Hello Dolly! (film)
Encyclopedia
Hello, Dolly! is a 1969 romantic comedy
musical film
, based on the Broadway production of the same name
; the film follows the story of Dolly Levi, a strong-willed matchmaker who travels to Yonkers, New York
, in an attempt to find a match for the miserly "well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire," Horace Vandergelder. In doing so, she convinces his niece, her intended, and Horace's two clerks to travel to New York City
.
Gene Kelly
directed producer Ernest Lehman
's screenplay
. The cast included Barbra Streisand
, Walter Matthau
(in his only movie musical), Michael Crawford
, Danny Lockin
, Tommy Tune
, Fritz Feld
, Marianne McAndrew
, E. J. Peaker
and Louis Armstrong
, whose recording of the title tune
was a #1 hit in the mid-1960s. It was photographed in 65 mm Todd-AO
by Harry Stradling Sr..
is excited because widowed, brassy Dolly Levi (Barbra Streisand
) is in town. Dolly makes a living through matchmaking and numerous sidelines ("Just Leave Everything to Me"). She is currently seeking a wife for grumpy Horace Vandergelder (Walter Matthau
), the well-known "half-a-millionaire," but it becomes clear that Dolly intends to marry Horace herself. Dolly travels to Yonkers, New York
to visit Horace. Ambrose Kemper (Tommy Tune
), a young artist, wants to marry Horace's weepy niece, Ermengarde (Joyce Ames), but Horace opposes this because Ambrose's vocation does not guarantee a steady living. Horace, who is the owner of Vandergelder's Hay and Feed, explains to his two clerks, Cornelius Hackl (Michael Crawford
) and Barnaby Tucker (Danny Lockin
), that he is going to get married because "It Takes a Woman" to cheerfully do all the household chores. He plans to travel to New York City to propose to Irene Molloy (Marianne McAndrew
), who owns a hat shop there. Dolly arrives in Yonkers and sends Horace ahead to the city. Before leaving he tells Cornelius and Barnaby to mind the store.
Cornelius decides that he and Barnaby need to get out of Yonkers. Dolly knows two ladies in New York they should call on: Irene Molloy and her shop assistant, Minnie Fay (E. J. Peaker
). She enters Ermengarde and Ambrose in the upcoming polka
competition at the fancy Harmonia Gardens Restaurant in New York City, so Ambrose can demonstrate his ability to be a bread winner to Uncle Horace. Cornelius, Barnaby, Ambrose, Ermengarde and Dolly take the train to New York ("Put on Your Sunday Clothes"). Irene and Minnie open their hat shop for the afternoon. Irene does not love Horace Vandergelder and declares that she will wear an elaborate hat to impress a gentleman ("Ribbons Down My Back"). Cornelius and Barnaby arrive at the shop and pretend to be rich. Horace and Dolly arrive and Cornelius and Barnaby hide. Minnie screams when she finds Cornelius hiding in an armoire. Horace is about to open the armoire himself, but Dolly "searches" it and pronounces it empty. After hearing Cornelius sneeze, Horace storms out upon realizing there are men hiding in the shop, although he is unaware that they are his clerks. Dolly arranges for Cornelius and Barnaby, who are still pretending to be rich, to take the ladies out to dinner to the Harmonia Gardens to make up for their humiliation. She teaches Cornelius and Barnaby how to dance since they always have dancing at such establishments ("Dancing"). The clerks and the ladies go to watch the Fourteenth Street Association Parade together. Alone, Dolly asks her first husband Ephram's permission to marry Horace, requesting a sign. She resolves to move on with life ("Before the Parade Passes By"). After meeting an old friend, Gussie Granger (Judy Knaiz), on a float in the parade, Dolly catches up with the annoyed Vandergelder as he is marching in the parade. She tells him the heiress Ernestina Simple would be perfect for him and asks him to meet her at the Harmonia Gardens that evening.
Cornelius is determined to get a kiss before the night is over. Since the clerks have no money to hire a carriage, they tell the girls that walking to the restaurant shows that they've got "Elegance". In a quiet flat, Dolly prepares for the evening ("Love is Only Love"). At the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, Rudolph (David Hurst
), the head waiter, whips his crew into shape for Dolly Levi's return. Horace arrives to meet his date, who is really Dolly's friend Gussie (Judy Knaiz). As it turns out, she is not rich or elegant as Dolly implied, and she soon leaves after being bored by Horace, just as she and Dolly planned.
Cornelius, Barnaby and their dates arrive and are unaware that Horace is also at the restaurant. Dolly makes her triumphant return to the Harmonia Gardens and is greeted in style by the staff. ("Hello, Dolly!
") She sits in the now-empty seat at Horace's table and proceeds to tell him that no matter what he says, she will not marry him. Fearful of being caught, Cornelius confesses to the ladies that he and Barnaby have no money, and Irene, who knew they were pretending all along, offers to pay for the meal. She then realizes that she left her handbag with all her money in it at home. The four try to sneak out during the polka
contest, but Horace recognizes them and also spots Eremengarde and Ambrose. In the ensuing confrontation, Vandergelder fires Cornelius and Barnaby (although they claim to have already quit) and they are forced to flee as a riot breaks out. Cornelius professes his love for Irene because "It Only Takes a Moment". Horace declares that he wouldn't marry Dolly if she were the last woman in the world. Dolly angrily bids him farewell; while he's bored and lonely, she'll be living the high life ("So Long, Dearie").
The next morning, back at the hay and feed store, Cornelius and Irene, Barnaby and Minnie, and Ambrose and Ermengarde each come to collect the money Vandergelder owes them. Chastened, he finally admits that he needs Dolly in his life, but she is unsure about the marriage until Ephram sends her a sign. Vandergelder spontaneously repeats a saying of Ephram's: "Money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It's not worth a thing unless it's spread about, encouraging young things to grow." Cornelius becomes Horace's business partner at the store, and Barnaby fills in Cornelius' old position. Horace tells Dolly life would be dull without her, and she promises that she'll "never go away again" ("Finale").
, was the filming site for scenes in "Yonkers." In the opening credits, the passenger train is traveling along the Hudson River. Provided by the Strasburg Rail Road
, the train is pulled by Pennsylvania Railroad's #1223 (now located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
) built up as a New York Central & Hudson River locomotive. The railroad car used "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" was restored specifically for the film, and is still running on the Strasburg Rail Road
in Strasburg, Pennsylvania
.
The Poughkeepsie (Metro-North station)
trackside platform was used at the beginning when Dolly was on her way to Yonkers.
The church scene was filmed on the United States Military Academy
grounds, but the facade was built only for the film. The New York City scenes were filmed on the 20th Century-Fox lot in California. Some of the exteriors still exist.
of "Mrs. Horace Vandergelder" was added to the song to integrate it into this film.
Working under the musical direction of Lionel Newman
and Lennie Hayton
, the very large team of orchestrators included film stalwarts Herbert W. Spencer
and Alexander Courage
; the original Broadway production arranger, Philip J. Lang
, making a rare film outing; and pop arrangers Don Costa
and Frank Comstock. All of the actors did their own singing, except for Marianne McAndrew
(Irene Molloy) whose singing was dubbed by Melissa Stafford and Gilda Maiken http://www.barbaralea.com/Dubbers/dubberslist.html. Choreography was by Michael Kidd
.
in his New York Times review said that the producer and director “merely inflated the faults to elephantine proportions.”
According to box office website The Numbers it is also reported that the movie grossed $33.2 million, with $26,000,000 for a total gross of $59.2 million.
The film was the 5th highest gross of 1969.
The film won three Academy Awards and was nominated for another four.
Won
Nominated
Other awards
Contrary to reports, Walter Matthau
was not nominated for best actor for Hello, Dolly but, according to Bafta was nominated in 1969 for another of his films The Secret Life of an American Wife
.
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
, based on the Broadway production of the same name
Hello, Dolly! (musical)
Hello, Dolly! is a musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955....
; the film follows the story of Dolly Levi, a strong-willed matchmaker who travels to Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
, in an attempt to find a match for the miserly "well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire," Horace Vandergelder. In doing so, she convinces his niece, her intended, and Horace's two clerks to travel to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
directed producer Ernest Lehman
Ernest Lehman
Ernest Lehman was an American screenwriter. He received 6 Academy Award nominations during his screenwriting career...
's screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
. The cast included Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
(in his only movie musical), Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford OBE is an English actor and singer. He has garnered great critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his career, which covers radio, television, film, and stagework on both London's West End and on Broadway in New York City...
, Danny Lockin
Danny Lockin
Daniel Joseph "Danny" Lockin was an American actor and dancer who appeared on stage, television, and film. He was best known for his portrayal of the character Barnaby Tucker in the 1969 film Hello, Dolly!.-Career:...
, Tommy Tune
Tommy Tune
Thomas James "Tommy" Tune is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won nine Tony Awards and the National Medal of Arts.-Early years:...
, Fritz Feld
Fritz Feld
Fritz Feld was a film character actor actor who appeared in over 140 films, both silent and sound. His trademark was to slap his mouth with the palm of his hand to create a pop sound.-Biography:...
, Marianne McAndrew
Marianne McAndrew
Marianne McAndrew is an actress known for her role as Irene Molloy in the film Hello, Dolly!-Personal life:McAndrew married actor Stewart Moss in 1970. Four years after they got married, they starred together in The Bat People. McAndrew has two brothers.-Career:Hello, Dolly! was Marianne...
, E. J. Peaker
E. J. Peaker
E.J. Peaker is an American actress. Peaker is best known for her appearances in the movie Hello Dolly! and in the TV musical series That's Life.-Biography:...
and Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, whose recording of the title tune
Hello, Dolly! (song)
"Hello, Dolly!" is the title song of the popular 1964 musical of the same name. Louis Armstrong's version was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001....
was a #1 hit in the mid-1960s. It was photographed in 65 mm Todd-AO
Todd-AO
Todd-AO is a post-production company founded in 1953, providing sound-related services to the motion picture and television industries. The company operates three facilities in the Los Angeles area.-History:...
by Harry Stradling Sr..
Plot
In 1890, all of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
is excited because widowed, brassy Dolly Levi (Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
) is in town. Dolly makes a living through matchmaking and numerous sidelines ("Just Leave Everything to Me"). She is currently seeking a wife for grumpy Horace Vandergelder (Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
), the well-known "half-a-millionaire," but it becomes clear that Dolly intends to marry Horace herself. Dolly travels to Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
to visit Horace. Ambrose Kemper (Tommy Tune
Tommy Tune
Thomas James "Tommy" Tune is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won nine Tony Awards and the National Medal of Arts.-Early years:...
), a young artist, wants to marry Horace's weepy niece, Ermengarde (Joyce Ames), but Horace opposes this because Ambrose's vocation does not guarantee a steady living. Horace, who is the owner of Vandergelder's Hay and Feed, explains to his two clerks, Cornelius Hackl (Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford OBE is an English actor and singer. He has garnered great critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his career, which covers radio, television, film, and stagework on both London's West End and on Broadway in New York City...
) and Barnaby Tucker (Danny Lockin
Danny Lockin
Daniel Joseph "Danny" Lockin was an American actor and dancer who appeared on stage, television, and film. He was best known for his portrayal of the character Barnaby Tucker in the 1969 film Hello, Dolly!.-Career:...
), that he is going to get married because "It Takes a Woman" to cheerfully do all the household chores. He plans to travel to New York City to propose to Irene Molloy (Marianne McAndrew
Marianne McAndrew
Marianne McAndrew is an actress known for her role as Irene Molloy in the film Hello, Dolly!-Personal life:McAndrew married actor Stewart Moss in 1970. Four years after they got married, they starred together in The Bat People. McAndrew has two brothers.-Career:Hello, Dolly! was Marianne...
), who owns a hat shop there. Dolly arrives in Yonkers and sends Horace ahead to the city. Before leaving he tells Cornelius and Barnaby to mind the store.
Cornelius decides that he and Barnaby need to get out of Yonkers. Dolly knows two ladies in New York they should call on: Irene Molloy and her shop assistant, Minnie Fay (E. J. Peaker
E. J. Peaker
E.J. Peaker is an American actress. Peaker is best known for her appearances in the movie Hello Dolly! and in the TV musical series That's Life.-Biography:...
). She enters Ermengarde and Ambrose in the upcoming polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
competition at the fancy Harmonia Gardens Restaurant in New York City, so Ambrose can demonstrate his ability to be a bread winner to Uncle Horace. Cornelius, Barnaby, Ambrose, Ermengarde and Dolly take the train to New York ("Put on Your Sunday Clothes"). Irene and Minnie open their hat shop for the afternoon. Irene does not love Horace Vandergelder and declares that she will wear an elaborate hat to impress a gentleman ("Ribbons Down My Back"). Cornelius and Barnaby arrive at the shop and pretend to be rich. Horace and Dolly arrive and Cornelius and Barnaby hide. Minnie screams when she finds Cornelius hiding in an armoire. Horace is about to open the armoire himself, but Dolly "searches" it and pronounces it empty. After hearing Cornelius sneeze, Horace storms out upon realizing there are men hiding in the shop, although he is unaware that they are his clerks. Dolly arranges for Cornelius and Barnaby, who are still pretending to be rich, to take the ladies out to dinner to the Harmonia Gardens to make up for their humiliation. She teaches Cornelius and Barnaby how to dance since they always have dancing at such establishments ("Dancing"). The clerks and the ladies go to watch the Fourteenth Street Association Parade together. Alone, Dolly asks her first husband Ephram's permission to marry Horace, requesting a sign. She resolves to move on with life ("Before the Parade Passes By"). After meeting an old friend, Gussie Granger (Judy Knaiz), on a float in the parade, Dolly catches up with the annoyed Vandergelder as he is marching in the parade. She tells him the heiress Ernestina Simple would be perfect for him and asks him to meet her at the Harmonia Gardens that evening.
Cornelius is determined to get a kiss before the night is over. Since the clerks have no money to hire a carriage, they tell the girls that walking to the restaurant shows that they've got "Elegance". In a quiet flat, Dolly prepares for the evening ("Love is Only Love"). At the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, Rudolph (David Hurst
David Hurst
David Hurst is a British-German actor.- Germany :Hurst grew up in a family of actors. His father was a member of the Austrian Theatre and appeared frequently at the Salzburg Festival, and was also a renowned director in the Deutsches Theater in Berlin...
), the head waiter, whips his crew into shape for Dolly Levi's return. Horace arrives to meet his date, who is really Dolly's friend Gussie (Judy Knaiz). As it turns out, she is not rich or elegant as Dolly implied, and she soon leaves after being bored by Horace, just as she and Dolly planned.
Cornelius, Barnaby and their dates arrive and are unaware that Horace is also at the restaurant. Dolly makes her triumphant return to the Harmonia Gardens and is greeted in style by the staff. ("Hello, Dolly!
Hello, Dolly! (song)
"Hello, Dolly!" is the title song of the popular 1964 musical of the same name. Louis Armstrong's version was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001....
") She sits in the now-empty seat at Horace's table and proceeds to tell him that no matter what he says, she will not marry him. Fearful of being caught, Cornelius confesses to the ladies that he and Barnaby have no money, and Irene, who knew they were pretending all along, offers to pay for the meal. She then realizes that she left her handbag with all her money in it at home. The four try to sneak out during the polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
contest, but Horace recognizes them and also spots Eremengarde and Ambrose. In the ensuing confrontation, Vandergelder fires Cornelius and Barnaby (although they claim to have already quit) and they are forced to flee as a riot breaks out. Cornelius professes his love for Irene because "It Only Takes a Moment". Horace declares that he wouldn't marry Dolly if she were the last woman in the world. Dolly angrily bids him farewell; while he's bored and lonely, she'll be living the high life ("So Long, Dearie").
The next morning, back at the hay and feed store, Cornelius and Irene, Barnaby and Minnie, and Ambrose and Ermengarde each come to collect the money Vandergelder owes them. Chastened, he finally admits that he needs Dolly in his life, but she is unsure about the marriage until Ephram sends her a sign. Vandergelder spontaneously repeats a saying of Ephram's: "Money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It's not worth a thing unless it's spread about, encouraging young things to grow." Cornelius becomes Horace's business partner at the store, and Barnaby fills in Cornelius' old position. Horace tells Dolly life would be dull without her, and she promises that she'll "never go away again" ("Finale").
Cast
- Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
as Dolly Levi - E. J. PeakerE. J. PeakerE.J. Peaker is an American actress. Peaker is best known for her appearances in the movie Hello Dolly! and in the TV musical series That's Life.-Biography:...
as Minnie Fay - Walter MatthauWalter MatthauWalter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
as Horace Vandergelder - Michael CrawfordMichael CrawfordMichael Crawford OBE is an English actor and singer. He has garnered great critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his career, which covers radio, television, film, and stagework on both London's West End and on Broadway in New York City...
as Cornelius Hackl - Marianne McAndrewMarianne McAndrewMarianne McAndrew is an actress known for her role as Irene Molloy in the film Hello, Dolly!-Personal life:McAndrew married actor Stewart Moss in 1970. Four years after they got married, they starred together in The Bat People. McAndrew has two brothers.-Career:Hello, Dolly! was Marianne...
as Irene Molloy - Danny LockinDanny LockinDaniel Joseph "Danny" Lockin was an American actor and dancer who appeared on stage, television, and film. He was best known for his portrayal of the character Barnaby Tucker in the 1969 film Hello, Dolly!.-Career:...
as Barnaby Tucker - Joyce Ames as Ermengarde Vandergelder
- Tommy TuneTommy TuneThomas James "Tommy" Tune is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won nine Tony Awards and the National Medal of Arts.-Early years:...
as Ambrose Kemper - Judy Knaiz as Gussie Granger/Ernestina Simple
- David HurstDavid HurstDavid Hurst is a British-German actor.- Germany :Hurst grew up in a family of actors. His father was a member of the Austrian Theatre and appeared frequently at the Salzburg Festival, and was also a renowned director in the Deutsches Theater in Berlin...
as Rudolph Reisenweber - Fritz FeldFritz FeldFritz Feld was a film character actor actor who appeared in over 140 films, both silent and sound. His trademark was to slap his mouth with the palm of his hand to create a pop sound.-Biography:...
as Fritz, German waiter - Richard CollierRichard CollierRichard Bernard Collier is a former professional American football player. He played offensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League from 2006–2008, until a shooting incident left him paralyzed from the waist down, ending his football career.Collier played college...
as Joe, Vandergelder's barber - J. Pat O'MalleyJ. Pat O'MalleyJames Patrick O'Malley was an English singer and character actor, who appeared in many American films and television programs during the 1940s–1970s, using the stage name J. Pat O'Malley...
as Policeman in park - Louis ArmstrongLouis ArmstrongLouis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
as Louis, Orchestra leader - Tucker SmithTucker SmithTucker Smith, born Thomas William Smith , was an American actor/dancer/singer best known for his role as Ice in the movie musical West Side Story....
(uncredited) as Dancer
Musical numbers
- "Call On Dolly"
- "Just Leave Everything To Me" •
- "Main Titles (Overture)"
- "It Takes a Woman"
- "It Takes a Woman (Reprise)"
- "Put on Your Sunday Clothes"
- "Ribbons Down My Back"
- "Dancing"
- "Before the Parade Passes By"
- "Intermission"
- "Elegance"
- "Love is Only Love" •
- "Hello, Dolly!Hello, Dolly! (song)"Hello, Dolly!" is the title song of the popular 1964 musical of the same name. Louis Armstrong's version was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001....
" - "It Only Takes a Moment"
- "So Long, Dearie"
- "Finale"
- "End Credits"
Filming Locations
The town of Garrison, New YorkGarrison, New York
Garrison is a hamlet in Putnam County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown and is on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the United States Military Academy at West Point...
, was the filming site for scenes in "Yonkers." In the opening credits, the passenger train is traveling along the Hudson River. Provided by the Strasburg Rail Road
Strasburg Rail Road
The Strasburg Rail Road is a heritage railroad located near Strasburg, Pennsylvania. It operates excursion trains hauled by steam locomotives in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country.Across the street lies the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania...
, the train is pulled by Pennsylvania Railroad's #1223 (now located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is a railroad museum in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.The museum is located on the east side of Strasburg along Pennsylvania Route 741...
) built up as a New York Central & Hudson River locomotive. The railroad car used "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" was restored specifically for the film, and is still running on the Strasburg Rail Road
Strasburg Rail Road
The Strasburg Rail Road is a heritage railroad located near Strasburg, Pennsylvania. It operates excursion trains hauled by steam locomotives in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country.Across the street lies the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania...
in Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Strasburg is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It developed as a linear village along the Great Conestoga Road, stretching about two miles along path later known as the Strasburg Road...
.
The Poughkeepsie (Metro-North station)
Poughkeepsie (Metro-North station)
The Poughkeepsie Metro-North Railroad station serves Poughkeepsie, New York and surrounding areas as the north end of the Hudson Line. It is also served by many Amtrak trains, which continue north to Albany and points beyond, and south to New York City's Pennsylvania Station. Trains leave for New...
trackside platform was used at the beginning when Dolly was on her way to Yonkers.
The church scene was filmed on the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
grounds, but the facade was built only for the film. The New York City scenes were filmed on the 20th Century-Fox lot in California. Some of the exteriors still exist.
Music
Most of the original Broadway production's score was preserved for the film; however, Just Leave Everything to Me and Love Is Only Love were not in the stage show. Jerry Herman wrote Just Leave Everything to Me especially for Streisand; it effectively replaced I Put My Hand In from the Broadway production. He had previously written Love is Only Love for the stage version of Mame, but it was cut before its Broadway premiere. It occurred in the story as Mame tried to explain falling in love to her young nephew Patrick. A brief prologuePrologue
A prologue is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance...
of "Mrs. Horace Vandergelder" was added to the song to integrate it into this film.
Working under the musical direction of Lionel Newman
Lionel Newman
Lionel Newman was an American conductor, pianist, and film and television composer. He was the brother of Alfred Newman and Emil Newman, uncle of Randy Newman, David Newman and Thomas Newman, and grandfather of Joey Newman....
and Lennie Hayton
Lennie Hayton
Leonard George "Lennie" Hayton was an American Jewish composer, conductor and arranger. His trademark was the wearing of a captain’s hat, which he always wore at a rakish angle....
, the very large team of orchestrators included film stalwarts Herbert W. Spencer
Herbert W. Spencer
Herbert Winfield Spencer was a film and television composer and orchestrator.Spencer gained industry fame when he teamed up with fellow 20th Century Fox orchestrator Earle Hagen in 1953 to create the Spencer-Hagen Orchestra...
and Alexander Courage
Alexander Courage
Alexander "Sandy" Mair Courage Jr. was an American orchestrator, arranger, and composer of music, primarily for television and film.-Biography:...
; the original Broadway production arranger, Philip J. Lang
Philip J. Lang
Philip J. Lang was an American musical arranger, orchestrator and composer of band music, as well as a musical educator...
, making a rare film outing; and pop arrangers Don Costa
Don Costa
Don Costa was an American pop music arranger and record producer, best known for his work with Frank Sinatra.-Career:...
and Frank Comstock. All of the actors did their own singing, except for Marianne McAndrew
Marianne McAndrew
Marianne McAndrew is an actress known for her role as Irene Molloy in the film Hello, Dolly!-Personal life:McAndrew married actor Stewart Moss in 1970. Four years after they got married, they starred together in The Bat People. McAndrew has two brothers.-Career:Hello, Dolly! was Marianne...
(Irene Molloy) whose singing was dubbed by Melissa Stafford and Gilda Maiken http://www.barbaralea.com/Dubbers/dubberslist.html. Choreography was by Michael Kidd
Michael Kidd
Michael Kidd was an American film and stage choreographer.-Life and career:Born Milton Greenwald in New York City on the Lower East Side, the son of Abraham Greenwald, an immigrant barber, and his wife Lillian, Michael Kidd moved to Brooklyn with his family and attended New Utrecht High School there...
.
Critical reception
Critical reaction was mixed. Vincent CanbyVincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
in his New York Times review said that the producer and director “merely inflated the faults to elephantine proportions.”
Box office
Box office reports vary, according to the book Barbra Streisand Quote Unquote the movie grossed $13 million, and was considered a flop as the budget was $25 million.According to box office website The Numbers it is also reported that the movie grossed $33.2 million, with $26,000,000 for a total gross of $59.2 million.
The film was the 5th highest gross of 1969.
Awards and nominations
Academy AwardsThe film won three Academy Awards and was nominated for another four.
Won
- Best Art DirectionAcademy Award for Best Art DirectionThe Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
(John DeCuirJohn DeCuirJohn DeCuir was a Hollywood art director.He studied at the Chouinard Art School, joined Universal in the late 1930s, and by the mid-1940s was designing sets. In 1949, he signed with 20th Century Fox where he worked on productions noted for their elaborate sets...
, Jack Martin SmithJack Martin SmithJack Martin Smith was a highly successful Hollywood art director with over 130 films to his credit and nine Academy Award nominations which ultimately yielded three Oscars.-MGM:...
, Herman Blumenthal,
Walter M. ScottWalter M. ScottWalter M. Scott was an Academy Award-winning set decorator who worked on films such as The Sound of Music and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid....
, George Hopkins, Raphael BrettonRaphael BrettonRaphael Bretton is a French set decorator. He won an Academy Award and was nominated for three more in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:...
) - Best Score of a Musical PictureAcademy Award for Original Music ScoreThe Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
(Lennie HaytonLennie HaytonLeonard George "Lennie" Hayton was an American Jewish composer, conductor and arranger. His trademark was the wearing of a captain’s hat, which he always wore at a rakish angle....
,
Lionel NewmanLionel NewmanLionel Newman was an American conductor, pianist, and film and television composer. He was the brother of Alfred Newman and Emil Newman, uncle of Randy Newman, David Newman and Thomas Newman, and grandfather of Joey Newman....
) - Best Sound (Jack SolomonJack Solomon (sound engineer)Jack Solomon was an American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award for Sound Recording and was nominated for five more in the same category...
, Murray SpivackMurray SpivackMurray Spivack was a Russian-born American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award for Sound Recording and was nominated for another in the same category.-Selected filmography:...
)
Nominated
- Best CinematographyAcademy Award for Best CinematographyThe Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
(Harry Stradling Sr.Harry StradlingHarry Stradling Sr., A.S.C. was an American cinematographer with over 130 films to his credit.His uncle Walter Stradling and son Harry Stradling Jr. were also cinematographers.-Early career:...
) - Best Costume DesignAcademy Award for Costume DesignThe Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievement in film costume design....
(Irene SharaffIrene SharaffIrene Sharaff was an American costume designer for stage and screen. Her work earned her five Academy Awards and a Tony Award.- Background :...
) - Best Film EditingAcademy Award for Film EditingThe Academy Award for Film Editing is one of the annual awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Nominations for this award are closely correlated with the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since 1981, every film selected as Best Picture has also been nominated for the Film Editing...
(William H. ReynoldsWilliam H. ReynoldsWilliam H. Reynolds was an American film editor whose career spanned six decades. His credits include such notable films as The Sound of Music, The Godfather, The Sting, and The Turning Point...
) - Best PictureAcademy Award for Best PictureThe Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
Other awards
- 23rd British Academy Film Awards23rd British Academy Film AwardsThe 23rd British Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1970, honoured the best films of 1969.-Best Film: Midnight Cowboy *Z*Women in Love*Oh! What a Lovely War-Best Actor:...
- BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBest Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :...
- Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
- Nomination - BAFTA Award for Best Art Direction - John DecuirJohn DeCuirJohn DeCuir was a Hollywood art director.He studied at the Chouinard Art School, joined Universal in the late 1930s, and by the mid-1940s was designing sets. In 1949, he signed with 20th Century Fox where he worked on productions noted for their elaborate sets...
- Nomination - BAFTA Award for Best CinematographyBAFTA Award for Best Cinematography-Best Cinematography - Colour:* 1963 - From Russia with Love - Ted Moore** Nine Hours to Rama – Arthur Ibbetson** The Running Man – Robert Krasker** Sammy Going South – Erwin Hillier** The Scarlet Blade – Jack Asher...
- Harry StradlingHarry StradlingHarry Stradling Sr., A.S.C. was an American cinematographer with over 130 films to his credit.His uncle Walter Stradling and son Harry Stradling Jr. were also cinematographers.-Early career:...
- Nomination
- BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Contrary to reports, Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
was not nominated for best actor for Hello, Dolly but, according to Bafta was nominated in 1969 for another of his films The Secret Life of an American Wife
The Secret Life of an American Wife
The Secret Life of an American Wife is a 1968 comedy film written and directed by George Axelrod. The film was released by 20th Century Fox in 1968, and was considered a box-office failure. It features a music score by Billy May...
.
- 27th Golden Globe Awards27th Golden Globe AwardsThe 27th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 1969 films, were held on February 2, 1970.-Best Actor - Drama: John Wayne - True Grit*Alan Arkin - Popi*Richard Burton - Anne of the Thousand Days...
- Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Gene KellyGene KellyEugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
- Nomination - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyGolden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyThe Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1950...
- Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
- Nomination - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture - Marianne McAndrewMarianne McAndrewMarianne McAndrew is an actress known for her role as Irene Molloy in the film Hello, Dolly!-Personal life:McAndrew married actor Stewart Moss in 1970. Four years after they got married, they starred together in The Bat People. McAndrew has two brothers.-Career:Hello, Dolly! was Marianne...
- Nomination - Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress - Marianne McAndrewMarianne McAndrewMarianne McAndrew is an actress known for her role as Irene Molloy in the film Hello, Dolly!-Personal life:McAndrew married actor Stewart Moss in 1970. Four years after they got married, they starred together in The Bat People. McAndrew has two brothers.-Career:Hello, Dolly! was Marianne...
- Nomination
- Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Gene Kelly
- Directors Guild of America AwardsDirectors Guild of America AwardsThe Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D.W. Griffith....
1970- Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film - Gene KellyGene KellyEugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
- Nomination
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film - Gene Kelly
- American Cinema EditorsAmerican Cinema EditorsFounded in 1950, American Cinema Editors is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing itself. The society is not to be confused with an industry union, such as the I.A.T.S.E...
- Best Edited Feature Film - Warren Low - Won
Cultural Influence
- The songs "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" and "It Only Takes A Moment", along with footage, were featured in the 2008 Disney-PixarPixarPixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
film, WALL-EWALL-EWALL-E, promoted with an interpunct as WALL•E, is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. The story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future...
.