Bye Bye Birdie (film)

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This article is about the film. For the musical, see Bye Bye Birdie.
Bye Bye Birdie

original film poster
Directed by George Sidney
Written by Michael Stewart
Irving Beacher
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Janet Leigh
Ann-Margret
Music by Charles Strouse
Lee Adams

The musical Bye Bye Birdie was first adapted to film in 1963. The screenplay was written by Michael Stewart and Irving Beacher, with music by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams. It was directed by George Sidney and starred Dick Van Dyke as Albert Peterson, Maureen Stapleton as Mama Mae Peterson, Janet Leigh as Rosie, Paul Lynde as Mr. MacAfee, Bobby Rydell as Hugo Peabody, and Ann-Margret as Kim MacAfee. Jesse Pearson played the role of teen idol Conrad Birdie. Ed Sullivan makes a substantial guest appearance. The film is credited with making Ann-Margret a superstar during the mid-1960s, leading to her appearing with the real Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas. The film's soundtrack was released by RCA Records in 1964.

The film ranked number 38 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies.[1] Despite the film's box office success upon release, some critics claimed it made average use of the talents of Van Dyke and Leigh[citation needed]. While some reviewers praised the movie as a classic example of 1960s camp[citation needed], others noted its mediocre production values, rewriting of the script, changes in the musical score, and disappointing choreography in some songs [2].

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

[edit] Plot

The movie begins with Ann-Margret singing the title song written especially for the movie, "Bye Bye Birdie". Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson), a popular rock & roll star (similar to Elvis Presley) is drafted, devastating his teenage fans across the nation. Albert Peterson (Dick Van Dyke), a friend of Birdie's who is studying to be a chemist, is struggling as a songwriter to please his overbearing mother (Maureen Stapleton). He schemes with his secretary and long-suffering girlfriend Rosie (Janet Leigh) to have Birdie sing a song Albert will write called "One Last Kiss" on The Ed Sullivan Show, and then kiss a randomly-chosen high school girl goodbye before going off to the Army. This will make big money for Albert, who can marry his secretary/girlfriend Rosie. Albert's meddlesome mother will do anything to separate her son from Rosie. Sweet Apple, Ohio, is chosen as the location for Birdie's farewell performance because the Russian Ballet, which is scheduled to be the other guest on Sullivan's show, happens to be in town on its goodwill tour of America.

The random local girl chosen is Kim MacAfee (Ann-Margret), but Kim already has a high school sweetheart, Hugo Peabody (Bobby Rydell). The teenagers of Sweet Apple, blissfully unaware of their town's impending fame, are spending the "Telephone Hour" catching up on the latest gossip: Kim and Hugo just got pinned! Kim feels grown up, and declares "How Lovely to be a Woman". When Birdie arrives, the teenage girls tell him, "We Love You Conrad", but the boys despise him ("We Hate You Conrad!"). Sweet Apple becomes a very popular small town, and some of the locals are unhappy with the sudden celebrity, especially after Conrad shows off his hip-thrusting dancing as he performs "Honestly Sincere". Albert is able to calm the town down. He befriends Mr. McAfee (Paul Lynde), who owns a fertilizer business, showing him one of his chemical inventions: a speed pill. Albert demonstrates the pill's effect by giving one to Randolph McAfee's (Bryan Russell) turtle.

Though Mr. McAfee is hesitant to allow his daughter to kiss Conrad on television, Albert placates him by telling him that their whole family's going to be on the Ed Sullivan Show. The MacAfees join in singing "Hymn for a Sunday Evening", chorusing the praises of their favorite host. Rosie feels like Albert doesn't appreciate her, so Albert persuades her to "Put on a Happy Face". Hugo feels threatened by Conrad; after all, Conrad's going to kiss his girl! Kim assures Hugo he's the "One Boy" for her. Albert's mother shows up, distressed to find Albert and Rosie together, and Mr. MacAfee doesn't like the way Conrad is taking over his house; they lament how "Kids" just aren't like they were. During rehearsal for the broadcast, Conrad kisses Kim, and she faints. Hugo is wounded, and he and Kim break up.

That night, Conrad and the teenagers have a "A Lot of Livin' To Do" as they party, and Kim and Hugo flirt with everyone else, trying to make each other jealous. Rosie, fed up with Albert and his mother, seduces a room full of shriners in "Sultans' Ballet". Albert rescues her from the crazed shriners. The day of the broadcast comes, and the speed pill comes in handy when the Russian ballet's performance goes on too long on Sullivan's show. Rosie saves the day and slips one to the troupe's maestro (Gregory Morton). This gives Conrad time to sing "One Last Kiss". Hugo interrupts the planned kiss by running onstage and knocking Birdie out "live" on the Ed Sullivan Show. This impresses Kim, and all the couples (Kim and Hugo, Rosie and Albert, and momma Mae and her new beau) find happiness ("Rosie"). Kim, now wiser, bids Birdie goodbye in "Bye Bye Birdie" (reprise).

[edit] Differences from the musical

Several significant changes were made in the plot and character relationships in the film from the stage version. 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. The film version of "A Lot Of Livin' To Do" features Pearson, Ann-Margret and Rydell in a colorful song-and-dance number that is staged to suggest that Kim and Hugo are trying to make each other jealous, but there is no suggestion during the number or after it that any under-age drinking or sexual activity is going on.

The plot structure is altered so the Ed Sullivan Show broadcast is at the end of the movie; in the musical, it's the first act closer. The film version also ends on a brighter note. Hugo prevents the "last kiss" by running out on stage, knocking Birdie out with a single punch on The Ed Sullivan Show. In doing so, he wins Kim's heart, and the young couple is reunited. There is no suggestion that Conrad got tired of show business, or that he suffered anything other than the embarrassment of being knocked out before an audience of millions of viewers. Albert's mother shows up with a man in tow, informs Albert and Rosie that she has married him, and gives Albert and Rosie her blessing for their long-postponed wedding. 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...." Neither Van Dyke nor Lynde cared for the changes in the movie from the stage version[citation needed].

[edit] Roles and cast

[edit] Soundtrack

  • 1. Bye Bye Birdie - Ann-Margret
  • 2. Opening Credits - Columbia Studio Orchestra, Johnny Green
  • 3. Telephone Hour
  • 4. How Lovely to Be a Woman - Ann-Margret
  • 5. We Love You Conrad [Film Version][#][*]
  • 6. Honestly Sincere - Jesse Pearson
  • 7. Hymn for a Sunday Evening - Ann-Margret, Mary La Roche, Paul Lynde, Bryan Russell
  • 8. One Boy - Ann-Margret, Janet Leigh, Bobby Rydell
  • 9. Put On a Happy Face - Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke
  • 10. Kids - Paul Lynde, Bryan Russell, Maureen Stapleton, Dick Van Dyke
  • 11. One Last Kiss [Gym Rehearsal Outtake][#][*] - Jesse Pearson
  • 12. Lot of Livin' to Do - Ann-Margret, Jesse Pearson, Bobby Rydell
  • 13. Sultans' Ballet [Film Version][#][*] - Columbia Studio Orchestra, Johnny Green
  • 14. One Last Kiss - Jesse Pearson
  • 15. Rosie - Ann-Margret, Janet Leigh, Bobby Rydell, Dick Van Dyke
  • 16. Bye Bye Birdie (Reprise) - Ann-Margret, Janet Leigh, Bobby Rydell, Dick Van Dyke

[edit] External links