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Bye Bye Birdie Reviews
Great musical. Best of the bunch. Much better than the remake
Watched this only because our school is doing a play, and I'm glad I watched it because it's a classic
Nobody hotter than Ann Margaret in the 1960's, but a very light weight musical.
Really good with a very young Ann Margaret in it highly Recommend it, James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas October 16, 2023
This is a good, if slightly overblown version of the hit Broadway show. (And Kim/Ann-Margaret overshadows everything in this version; where that wasn't true in the original...). But the plot; which feels like reheated Happy Days; is fun and entertaining enough; and I love the music. (Including standards "Kids"; "Put on a Happy Face"; and "I've Got A lot of Living Left to Do.") I guess Dick Van Dyke told all his friends NOT to see the movie; that they had bastardized it and mangled it from it's solid Broadway origins, and was now just The Ann Margaret Story.... But THIS story, as is, has Conrad Birdie; (who is essentially Elvis); going off to the army; and then his manager/agent arranges some big publicity event where one teenage girl is chosen to give him a big send off; a big goodbye kiss; to be recorded and viewed by every tv station in America... And that girl winds up being Captain of the Conrad Birdie fan club; Kim McAfee. Problem is, Kim has a boyfriend... And so this big event winds up opening a whole can of worms for everyone involved... So that's the well-known story here. It's all based on the real media event that was Elvis joining the army... I especially liked the choreography here; it's wonderfully innovative; and opens up the story nicely... The director uses creative directing choices; including even animation; to open the story up; in a very freestyle, liberating way... Particularly the wonderful opening number "Goin' Steady" which has all 200 teenagers in town playing a crazy game of phone tag; passing the news that Kim and Hugo are getting pinned... (Setting up Hugo's conflict with Birdie later on in the show, ofcourse). I also loved "Put on A Happy Face"; and "I've Got A lot of Livin' Left to Do"; which is a showstopper... And it reminded me of the very similar "Before The Parade Passes By" from Hello Dolly. The cast is great; except for Janet Leigh who is miscast. (She's no Spanish Rosa! They should have stuck with Chita Rivera; the original...Or maybe Rita Moreno)... One big question... Why didn't they chose Elvis to play Conrad? Conrad is BASED on Elvis! And Elvis and the Colonel were already developing all these corny film projects for him; i.e. Viva Las Viegas. This part was taylor made for him... I mean it WAS him! It makes no sense to me that Elvis didn't do this part! But anyway... This movie reminds of what Grease was trying to be...This is what Grease was imitating; essentially... I mean this and Grease would make a good double feature! so...VERDICT: 👍 Thumbs up. Fun 50s/Early 60s musical
A very fun musical with some very smart commentary of the time
Dated, but has a couple of great musical numbers. Should have been better.
And the music, especially the telephone piece, is fun.
Great performances, fun music, and for all who would like a look at the beginning of the 'mass pop music' phoneme in the states.
Lightweight but cute.
Bye Bye Birdie is so ridiculous that it's endearing. From the campy acting to the silly songs to the outlandish story, I found myself caught up in the excitement of this classic musical. This movie knows what it is, and it revels in it. It's also genuinely funny. I found myself laughing out loud a number of times. I gotta be sincere, this movie still holds up decades after it was made.
Love this movie - a fun spoof on the rock stars of yesteryear
I'm a giant fan of the Brady Bunch movie for its loving mixture of cynicism and sincerity. This is similar, only so far ahead of its time. The ways in which it makes fun of ridiculous teen phenoms is even more impressive given that this culture just began. Better yet, the Gone with the Wind style crane shot of the fainted teens; not only hilarious, it represents the real message…a shocking vision of how young Americans were seduced into supporting a war that ultimately killed so many of them.
Bye Bye Birdie is a fantastic film. It is about a rock singer who travels to a small Ohio town to make his "farewell" television performance and kiss his biggest fan before he is drafted. Dick Van Dyke and Ann-Margaret give incredible performances. The screenplay is good but a little slow in places. George Sidney did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the humor and music.
Some where between Ann Margret and the late great Paul Lynde, there must be a plot. Wish I could find it.
The best musical comedy movie ever made! With the best movie song ever sung: Put On a Happy Face!
Give Bye Bye Birdie 4.5. They went all out on the Elvis Parody! U might die watching! Lust, wonders, subliminal and over your head messages, deceit, demise, luxury, and lots of pleasure! Oh HollyWood (Witches Wand) when will YOU retire? Hmmmm? Oh well, movie's stuck in my head....damned witches! Hope I didn't offend God nor any human with a bit of Truth. Godbless
Colorful, lively adaptation of the Broadway musical with Dick Van Dyke and Paul Lynde recreating their original roles; much of the original score is left intact and features some innovative production numbers (choreographed by Oona White) including "Put On A Happy Face," "The Telephone Hour" and "A Lot Of Livin' To Do."