will. Julie Andrews reportedly turned it down. May 11, 2014. They were restored to full working order specifically for the film and retrofitted to resemble a New York Central & Hudson River train to add a further level of authenticity. In 1965 20th Century Fox Studios successfully negotiated and secured the rights to film Hello, Dolly! Be it the long dark shadows of mysteries and haunted house films, to classics of the 40’s and 50’s set in big old houses, grand Italian plazas, or remote villages. [/italic] is a masterpiece on screen. “New York City” scenes were filmed on the studio lot in Los Angeles. Louis Armstrong recorded the … The incredible costs of the thing has also become an object lesson for movie producers who are not operating in the days of the studio system and actually have to pay the talent involved what they're worth. It’s Louis Armstrong singing the title song, “Hello, Dolly!” When it was released as a single, the song became a massive hit, reaching number one on the U.S. To direct the film, Fox hired Gene Kelly, the singer-dancer legend who had transitioned into directing and had a success with A Guide for the Married Man in 1967, starring Walter Matthau. decided Streisand would be perfect for the lead role, despite the fact that Dolly Levi was supposed to be a glamorous middle-aged widow, and Streisand was 26 years old, fresh from Brooklyn. No one could have foreseen the pain that awaited. Ultimately Hello, Dolly! Julie Andrews was rejected in favor of Audrey Hepburn for My Fair Lady but Andrews kept the lead role in Sound of Music, for example. Matthau also said, “The trouble with Barbra is that she became a star long before she became an actress. Twentieth-Century Fox had announced its purchase of the rights to film the musical on March 9, 1965, with David Merrick, the producer of the stage musical, to receive $2 million dollars and 25 percent of the film gross. All rights reserved. Like a stomach virus aboard a cruise liner, the strife kept spreading on the set of Hello, Dolly! This number, which extends for some 12 minutes, milks the extensive set for all it is worth. She went from triumph to triumph. Filming wrapped in July 1968 with the musical still going strong on stage and showing no signs of slowing down. After dancers tripped over it t0o, the train was removed. Voila! Which is a pity, because if she learned her trade properly, she might become a competent actress instead of a freak attraction–like a boa constrictor.”, Autographed publicity photo of Barbra Streisand in film “Hello, Dolly!”. Accuracy: A team of editors takes feedback from our visitors to keep trivia as up to date and as accurate as possible. This building, constructed in 1918, was designed to be a miniature version of New York City’s Grand Central Station. produced on the New York stage by Patricia Newcomb ... public relations Rutanya Alda ... stand-in: photo double: Barbra Streisand (uncredited) Randee Lynne Jensen ... production assistant (uncredited) J. David Jones ... helicopter pilot (uncredited) Mercifully, the shooting finished, and the producers were desperate to get their movie, which had gone significantly over budget, into the theaters and start making money. Musically, it was a decade that saw the British invasion, with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and the arrival of the singer-songwriter in artists such as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. In 1969, 20th Century Fox paid a reported $1 to $2 million early release fee to satisfy the clause in the contract and the studio was finally able to distribute the movie in December 1969. The show album Hello, Dolly! The plot of "Hello, Dolly" is also similar to "A Trip to Chinatown," an 1891 3-act musical comedy by Charles Hale Hoyt, with music by Percy Gaunt and lyrics by Hoyt. That play was revised as "A Winsome Widow," a 1912 musical produced by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. , featuring music by Raymond Hubbell . (1969). Improvements to the town included the addition of a gazebo in Waterfront Park, a temporary barbershop façade and the conversion of a Bed and Breakfast (called the Golden Eagle Inn) into Horace Vandergelder’s Feed and Grain Store. Many feel the highlight of Hello, Dolly! Needless to say, to use the real NYC for any exterior sets would have been a challenge–the city was a crime-ridden, garbage-piled, urban nightmare headed for near-bankruptcy. . Related story from us: The real “Sound of Music”: Moody Maria married a man 25 years her senior, the family lost their wealth before WWII, and she sold her autobiography to Hollywood for $9,000. Peaker, and Danny Lockin. It’s quite amazing what people go through to make something entertaining for others.”. Hello, Dolly is a big, lavish production, perhaps too big and lavish for its own good. What new Disney+ movies and series will be available in April 2021? Copyright © 2021 by ThemeREX. premiered on Broadway, just the right age for the part. (1969) is on Netflix, and get news and updates, on Decider. In December 1963, at the behest of his manager, Louis Armstrong made a demonstration recording of "Hello, Dolly!" . Once filming began, it didn’t take long for Walter Matthau and Barbra Streisand, who were separated in age by 22 years, to start arguing. title in 1964, and was still running on Broadway. So, when a film version of the Broadway musical Hello Dolly! The stage version was still going strong on Broadway–a new all-black-cast version starring Pearl Bailey was a big hit. These were used during the opening credits where we see the passenger train en route along the Hudson River, theoretically delivering Dolly to Yonkers. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube … * Gene Kelly directed the film of Dolly!, which was one of the top-grossing films of 1969-70, but was so expensive to make that it lost a reported $10 million. Streisand was known for requesting retakes on Funny Girl, and when she started doing it on Hello, Dolly!, Matthau, who had just won an Oscar for The Fortune Cookie, was annoyed and then outraged. [italic]Hello, Dolly! Wrote Ephron: “People who worked on Hello, Dolly! The historic building retains its 1918 architectural style and was deemed ideal for the use in the movie of its ticket windows and track side platforms to introduce Dolly and her trade in the musical number “Just Leave Everything to Me”. The grounds of West Point military academy were also used. (1969) » ShotOnWhat? But this is when David Merrick’s stipulation came back to haunt them. But when it came to Hello, Dolly!, everyone was in agreement about the title role. It was a major hit and ultimately garnered 10 Tony Awards. Hello Dolly! To read my article on the sets for Cleopatra (1963) please click here. Audience Reviews for Hello, Dolly! Big-spending Twentieth Century Fox reportedly funneled $2 million into re-creating historic Fifth Avenue in L.A. These awards set a record which the play held for 37 years. Billboard charts and ending a Beatles’ streak of three number-one hits in a row. These 1960s musicals were beloved by both audiences and award shows–they made a ton of money and racked up a whole lot of Oscars. for the big screen, however the agreement included a clause insisted upon by Broadway producer David Merrick, fearing the film would detract from his ticket sales. Directed by Gene Kelly. Hello Dolly (1969) Blu-ray released this April, is often referred to as the "last great Hollywood musical", certainly it marked the end of an era of big budget musicals. In this superb Blu-ray rendition of the film every detail is crystal clear. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of Hello Dolly!. Career. Streisand didn’t get along with director Gene Kelly either, and they argued throughout filming. With Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Marianne McAndrew. ‘Do I need an ulcer?’ Zanuck listened politely until Matthau finished whining. A gold-beaded gown Streisand wore in one scene weighed 40 pounds, cost $8,000, and had a long train. Radko loved every minute. Quizzes Directed by Gene Kelly. . The Matchmaker was filmed in 1958 and starred Shirley Booth, Anthony Perkins, Shirley MacLaine, Paul Ford, and Robert Morse. A scene from Hello Dolly, one of my favorite movies. But what you may not realize is that the 1960s was also the heyday of Broadway musicals being adapted for the big screen, and in magnificently big-budget fashion. Streisand rarely talked about the film in later interviews, besides the fact that she shouldn’t have taken the part because she was just “too young.”. Gene Kelly never directed another Broadway musical adaptation, returning to acting, though he made unfortunate choices in Xanadu and Viva Knievel!, co-starring Evel Knievel. For the elaborate church scene, the façade of an idyllic turn-of-the-century colonial church was constructed on the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The passenger cars provided by the Strasburg Rail Road are pulled by the 1905 built Pennsylvania Railroad 1223 steam locomotive which presently resides in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg. Among the actresses considered for Dolly Levi were Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day, and Shirley MacLaine. ‘Do I need a heart attack?’ asked Matthau. Walter Matthau turned against another of his co-stars, Michael Crawford, who would find fame later as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, over a bet. with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, book by Michael Stewart, with Carol Channing in the title role. has nothing to do with Streisand or Matthau. "Hello Dolly!" Publicity photo of Walter Matthau in Broadway play “Fancy Meeting You Again.” In his career he won two Tony Awards and one Academy Award. The New York street scene used in the opening number alone cost over $2 million in 1968. Hello, Dolly! She not only won a Tony but became a national sensation with her brassy warmth and her “huge eyes and monumental smile.” At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, she sang, “Hello Lyndon” to President Lyndon Johnson. follows the story of Dolly Levi, a strong-minded matchmaker, fixer and jack of all trades (Barbra Streisand), as she travels to Yonkers, New York, to arrange a match for the penny-pinching “unmarried half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder (Walter Matthau). grossed $33.2 million in the North American box office following a strong opening, making it one of the top five highest grossing films of 1969-70. Finally, the Hello Dolly! Carol Channing with David Burns in the stage version of “Hello, Dolly!” (1964). The careers of Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau did not suffer, however. You are wrong. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features © 2021 … premiered on Broadway, just the right age for the part. Her latest clients seeking assistance are the cantankerous The style chosen was based upon an idealized version of a colonial white clapboard structure reminiscent of those built in New England in the nineteenth century, which is fitting for the era. One of Barbra Streisand’s extravagant costumes. The production had won ten Tony Awards as a musical under the Hello, Dolly! Carol Channing, who created the iconic character of Dolly Levi for Hello, Dolly!, was magnificent–and she would have to go. Hello, Dolly! 's disappointing box-office performance temporarily tarnished the promising career of Barbra Streisand.However, while the star is clearly too young for the role, the main problem with the film is that the source material did not transfer well from the stage to the screen. His condition was that the movie could not be released as long as the play was still on Broadway. The showstopper of the movie, of course, is the “Hello, Dolly!” number as the title character enters The Harmonia Gardens Restaurant. The dress and purse from “Hello, Dolly!” at the Debbie Reynolds Auction Breaks Up Historic Hollywood Collection (The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles).Author: Doug Kline CC BY 2.0. But Channing didn’t have a lot of film experience, and there were concerns that her looks–once described by People magazine as “megawattage Kewpie doll”–wouldn’t translate well on the big screen. For the authenticity of the trains used in the movie, locomotives and passenger cars were located in Strasburg Pennsylvania. The original Broadway production of "Hello Dolly!" No less a writer than Nora Ephron, profiling Streisand for Good Housekeeping magazine, reported on the personality clashes, and took Streisand’s side. was first sung by Carol Channing, who starred as Dolly Gallagher Levi in the original 1964 Broadway cast. In movies, he fulfills this passion by gravitating to films where the production infuses the location into the plot as one of the characters. (4:13) Hello, Dolly! Hello, Dolly! What he hopes to accomplish with his writing is to share this passion and encourage others to see for the first time – or revisit – movies where the architecture plays as pivotal a role as a character in the plot. Most unpleasant. Tommy Tune leading costume parade/recreation of "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" based on the stage play "Hello, Dolly!" As everything leading up to this number has been larger than life, so too was the set for the title number of the film. From as far back as Craig can remember he has been passionate about architecture and the atmosphere that can be created through a well-designed building. Nearby Yonkers was not much better. starring Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau opened over the holidays, his family jumped at the chance to go to the movies together. The parade, complete with its blocks long choreographed cast of thousands, marching bands, floats, horses, flag carrying cheerleaders and uniformed armed guards, would have been a directors nightmare, but appears to have been seamlessly executed by director Gene Kelly. finally premiered in December of 1969, with fans of Streisand lining up around the block to see it. Much like the Cleopatra (1963) filming fiasco and its nearly devastating effect on the financial stability of 20th Century Fox Studios, Hello, Dolly! Its almost universally hated for some reason . ‘I’d like to help you out,’ he replied, ‘but the film is not called Hello, Walter.’ ”. E which features clips from "Hello, Dolly!" In de zesde aflevering van ‘The making of Hello, Dolly!’ neemt Paul de Leeuw je mee naar de spannendste voorstelling van de hele tournee: de première! In Hello, Dolly Miss Streisand is playing a role intended for someone far older yet for me, a Streisand sceptic, she pulls it off. The role of Irene Molloy was given considerably more attention in the film than in earlier Broadway productions. . Matthau refused to place a bet on it because of his hatred for Streisand. To ready the town for the shoot, over $500,000 was spent to “beautify” the town. They made a deal with producer David Merrick, who stipulated that the movie could not be released while the play was still running on Broadway. Twice during rehearsals, she tripped over the nearly three-foot-long train. also won the 1964 Tony Award for the Best Musical and Best Score. Produced for a then-astronomical 24 million dollars, Hello, Dolly! The opening train station scenes were filmed at the Poughkeepsie Metro-North station. Not even the costumes cooperated. The songs, the sets, the costumes! While Gene Kelly was a household name for his smiling role in Singin’ in the Rain, he had a few sharp edges. Any film you haven't seen — is a new experience! America fell in love with Barbra Streisand, the self-deprecating, jokes-cracking, talented, vulnerable Fanny Brice who finds love with Nicky Arnstein (Omar Shariff), only to lose him in the end. One of the biggest hits of 1968 was Funny Girl. Revisiting THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004), REVIEW – MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT (****), The Ten Commandments (1923)/(1956) and The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille (2016), Cleopatra (1963): The Sets Behind the Epic. Fifth Avenue in L.A holidays, his family jumped at the St. James Theater on 16... 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Century Fox reportedly funneled $ 2 million into re-creating historic Fifth Avenue in L.A by... `` winner '' John Wayne phoning it in as usual the films ’ corniness, but buzz was strong and! Best Score get along with director Gene Kelly was a major hit and ultimately garnered 10 Tony awards version...
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