The Cavalier daily :: Friday, October 2, 1970 :: University of Virginia Library

There are few things sadder in
the entertainment world than to see
superior musical-comedy material
reduced to mediocrity or worse by
avaricious Hollywood businessmen.
We can but be grateful that successful
adaptations ("The Sound of
Music," "Oliver!," "How to Succeed...,"
"My Fair Lady," to name
a few) manage to outnumber the
hatchet jobs which filmmakers have
performed on shows like "Half a
Sixpence" and, most recently,
"Hello, Dolly!"

"Dolly!" has become something
of a legend in its own time. It is
unquestionably the most famous
musical of the sixties, although it
surely is not the best. True, it is
now established as the longest running
musical in Broadway history,
but it certainly isn't deserving of
that honor. Still, it is a fine show,
with an amusing book by Michael
Stewart and a humdinger of a score
by Jerry Herman.

In order to zero in on how such
a delightful musical has wound up
as a lackluster film, let's list some
of the stars who played the role of
Dolly Levi, the indomitable matchmaker,
on Broadway. There's Carol
Channing and Ginger Rodgers and
Betty Grable and Pearl Bailey and
Ethel Merman. All talented women,
three of whom I have had the
pleasure of seeing in the role. And
all at least middle-aged. Why? Because
that's what the part calls
for-a middle-aged woman to play a
middle-aged busybody. So who was
the screen role given to? Barbra
Streisand, of course. Now how
does Miss Streisand fit in with the
five Dollies mentioned above? She
doesn't. She's too young and her
style is completely different. It's a
miscast: gigantic, fatal, and unparalleled
in modern cinema.

There is no getting around the
fact that "Hello, Dolly!" is a star
vehicle. There's no way it could be
anything else. If it is to survive,
then the star has to breathe life into
it. Well, not only is Miss Streisand
miscast, but, to compound the problem,
her approach is entirely
wrong. She plays Mac Wost one
minute, Fanny Brice the next, and
God knows who else in between.
But one thing is for certain: who- ever she's playing, it sure the bell
isn't Dolly Levi.

It would be easy to throw part
of the blame for this sloppy characterization
on director Gone Kelly,
but I somehow doubt if he had
much control over Miss Streisand's
performance. Mr. Kelly's greatest
contribution to the film is the
impressive title sequence. Michael
Kidd has tried valiantly to oo
Gower Champion's brilliant stage
choreography and has come up
short, with most of the dance numbers
seeming overlong.

It should be mentioned that
composer Herman has written two
new songs for the film, both of
which lack the verve of his original
music. But then only one
song("Elegance") really works in
the film treatment. A reason for
this may be that, with one exception,
the only member of the cast
who can sing well is Miss Streisand.
However, her style of singing and
Mr. Herman's style of composing
are not perfectly suited to each
other.

As for the other principal actors
- Walter Matthau, Michael
Crawford, Marianne McAndrew,
and E.J. Peaker - well, they're not
really good and they're not really
bad; they're just there. But that
hardly matters one way or the
other, for in a vehicle such as this,
when your miscast star decides to
screw around in left field, the
ballgames is already lost.

(Now at the Barracks Road)