I have fond memories of the 1963 movie "Bye Bye Birdie".
I can remember seeing it at the time it was released. Thought it was cool to see Dick Van Dyke, who was so funny on that new TV series at the time. There were some great songs..."Put On A Happy Face"...."The Telephone Hour"...."One Boy"...."Kids". Paul Lynde was just great singing about "these kids today", and what twelve year old boy didn't love seeing a young Ann-Margret up there on the big screen in all her glory?
Well, "Bye Bye Birdie" was on TCM last night, and I gave up after about forty minutes. Maybe it was the staging, maybe it was the direction, but we both thought that the movie version was incredibly dated and stiff (especially Van Dyke's performance). Not sure I'll ever give it another look-see when the opportunity arises.
Funny thing, though. Over the years, I have seen two stage productions of this show. One was a professional touring company that starred Tommy Tune, and the other a few years ago when it was North Allegheny's Spring Musical. Both of those productions showed that "Bye Bye Birdie" can be a fun and energetic musical STAGE comedy. It is a staple on the high school musical circuit, so it will no doubt continue to be performed forever. Go see it on stage if you ever get the chance.
Just take a pass on the 1963 film version.
Oh, and come to think of it, Ann-Margret is STILL pretty damn special, as I wrote back in 2017.....
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