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Hello, Dolly! (film)

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Hello, Dolly!
Theatrical release poster, designed by Richard Amsel
Directed byGene Kelly
Screenplay byErnest Lehman
Based onHello, Dolly!
by Michael Stewart
The Matchmaker
by Thornton Wilder
Einen Jux will er sich machen
by Johann Nestroy
A Day Well Spent
by John Oxenford
Produced byErnest Lehman
StarringBarbra Streisand
Walter Matthau
Michael Crawford
Louis Armstrong
CinematographyHarry Stradling
Edited byWilliam Reynolds
Music byJerry Herman (music and lyrics)
Score adaptation:
Lennie Hayton
Lionel Newman
Production
company
Chenault Productions
Distributed by20th Century-Fox
Release date
  • December 16, 1969 (1969-12-16)
(NYC)[1]
Running time
148 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million
Box office$26 million (theatrical rental)

Hello, Dolly! is a 1969 American musical romantic comedy film based on the 1964 Broadway production of the same name, which was based on Thornton Wilder's play The Matchmaker. Directed by Gene Kelly and written and produced by Ernest Lehman, the film stars Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Danny Lockin, Tommy Tune, Fritz Feld, Marianne McAndrew, E. J. Peaker and Louis Armstrong (whose recording of the title tune had been a number-one hit in May 1964).[2]

The film follows the story of Dolly Levi, a strong-willed matchmaker who travels to Yonkers, New York, to find a match for the miserly "well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder. In doing so, she convinces his niece, his niece's intended, and Horace's two clerks to travel to New York City.

Released on December 16, 1969, by 20th Century-Fox, the film won three Academy Awards: for Best Art Direction, Best Score of a Musical Picture and Best Sound, and was nominated for four other Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Although the film eventually broke even financially, it was not a contemporary commercial success.[3][4]

Plot

[edit]

In 1890, well-known widowed matchmaker Dolly Levi plans to travel to New York City. She seeks a wife for Horace Vandergelder, an unmarried "half-a-millionaire". Meanwhile, young artist Ambrose Kemper wants to marry Horace's niece Ermengarde. Horace opposes this, feeling that Ambrose cannot provide financial security.

Horace, who owns Vandergelder's Hay and Feed, plans to travel to New York to march in the 14th Street Parade and to propose to milliner Irene Molloy, whom he met through Dolly. After arriving in Yonkers, Dolly sends Horace ahead to New York. Before leaving, he tells his clerks, Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker, to mind the store.

Cornelius, however, decides that he and Barnaby need to get out of Yonkers. Dolly overhears and decides to set them up with Irene and her shop assistant Minnie Fay. Dolly also helps Ambrose and Ermengarde, entering them in a dance contest at the fancy Harmonia Gardens restaurant, which she and her late husband Ephram frequented. The entire company takes the train to New York.

In New York, Irene and Minnie open their hat shop for the afternoon. Irene does not love Horace, but the marriage can provide her with financial security and an escape from her boring job. Hoping to escape her loveless marriage, Irene plans to look for real love before the summer is over.

Cornelius and Barnaby arrive at the shop, pretending to be rich. When Horace and Dolly arrive, Cornelius and Barnaby hide. Minnie screams when she finds Cornelius hiding in an armoire. Horace is about to open the armoire, but Dolly "searches" it and pronounces it empty. After hearing Cornelius sneeze, Horace storms out, realizing that there are men hiding in the shop but unaware that they are his clerks. Dolly arranges for Cornelius and Barnaby, who are still pretending to be rich, to take the ladies to dinner at Harmonia Gardens, to make up for their humiliation.

The clerks and the ladies attend the Fourteenth Street Association Parade. In a moment alone, Dolly asks for her late husband Ephram's permission to marry Horace, requesting a sign. She resolves to go forward with life. After meeting old friend Gussie Granger on a parade float, Dolly catches up with the annoyed Horace, who is marching in the parade. She says that the heiress Ernestina Simple would be a good match for him and requests that he meet her that evening at Harmonia Gardens.

Because the clerks have no money to hire a carriage, they tell the girls that walking to the restaurant is more stylish. At the Harmonia Gardens restaurant, head waiter Rudolph prepares his crew for Dolly's return. Horace arrives to meet his date, who is really Gussie. She is neither rich nor elegant as Dolly implied, and leaves after being bored by Horace, as she and Dolly had planned.

Cornelius, Barnaby and their dates arrive, unaware that Horace is also there. Dolly shows up and is greeted by the staff. She sits in the now-empty seat at Horace's table, and says that no matter what he says, she will not marry him. Fearful of being caught, Cornelius confesses to the ladies that he and Barnaby are not wealthy.

Irene, who knew all along that they were pretending, offers to pay for the meal. However, Irene realizes that she left her handbag containing all her money at home. The four try to sneak out during the polka contest, but Horace recognizes them, then spots Ermengarde and Ambrose. In the ensuing confrontation, Horace fires the clerks, who are forced to flee as a riot breaks out. Cornelius professes his love for Irene. Horace declares that he would not marry Dolly if she were the last woman on earth.

The next morning, at the hay and feed store, Cornelius and Irene, Barnaby and Minnie, and Ambrose and Ermengarde all come to collect the money that Horace owes to them. Chastened, Horace admits that he needs Dolly, who is unsure about the marriage until Ephram sends her a sign. Cornelius becomes Horace's business partner at the store, and Barnaby fills Cornelius's old position. Horace says that life would be dull without Dolly, and she promises that she will "never go away again".

Cast

[edit]
L-R: Michael Crawford, Marianne McAndrew, Barbra Streisand, E. J. Peaker and Danny Lockin

Musical numbers

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Walter Matthau and Barbra Streisand, "So Long, Dearie"
  1. "Call On Dolly"
  2. "Just Leave Everything To Me"
  3. "Main Titles (Overture)"
  4. "It Takes a Woman"
  5. "It Takes a Woman (Reprise)"
  6. "Put on Your Sunday Clothes"
  7. "Ribbons Down My Back"
  8. "Dancing"
  9. "Before the Parade Passes By"
  10. "Intermission"
  11. "Elegance"
  12. "Love is Only Love"
  13. "Hello, Dolly!"
  14. "It Only Takes a Moment"
  15. "So Long, Dearie"
  16. "Finale"
  17. "End Credits"

The Hello, Dolly! soundtrack album was released on the LP and 8-track tape formats in December 1969. It was released on compact disc in November 1994. Both the LP and compact disc omit selections 1, 3, 10 and 17.[citation needed]

Production

[edit]

Filming

[edit]
Location shot in Garrison, New York

The town of Garrison, New York, specifically the Garrison Landing Historic District around the train station, was the filming site for scenes in Yonkers.[5] In the opening credits, the passenger train is traveling along the Hudson River on rails belonging to Penn Central. Provided by the Strasburg Rail Road, the train is pulled by Pennsylvania Railroad 1223 (now located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania), retrofitted to resemble a New York Central & Hudson River locomotive. The locomotive, used in "Put on Your Sunday Clothes", was restored specifically for the film. The Poughkeepsie (Metro-North station) trackside platform was used at the beginning when Dolly is on her way to Yonkers.

The name of Judy Knaiz's character, Ernestina Semple, was changed from the stage version's Ernestina Money.

The church scene was filmed on the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, but the church's facade was constructed specifically for the film. The New York City scenes were filmed on the 20th Century Fox lot in California.[6] Some of the exteriors still exist.[citation needed] The film was photographed in 65 mm Todd-AO by Harry Stradling.[citation needed]

The film was beset by tension on the set, with Streisand clashing with co-star Matthau and director Kelly. Choreographer Michael Kidd had conflicts with costume designer Irene Sharaff and Kelly, to the point at which he and Kelly were no longer on speaking terms.[7] Tensions came to a head in a heated argument between Streisand and Matthau on June 6, 1968, on a hot day in Garrison on the day after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.[3]

Louis Armstrong, who had a hit recording with the title song, as the orchestra leader.

Music

[edit]

Most of the original Broadway production's score was preserved for the film. However, "Just Leave Everything to Me" and "Love Is Only Love" were not in the stage show. Jerry Herman wrote "Just Leave Everything to Me" specially for Streisand; it effectively replaced "I Put My Hand In" from the Broadway production. However, an instrumental version of parts of "I Put My Hand In" can be heard in the film during the dance competition at the Harmonia Gardens.[8] Herman had written "Love is Only Love" for the stage version of Mame, but it was cut before its Broadway premiere. It occurs in the story as Mame tries to explain falling in love to her young nephew Patrick. A brief prologue of "Mrs. Horace Vandergelder" was added to the song to integrate it into this film.[9]

Working under the musical direction of Lionel Newman and Lennie Hayton, the very large team of orchestrators included film stalwarts Herbert W. Spencer and Alexander Courage, the original Broadway production arranger Philip J. Lang, making a rare film outing, and established television and pop arrangers Joe Lipman, Don Costa and Frank Comstock. All of the actors did their own singing, except for Marianne McAndrew, whose singing was dubbed by Melissa Stafford for Irene's vocal solos, and Gilda Maiken, when Irene sings with other characters.[10]

Release

[edit]

U.S. premieres

[edit]

The film premiered in New York at the Rivoli Theatre on December 16, 1969. Production had wrapped more than a year prior, but release was significantly delayed for contractual reasons.[11] A clause in the 1965 film-sale contract specified that the film could not be released until June 20, 1971, or when the show closed on Broadway, whichever came first.[12]

In 1969, the show was still running. Eager to release the film to recoup its cost, Fox negotiated and paid an "early release" escape payment to release the film, which cost Fox an estimated $1–2 million.[11] The following day, the film started 45 roadshow engagements around the United States and Canada, before opening worldwide on December 18, starting in Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand and South Africa.[13]

Box office

[edit]

The film opened strongly, finishing in third place at the US box office, behind On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Easy Rider in its opening week,[14] and initially grossed more than The Sound of Music, but lost momentum and became a disappointment at the box office.[3] It grossed $33.2 million at the box office in the United States,[15] earning a theatrical rental (the distributor's share of the box office after deducting the exhibitor's cut)[16][17] of $15.2 million,[18][19] ranking it in the top five highest-grossing films of the 1969–1970 season.[19][20][4]

In total, it earned $26 million in theatrical rentals for Fox,[15] against its $25.335 million production budget.[18] Despite performing decently at the box office, the losses worsened. Over the last few decades, however, it has gone substantially into profit due to successful home-video sales, beginning in 1978, when it went "gold" for VHS and Betamax sales at a then-suggested retail price of $69.95 USD.[4]

The soundtrack album's sales also did not live up to expectations, peaking at number 49 on the Billboard chart.[3]

Critical reception

[edit]

The film received favorable reviews on release,[3] but some critics felt that it was not a success as a musical, with Kelly and Kidd making little use of the widescreen format of the film. Critic Tom Santopietro described their approach as "shoveling more and more bodies on-screen with no apparent purpose".[21]

Vincent Canby in his review for The New York Times said that the producer and director "merely inflated the faults to elephantine proportions".[22]

In more recent years, Hello, Dolly!'s critical reputation has cooled considerably. It holds a 45% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The consensus states: "Though Barbra Streisand charms, she's miscast as the titular middle-aged widow in Gene Kelly's sluggish and over-produced final directorial effort."[23]

Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine said, "More infamous for bringing Fox financially to its knees than for being the last major musical directed by Gene Kelly, Hello, Dolly! is one big-assed bull in a china shop. The film cost nearly as much to produce as Cleopatra and made far less at the box office, thus earning the film its reputation as one of Hollywood’s foremost turkeys."[24]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Picture Ernest Lehman Nominated [25]
[26]
Best Art Direction Art Direction: John DeCuir, Jack Martin Smith, and Herman A. Blumenthal;
Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott, George James Hopkins, and Raphaël Bretton 		Won
Best Cinematography Harry Stradling[a] Nominated
Best Costume Design Irene Sharaff Nominated
Best Film Editing William H. Reynolds Nominated
Best Score of a Musical Picture – Original or Adaptation Lennie Hayton and Lionel Newman Won
Best Sound Jack Solomon and Murray Spivack Won
American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Feature Film William H. Reynolds Won[b] [27][28]
British Academy Film Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Walter Matthau[c] Nominated [29]
Best Actress in a Leading Role Barbra Streisand[d] Nominated
Best Art Direction John DeCuir Nominated
Best Cinematography Harry Stradling Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Gene Kelly Nominated [30]
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated [31]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Barbra Streisand Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Marianne McAndrew Nominated
Best Director – Motion Picture Gene Kelly Nominated
Most Promising Newcomer – Female Marianne McAndrew Nominated

Others

[edit]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

Home media

[edit]

Hello, Dolly! was one of the first theatrical films to be released on the new VHS and Betamax home-video formats in fall 1978.[citation needed] It was released on DVD in 2003[34] and Blu-ray in 2013.[35] It began streaming on Disney+ on May 22, 2020.[36]

In other media

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  • Upon the movie's release, Dolly's Restaurant opened in Garrison, NY, directly across from the train station where the Yonkers scenes were filmed. The restaurant closed in 2008 and reopened in 2018 under new ownership.[37]
  • Songs and footage from the scenes "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" and "It Only Takes a Moment", as well as still images from the film in general, were prominently featured in the 2008 Disney-Pixar film WALL-E. In the movie, WALL-E watches the footage from an old Betamax tape and learns about the concept of love from the film.[38][39]
  • The songs "Elegance" and "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" are heard through any day at the Main Street section of the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, with the addition of "Before the Parade Passes By" at Disneyland in Anaheim.
  • The song "Just Leave Everything to Me" is heard in the Season-2 opening of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

See also

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Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Posthumous nomination.
  2. ^ Tied with Warren Low for True Grit.
  3. ^ Also for The Secret Life of an American Wife.
  4. ^ Also for Funny Girl.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hello, Dolly! at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. ^ Bronson, Fred. The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits (2003), Billboard Books, ISBN 0-8230-7677-6
  3. ^ a b c d e Nickens, Christopher; Swenson, Karen (2000). The Films of Barbra Streisand. Citadel Press. pp. 54–64. ISBN 9780806519548. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c LoBianco, Lorraine. "Hello, Dolly! (1969) – Articles". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  5. ^ "Hello, Dolly!". IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc. December 16, 1969. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  6. ^ Vincent, Roger; Molina, Genaro (May 17, 2024). "On a Hollywood studio lot, a new New York comes to life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  7. ^ Kennedy, Matthew (2014). Roadshow!: The Fall of Film Musicals in the 1960s. Oxford University Press. pp. 135–140. ISBN 978-0199925674.
  8. ^ Kurtti, Jeff (1996). The Great Hollywood Musical Trivia Book. New York: Applause Books. pp. 143–166. ISBN 1-55783-222-6.
  9. ^ Konder, George C. Hello, Dolly!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album (CD Re-issue). Liner notes dated September 1994. Philips Records, 810 368-2
  10. ^ "List of Dubbers". Archived from the original on December 18, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  11. ^ a b Kurtti, p. 160
  12. ^ Dunne, John Gregory. "The $20 Million Movie of 'Hello, Dolly!' is Stuck on the Shelf While the Producers Argue." LIFE, 14 February 1969, 60.
  13. ^ "At Long Last... (advertisement)". Variety. October 15, 1969. pp. 12–13.
  14. ^ "50 Top-Grossing Films". Variety. December 31, 1969. p. 9.
  15. ^ a b "Box Office Information for Hello, Dolly!". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  16. ^ Cones, John W. (1997). The feature film distribution deal: a critical analysis of the single most important film industry agreement. Southern Illinois University Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-8093-2082-0.
  17. ^ "Box Office Tracking By Time – Key Terminology: Gross". Box office Mojo. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  18. ^ a b Solomon, Aubrey (2002), Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Filmmakers Series, vol. 20, Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 216 (background for figures), 231 (theatrical rental) & 256 (budget), ISBN 9780810842441
  19. ^ a b Williams, Linda Ruth; Hammond, Michael (2006). Contemporary American Cinema. McGraw-Hill. p. 176. ISBN 9780335218318.
  20. ^ Krämer, Peter (2005). The new Hollywood: from Bonnie and Clyde to Star Wars. Wallflower Press. p. 44. ISBN 9781904764588.
  21. ^ Santopietro, Tom (2007). The Importance of Being Barbra: The Brilliant, Tumultuous Career of Barbra Streisand. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 67. ISBN 978-0312375614.
  22. ^ Canby, Vincent (December 18, 1969). "'Hello, Dolly!' (1969): On Screen, Barbra Streisand Displays a Detached Cool". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
  23. ^ "Hello, Dolly! | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  24. ^ Hello, Dolly! Film Review, Slant. Retrieved 27th April 2017.
  25. ^ "The 42nd Academy Awards (1970) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  26. ^ "Hello, Dolly!". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2008.[dead link‍]
  27. ^ Smith, Fredrick Y., ed. (1971). ACE Second Decade Anniversary Book. American Cinema Editors. pp. 65–67.
  28. ^ "Film Editors Given Eddies". The Los Angeles Times. March 17, 1970. p. 75. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  29. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1970". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  30. ^ "22nd Annual DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  31. ^ "Hello, Dolly!". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  32. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  33. ^ "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  34. ^ "Hello Dolly!". The Video Librarian. September 1, 2003 – via ProQuest.
  35. ^ "For your consideration: Tarantino unchains blood-splattered Western revenge saga". Journal & Courier. April 11, 2013 – via ProQuest.
  36. ^ Singer, Matt (April 17, 2020). "Everything New on Disney Plus in May". ScreenCrush. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  37. ^ Waldron, Diana (July 2, 2018). "Dinner With a View at Dolly's Restaurant in Garrison". Chronogram. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  38. ^ King, Susan (July 4, 2008). "Wall-E meets 'Dolly'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  39. ^ Willman, Chris (July 14, 2008). "'WALL-E': How he found 'Hello, Dolly!'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
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