Bye Bye Birdie

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When Elvis-like rock & roll star Conrad Birdie is drafted into the military, the teen nation is united by a contest in which the winner bestows a farewell kiss upon their idol while on the Ed Sullivan Show. Ann-Margret (in her film debut) is the lucky little lady from Sweet Apple, Ohio, who wins the contest, much to the chagrin of her steady beau (Bobby Rydell) and miserable parents (Paul Lynde and Mary LaRoche). Dick Van Dyke and Janet Leigh are an older couple kept from marrying by his meddlesome mother, played to the hilt by Maureen Stapleton. Lightweight but fun, this features an exuberant soundtrack with such memorable ditties as "Put on a Happy Face" and "Kids" and the title track. This is a much better choice than the lackluster, 1995 made-for-TV version. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews:

Musical that holds up well.......2007-09-05

Ann-Margret runs away with this hit 60's musical. Perfect casting at its best; it's easy to believe her as Kim, a teenager in love with Hugo (Bobby Rydell) who also swoons over Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson), a thinly veiled version of Elvis. Although it's hard to imagine the hysteria that Elvis generated when he was drafted, it is not important to be aware of that to enjoy the take-off this musical provides. Paul Lynde and Dick Van Dyke turn in solid performances; Maureen Stapleton provides the hilarious comic relief as the mother from hell. Janet Leigh does a great job as Van Dyke's love interest, however, her singing is somewhat of a weak link (but her dancing more than makes up for it!). Many reviews bash the movie for being too different from the stage production; although it is different in some ways, it more than stands on its own. The camera work, staging, choreography, and performances are all top-notch. A nice piece of nostalgia that still provides great entertainment today.

Hello Again, Birdie.......2007-05-08

More than 40 years after first viewing in theatres,this is still a delightful escape with a trip down memory lane. Music and lyrics are classics. Ann-Margret and Janet Leigh display dancing and singing talent that is often forgotten, with excellent support work from Dick Van Dyke, Paul Lynde, Bobby Rydell and Maureen Stapleton. The times certainly changed after this period of adolescence, but Bye Bye Birdie took us back to an age of naivety where nothing bad was ever going to happen to us. Good social comment of the time.

Great family movie.......2007-01-11

My 11 year old son is trying out for a part in a local production of "Bye Bye Birdie" so I purchased this DVD so we could both get an idea of what the movie/play is all about and get a flavor for the musical productions. Even though this movie was made in the 1960's, it was very entertaining for both of us. The movie is good clean family entertainment and is well worth purchasing to have as a part of our family movie library.

BYE BYE BIRDIE.......2006-11-10

EVEN IN THE BEGINNING ANN MARGARET WAS WONDERFUL.. BOBBY WAS JUST SO GREAT LOOKING (STILL IS. THIS MOVIE WAS REALLY FUNNY AND WILL BE AROUND FOR A LONG TIME TO COME!!

Just a good old fashioned goofy musical.......2006-09-01

I watched this recently and realized I had forgotten about a lot of it. I still really think Ann Margret was dazzling. and absolutely perfect for the role of Kim. I didn't care much for Janet Leigh in this one, it must have been the black hair -- and I don't think when I saw this as a teen that I even realized she was supposed to be LATINO. O-kay . . . .

I think the biggest surprise in this film was Bobby Rydell, the early 60s teen idol (who could actually sing) -- he was amazing as Hugo. Wow! He just flowed thru that thing like he'd been doing it all his life .. . but then, I don't remember him ever doing it again . ..? I know he still tours, with Frankie Avalon and Fabian I think, and he looks really DIFFERENT -- I mean, he looks an awful lot like George W. Bush nowadays. Weird. Anyhow, I thought he was perfect for his part as well, as for the rest, some of it got to be a bit much -- esp. Paul Lynde and his whiny sarcasm (how much of that can you take?) and that Ed Sullivan skit was just silly. But, I love the Kim/Hugo/Birdie dance in the soda shoppe, that makes the film, I think. Watch it with your teenagers, if you can corral them for a while.

Average customer rating:

Must have musical
The Pits
Bye Bye Birdie
A 27 year old playing a 16 -18 year old?
SUPER MUSICAL COMEDY

Bye Bye Birdie
Starring: Jason Alexander , Vanessa Williams (VII) , Chynna Phillips , Tyne Daly , and Marc Kudisch
Director: Gene Saks
Manufacturer: Allumination
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002V7TDI
Release Date: 2004-11-19

Customer Reviews:

Must have musical.......2007-05-16

Best of the two "Bye Bye Birdie" movies (1995) and (1963). I am not fond of any Jason Alexander's work, but this one is notable. My family wore the VHS tape out. This DVD is a replacement for the tape.

The Pits.......2006-08-13

A travesty of tacky talent and too-little imagination.

How anyone thought they could improve on Ann Margaret is beyond me.

Bye Bye Birdie .......2006-07-10

I love this movie. I have never seen the first one but this one was fun. I am planing to see the fist one. Jason Alexander and Venessa Willams did a great job togeather. Now i wish they could make a "Bye Bye Birdie 2"! I would recomend this movie to anyone who loves musicals(like myself) and a romantic story(again myself). Have Fun and i hope this helped!

A 27 year old playing a 16 -18 year old?.......2006-06-28

There are pros and cons about this version as there is with the 1963 version. Ann Margret was 22 when she played the teenage Kim. She could pass for a high school teenager much better than 27-year-old Chynna Phillips. Ironically this role should have gone to Chynna's younger half sister, Bijoux, who was 15 at the time this movie was made.
I feel Chynna Phillips was mis-cast as the teenage Kim, because she photographed looking like a thirty-something housewife trying to dress like a fifties teenager; she has an old-looking face as opposed to the fresher, softer face of the 22-year-old Ann Margret. Phillips has a nice singing voice but her portrayal of the character was very weak and unconvincing, as if she herself were uncomfortable playing a high school girl at age 27. A much younger actress/singer should have played Kim.

This version is more true to the play and focuses more on the relationship between Rosie and Albert, especially in the latter half of the film, whereas the 1963 version tended to focus more on Kim, Hugo and their friends, culminating in the kiss between Conrad and Kim, with Hugo's intervention. That particular section appeared in the middle of this updated version. At the time Ann-Margret was hot so I supposed that's the reason more emphasis was placed on her character in general and on the Birdie Kiss scene.

This 1995 version has a lot of great singing and dancing--the people cast knew how to sing and their voices blended beautifully. Jason Alexander surprised me at how well he sang and played Albert, though I'm always going to have a great fondness for Mr. Dick Van Dyke's portrayal.

I have to say that Vanessa Williams' portrayal of Rosie was superb, strong, sassy, and full of pizzazz; she handled the singing and dancing wonderfully compared to poor Janet Leigh in the 1963 version, who was not a singer and did not even FAINTLY resemble a Latina character; she was forced to wear a cheesy black wig over her blonde hair which made it even more apparent she was dreadfully mis-cast for the role of Rosie. Rita Moreno would have been PERFECT in the role, so it's surprising she was passed over for the non-singing non-Latin Janet Leigh. Guess the old Hollywood practice of casting known caucasian stars of European descent in roles of color was still going on, even in 1963.

If you're a fan of the original play, this movie will especially be your cup of tea. I have never seen the play, so my point of reference was originally the 1963 movie release. Now that I've seen something closer to the original Broadway play, I must say I enjoy this version a lot more, because there are more great songs included. Still, I will always love the 1963 release, so I think it's an asset to have BOTH version of Bye Bye Birdie in your DVD library.

SUPER MUSICAL COMEDY.......2006-03-10

This version of Bye Bye Birdie is really excellent. The acting and dancing are superb. Laughing was automatic while watching this DVD of Bye Bye Birdie.

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