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...hi john, my parents took me to the RANDOLPH THEATER to see it when i was a kid,,never will forget that wide, wide screen and streisand running down the path to catch them BEFORE THE PARADE PASSES BY ,,,,, do u remember the names of any other theaters around there ?
I remember the names of all the Center City theaters that were around during my lifetime, and all the neighborhood theaters that were near my home. Hard to believe today, but when I was a kid, there were 7 movie theaters within walking distance of my home!
Some of the Center City theaters were: The Goldman, The Fox, The Stanley, The Stanton, The Milgrim, Theatre 1812, and the ones closest to The Randolph were, The Trans-Lux and The Midtown. There was also The Boyd, which was the Cinerama theater. Sadly, not a single one exists as a theater, anymore. Almost everyone has been destroyed. The Boyd has been saved, and I believe is now protected from destruction. ...........thanks so much.
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As someone who has seen Hello, Dolly! six times on the Broadway stage, and a few more times, elsewhere, I can assure you that nobody comes close (especially Barbra Streisand) to Carol Channing's portrayal. She gets every line right. I remember going to see Carol with a friend, about 30 years after I had originally seen her, and my friend had only ever seen the film. Throughout the entire show he kept saying, "oh, that's how that's supposed to be!" Almost every single line gets a laugh. She's absolute perfection in the role. I'm the one who mentioned the ethnicity. I said as written. I never implied the character had to be Christian. Thorton Wilder did that. But to say that nobody played it better is just preposterious to me. Carol Channing played it infinitely better, so did Mary Martin and Pearl Bailey. If nobody played it better than Striesand to you, then fine. You're certainly entitled to that. She's nails on a blackboard to me. But I can, at least actually watch this film. I can't sit through any of her other films, again. In fact, there just came a time in my life when I stopped watching a film with her it. I find her the singularly most unpleasant thing I've ever seen on a motion picture screen. Mostly because she so mannered. I will rave about many things in the film, Hello, Dolly!, but the cast isn't one of them. The only person who is properly cast, in my opinion, is Danny Lockin as Barnaby Tucker. I also saw him on Broadway in the same role, with Ethel Merman, for whom the musical was originally written. One of the two shows I sneaked-in an audio tape recorder. The other was the original production of Camelot.
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Posted: |
May 14, 2008 - 12:43 PM
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By: |
Ron Pulliam
(Member)
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As someone who has seen Hello, Dolly! six times on the Broadway stage, and a few more times, elsewhere, I can assure you that nobody comes close (especially Barbra Streisand) to Carol Channing's portrayal. She gets every line right. I remember going to see Carol with a friend, about 30 years after I had originally seen her, and my friend had only ever seen the film. Throughout the entire show he kept saying, "oh, that's how that's supposed to be!" Almost every single line gets a laugh. She's absolute perfection in the role. I'm the one who mentioned the ethnicity. I said as written. I never implied the character had to be Christian. Thorton Wilder did that. But to say that nobody played it better is just preposterious to me. Carol Channing played it infinitely better, so did Mary Martin and Pearl Bailey. If nobody played it better than Striesand to you, then fine. You're certainly entitled to that. She's nails on a blackboard to me. But I can, at least actually watch this film. I can't sit through any of her other films, again. In fact, there just came a time in my life when I stopped watching a film with her it. I find her the singularly most unpleasant thing I've ever seen on a motion picture screen. Mostly because she so mannered. I will rave about many things in the film, Hello, Dolly!, but the cast isn't one of them. The only person who is properly cast, in my opinion, is Danny Lockin as Barnaby Tucker. I also saw him on Broadway in the same role, with Ethel Merman, for whom the musical was originally written. One of the two shows I sneaked-in an audio tape recorder. The other was the original production of Camelot.
It's funny, you know, that when folks see an original, it's always very difficult for anything -- much less a film with a different cast -- to measure up to the pleasures one got in the theater.
For instance, I think the revival of "A Chorus Line" the most perfect theatrical event I've ever experienced. Folks who saw the original, however, have pooh-poohed it time and again, criticizing it for not capturing this, that or the other of the original...none of which can EVER be recaptured, of course, because we're no longer in the 1970s, we're no longer the age we were "then" and our pleasant memories of original performances simply cannot be satisfied with newcomers no matter how brilliant they are. If the star of the movie grates on one's nerves in general, one cannot really be objective about her, can one?
I've never found any merit in comparing a stage performance to a film performance. When someone tries to repeat a stage performance on film it usually becomes a stale imitation of same. By its very nature, the stage performance is broad and nowhere near as nuanced as a film performance must be. I never said Streisand was perfect, but she's better in the role than any I've heard.
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I completely agree with you. I wasn't comparing Carol to Barbra. You were. I was just responding to your comparison.
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And what's with not liking Babs in
FUNNY GIRL?!!! That DEFINITELY is
Streisand's role all the way. She
starred in the original Broadway
production, ya know. Not only that,
but no other actress bore a striking
resemblance to Fanny Brice than
Streisand. She was born for the part,
and owns it!
Den
I'll assume you're directing that to me. I know she starred in the original Broadway production, I saw it. The one thing I'll say about her horrible performance in the film, is that it is better than it was on stage, where she virtually slept through the performance, and only woke up to sing. I don't like her. I don't like her "acting", which is nothing more than focusing attention on her fingernails, and making inappropriate faces, nor her singing, which is a combination of a whine and and wail, to me. There's not a law against it, your know? By the way, I also saw Mimi Hines in Funny Girl on Broadway, and as far as I'm concerned, she owns the role. If you go back and check, many critics at the time, agree with me. But regardless, it's a matter of personal taste, and Barbra Streisand in Hello, Dolly!, and everything else about that film, is about a billion times more entertaining than dreary and excruciatingly boring, Funny Girl. Have you noticed how she isn't funny in it? I have.
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Posted: |
May 14, 2008 - 1:47 PM
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By: |
Ron Pulliam
(Member)
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And what's with not liking Babs in
FUNNY GIRL?!!! That DEFINITELY is
Streisand's role all the way. She
starred in the original Broadway
production, ya know. Not only that,
but no other actress bore a striking
resemblance to Fanny Brice than
Streisand. She was born for the part,
and owns it!
Den
I'll assume you're directing that to me. I know she starred in the original Broadway production, I saw it. The one thing I'll say about her horrible performance in the film, is that it is better than it was on stage, where she virtually slept through the performance, and only woke up to sing. I don't like her. I don't like her "acting", which is nothing more than focusing attention on her fingernails, and making inappropriate faces, nor her singing, which is a combination of a whine and and wail, to me. There's not a law against it, your know? By the way, I also saw Mimi Hines in Funny Girl on Broadway, and as far as I'm concerned, she owns the role. If you go back and check, many critics at the time, agree with me. But regardless, it's a matter of personal taste, and Barbra Streisand in Hello, Dolly!, and everything else about that film, is about a billion times more entertaining than dreary and excruciatingly boring, Funny Girl. Have you noticed how she isn't funny in it? I have.
She's hysterically funny in that roller skating number. If she's not funny ALL of the time, it's because the story isn't about "how funny she was"...it's about the life of Fanny Brice...how she moved from a burlesque house to the Ziegfeld Follies...again funny, IMO, her encounters with Ziegfeld and her "Beautiful Bride" number...and, of course, her love life.
The scene in the private dining room is extremely funny as she plays it cool with Nick Arnstein (Omar Sharif) and discovers she's not only getting dinner, but that she's dessert.
Can't laugh at any of that? SORRY. But millions find her extremely winning and funny, extremely talented and unmatchable as a singer.
As far as Fanny Brice goes, I've seen her in a couple of movies....and she's NOT FUNNY in either of them despite the intent.
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My cinema professors told us that this was the dying grasp on the big Hollywood musical. Big? No, gargantuan. They'd gotten so big and gas-blown in the 60's.
When I was younger I had no problem with Streisand in the role. As I close in on Dolly's age, she looks more out-of-place. That said, she sang the hell out of those songs. No wonder they hired her.
The plots and music might date in many musical films but the dancing never seems to. This was AMAZING!
And I notice now that Cornelius and Barnaby's pants were awfully tight. Not that I'm complaining....
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Posted: |
May 14, 2008 - 4:28 PM
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By: |
Ron Pulliam
(Member)
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I was always "slightly disappointed" by "Hello, Dolly!"
I wanted it to be great, but I always thought it missed the mark. And I quite agree with Mr. Maher about the supporting cast, save Lockin.
The waiters, of course, were phenomenal. The sets and costumes were amazing. I loved the hat shop scene. I hated the "When You're Dancing Number", think it seemed too old-fashioned and too long.
That was then. I have to say my thoughts changed on some of the things that bothered me back when "Dolly" was released in an anamorphic widescreen version with great sound. On DVD, of course.
When I got my plasma HDTV, the film took on an even greater life and liveliness and became a total joy.
When I bought my HD DVD player and discovered how beautifully it upconverted the film (the colors are a-w-es-o-m-e and there are no color bleeds, not even with the red-reds of the waiter's jackets), I believed I had attained near perfection in the home theater experience.
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Poor Danny Lockin. So much talent and taken far too soon. Anyone ever see his screen test for Rolf in The Sound of Music?
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My cinema professors told us that this was the dying grasp on the big Hollywood musical.
I'll bet you anything he said "gasp of," not "grasp on."
Other professors might say something like "last nail in the coffin of . . ."
I think it's sad that professors would routinely prejudice their students against any individual film that way -- let 'em make up their own minds! Of course, that prejudice has existed against the whole musical film genre for decades: It's common knowledge that the movie musical is dead, dead, dead.
COUGH! ("Chicago," Best Picture Oscar) COUGH!!
COUGH!!! ("Hairspray." "Sweeney Todd.") COUGH!!!!!
COUGGHHH!!!!!!! ("Mamma Mia." "Nine.") COUGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
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Yes. He wasn't much of a "cinema professor". What the hell is that, anyway?
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Yeah, it's too bad Fox hasn't really done a deluxe version of this for DVD.
And it's also a shame that an expanded CD of the music hasn't been able to be issued thus far.
James
The CD is absolutely horrible!
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Posted: |
May 15, 2008 - 8:12 AM
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By: |
Ron Pulliam
(Member)
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Ron Pulliam - I can't understand how you can think Hello Dolly on dvd is great in picture and sound. the picture is great, the sound is terrible, especially compared the laserdisc ac-3 release. on the dvd, the high end is completely gone.
I can THINK it, Joe, because it sounds TERRIFIC on my home theater system. I don't compare things to laserdiscs, the majority of which don't hold up to DVD quality.
Please don't mistakenly believe that anyone, much less me, can be held responsible for sharing your rather singular views on picture or sound quality. We all have different setups, different expectations, and different ears.
I've yet to connect anything you claim about such things with what I see/hear for myself.
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Posted: |
May 15, 2008 - 9:40 AM
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By: |
Howard L
(Member)
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They'd gotten so big and gas-blown in the 60's.
Man, I want 'em that way. The bigger the better. This is the just the right genre for big and gas-blown, cinematically, emotionally and orchestrally. It is the genre that unabashedly celebrates life i.e. hopes and dreams. It is the genre not meant for cynicism and darkness, as if there isn't enough of that stuff outside the sanctuary we call the movie theatre.
Great singing aside, Streisand was so wrong for the part in every way imaginable. Her Mae West hoochy-koo *wink wink* performance destroyed the charm that is Dolly and belied any claims to vulnerability and grace that was Dolly. And about that singing: what came through was Streisand performing, not Dolly emoting. The dynamics were not true to the character as they were meant to be. Hers was an abysmal interpretation.
I can only compare it to the toughness with which Annie was given in its film version. A charm killer if ever there were. When Barbra descended the staircase, I wanted to puke. Comeback? What comeback, she never left! "Look at the old girl now," she exclaims. Old girl?!
But Streisand was absolutely, positively the definitive Fanny Brice/Funny Girl in the Preston/Harold Hill, Harrison/Henry Higgins mold. Utterly fantastic, a stunning performance. Everything was right. Fanny and Nick's may not have been a perfect marriage but Barbra and Fanny's was the perfect marriage.
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Posted: |
May 15, 2008 - 11:37 AM
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By: |
Ron Pulliam
(Member)
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Her Mae West hoochy-koo *wink wink* performance destroyed the charm that is Dolly and belied any claims to vulnerability and grace that was Dolly.
Oh, Howard, how you talk. She wasn't as blatant as all that. She was a younger widow than most Dollys and she had a "naughty" sense of humor. As for her "singing," show me a performance by ANYone else who isn't singing as themselves...Channing and Martin and Pearlie Mae, et al. I'm a fan of Streisand, so that probably accounts for my belief that her vocals in this film are perfection.
One day, and it will come, Howard L, you'll see things MY way on "Hello, Dolly!"
It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. But it will come.
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