Post by Aerie on Jul 11, 2010 0:08:01 GMT -5
Bye Bye Birdie is a 1963 American film adaptation of the stage production of the same name. The screenplay was written by Michael Stewart and Irving Brecher, with music by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams.
Directed by George Sidney, the movie version starred Dick Van Dyke, reprising his Broadway role as Albert Peterson, along with Maureen Stapleton as Mama Mae Peterson, Janet Leigh as Rosie DeLeon, Paul Lynde as Mr. MacAfee, Bobby Rydell as Hugo Peabody, and Ann-Margret as Kim MacAfee.
The story was inspired by the phenomenon of popular singer Elvis Presley and his 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 another pop singer of the era, Conway Twitty. Ed Sullivan appears as himself, host of the popular, long-running CBS TV variety show.
The film is credited with making Ann-Margret a superstar during the mid-1960s, leading to her appearing with the real Elvis in Viva Las Vegas (1964). Bye Bye Birdie opens with Ann-Margret singing a title song written especially for the movie. The 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]
Directed by George Sidney, the movie version starred Dick Van Dyke, reprising his Broadway role as Albert Peterson, along with Maureen Stapleton as Mama Mae Peterson, Janet Leigh as Rosie DeLeon, Paul Lynde as Mr. MacAfee, Bobby Rydell as Hugo Peabody, and Ann-Margret as Kim MacAfee.
The story was inspired by the phenomenon of popular singer Elvis Presley and his 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 another pop singer of the era, Conway Twitty. Ed Sullivan appears as himself, host of the popular, long-running CBS TV variety show.
The film is credited with making Ann-Margret a superstar during the mid-1960s, leading to her appearing with the real Elvis in Viva Las Vegas (1964). Bye Bye Birdie opens with Ann-Margret singing a title song written especially for the movie. The 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]
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