Themes: Small-Town Life, Musician's Life, Mothers and Daughters
Main Cast: Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Maureen Stapleton, Bobby Rydell, Paul Lynde
Release Year: 1963
Country: US
Run Time: 112 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Plot
George Sidney's adaptation of the satiric Broadway musical smash by Michael Stewart, Charles Strouse, and Lee Adams -- about an Elvis Presley-inspired rock star, who is drafted into the army and who creates a near-riot in a small Midwestern town when he stops there for one last publicity junket -- takes good-natured swipes at popular culture, rock n' roll, and American family life. Dick van Dyke re-creates his Broadway role of Albert Peterson, a down-on-his-luck songwriter for the rock-n'-roll idol Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson). When Birdie is drafted into the army, Peterson is worried about his future as a songwriter. His secretary, Rosie (Janet Leigh in a brunette wig), with whom Albert has long been romantically attached, convinces Albert to write a farewell song for Birdie that he will sing on The Ed Sullivan Show to a specially selected fan. The lucky fan turns out to be Kim McAfee (Ann-Margaret) of Sweet Apple, Ohio. When Birdie arrives in this hick town, the population goes crazy and in the ensuing madness, Albert must deal with the celebrity-fawning population, Kim's manic father (Paul Lynde, also re-creating his Broadway role), and his own domineering mother (Maureen Stapleton), while he loses Rosie to the Shriners. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
On-stage, Bye Bye Birdie played like a champion. Though it was hardly a great musical, it was deceivingly well crafted. Unfortunately, the changes wrought by screenwriter Irving Brecher and director George Sidney damage the piece's structure and ultimately make the film entertaining but little more. Greater emphasis is placed on the secondary characters played by Ann-Margret and Bobby Rydell, the Spanish ethnicity of Janet Leigh's Rosie (vital to the conflict between her and Maureen Stapleton's character) is essentially eliminated, and two ridiculous and pointless subplots -- one involving a drug that speeds up metabolism and one about the Moscow Ballet's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show -- are added to no positive effect. Director Sidney takes an overly cartoonish approach (exemplified by silly animated chalk drawings during "Put on a Happy Face") that takes the reality out of the movie. Fortunately, the cast and the score make up for a lot of the flaws. Ann-Margret is a wonderful mixture of kittenish innocence and sensuality, and Dick van Dyke is engaging and amiable. Janet Leigh is merely adequate, but Paul Lynde and Maureen Stapleton are quite amusing. Onna White's choreography is lively, and such numbers as "The Telephone Hour" and "A Lot of Livin' to Do" sparkle. The 1995 TV remake was more faithful to the source material, although it has its own shortcomings. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Jesse Pearson - Conrad Birdie; Ed Sullivan - Himself; Mary Laroche - Mrs. McAfee; Michael Evans - Claude Paisley; Robert Paige - Bob Precht; Gregory Morton - Borov; Bryan Russell - Randolph; Milton Frome - Mr. Maude; Ben A. Astar - Ballet Manager; Trudi Ames - Ursula; Cyril Delevanti - Mr. Nebbitt; Frank Albertson - Mayor; Frank Sully - Bartender; Bo Peep Karlin - Ursula's Mother; Kim Darby; Linda Kaye Henning - Uncredited
Credit
Onna White - Choreography, Pat Barto - Costume Designer, George Sidney - Director, Charles Nelson - Editor, Johnny Green - Composer (Music Score), Joseph Biroc - Cinematographer, Fred Kohlmar - Producer, Charles Rice - Sound/Sound Designer, Marvin Willens - Stunts, Irving Brecher - Screenwriter, Michael Stewart - Book Author, Charles Strouse - From Musical by, Lee Adams - From Musical by, Michael Stewart - From Musical by
