Hello Dolly (1969) (1 Viewer)

[GMpasqua]

"Patton" won best Picture for 1970 and was also a 20th Fox Reversed seat roadshow production. In Manhattan "Patton" opened 2 months after "Hello Dolly" but only played as a roadshow for 4 months before going wide in June 1970, "Dolly" played as a roadshow for 7 months and didn't go wide until late August 1970. The only other film to have a long roadshow run during the 70's in NY was "Fiddler on the Roof" (over a year) in 1968 "Funny Girl" ran as a roadshow for 16 months before going wide (general release, popular prices, neighborood theaters) "Dolly" did perfrom well enough at the box-office to make the top 5 (I believe Disney's "The Love Bug" was the number 1 film that year) Dolly was only considered a bomb on the books because it cost so much money to produce (money which was a long shot to recover from the start, Fox was dreaming, no film at the time came close to doing "The Sound of Music's business, so why would "Dolly"? After the "Cleopatra" problems it's surprising FOX even went ahead with such an expensive film (Dolly should have cost 8-10 million to produce, and then it would have been profitable, though it may not have been so magnificent - which might have made a difference. Other films which earned the same as "Dolly" were considered hits because their costs were very low. "MASH" also from Fox cost very little. It opened early in 1970 and ran steadily throughout the year..earning tons of money, Hollywood learned not to take big risks which meant big losses. But still, Fox had that other expenisve Roadshow bomb for the fall of 1970 "Tora, Tora, Tora" (about as exciting as watching paint dry) Never knew Matthau and Streisand were hitting each other, wouldn't have made the papers?

 

[MatthewA]

Originally Posted by Everett Stallings
I thought "Oliver" won best picture.

Yes. By the "Big 4" I meant West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Sound of Music and Oliver! That was the template for stage-to-screen transfers and it worked as long as the budgets were kept under control.
There was a very strong anti-musical streak in the New Hollywood, and that may be why Cabaret lost Best Picture to The Godfather (although neither deserved to lose).

 

[DP 70]

I have now booked my front row seat for the whole of this years Widescreen Weekend in Bradford which includes Hello Dolly in Tood-AO and DTS Special Venue on the Louvered Screen and they are also showing The Sound of Music as well cant wait...

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes. By the "Big 4" I meant West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Sound of Music and Oliver! That was the template for stage-to-screen transfers and it worked as long as the budgets were kept under control. There was a very strong anti-musical streak in the New Hollywood, and that may be why Cabaret lost Best Picture to The Godfather (although neither deserved to lose).

Fiddler on the Roof lost Best Picture to The French Connection the previous year as well.

 

[Everett S.]

Well I saw the RoadShow 3 times @ the New Theatre in Baltimore, Md., and the place was packed. That was a 2000 seat house!!! It, is also on Vudu for rent or buy!!! I own it, and still plan to buy it. Blu is just a little bit sharper then HDX. Funny Girl is up at Amazon UK!

"Funny Girl" the RoadShow version has NEVER been released on any home video including TV. It's a little longer than the RoadShow! I wonder if this Blu-ray will be the roadshow? On Dolly I tried to get the midnight show tickets 4 "New Years Eve, but it was sold out @ $100.00 a seat!!! I wanted to take my MOM.:jawdrop:

 

[ahollis]

"Funny Girl" the RoadShow version has NEVER been released on any home video including TV. It's a little longer than the RoadShow! I wonder if this Blu-ray will be the roadshow?:

What's the difference in versions? I saw the Roadshow at the Coranet in San Francisco and the General Version when it hit Jackson MS. I do not remember anything different at the time.

 

[Larry-Bender]

The dvd is the roadshow version. I saw this when it first came out.

 

[Mark Mayes]

Funny Girl is up at Amazon UK!

Hmm, I didn't see a blu listing...

 

[X Ray]

http://2011-01-05rob

 

[X Ray]

Its interest erring how people talk about Streisand and Pitts,age,hmm.

 

[Rob W]

What's the difference in versions? I saw the Roadshow at the Coranet in San Francisco and the General Version when it hit Jackson MS. I do not remember anything different at the time.

The original 70mm prints had cutaways to Nick Arnstein gambling mixed in with 'The Swan' number, to the point that critics complained that what looked like a fine number had been cut up / shortened unnecessarily. The number was lengthened / revised in the general release version released in 35mm ; but because the negative had been cut you can see minor frame jumps at the spots where the new material was inserted.

 

[Everett S.]

The original 70mm prints had cutaways to Nick Arnstein gambling mixed in with 'The Swan' number, to the point that critics complained that what looked like a fine number had been cut up / shortened unnecessarily. The number was lengthened / revised in the general release version released in 35mm ; but because the negative had been cut you can see minor frame jumps at the spots where the new material was inserted.

Hmm, I didn't see a blu listing...

That's right! Sorry about Funny Girl it was "Hello Dolly", I saw for preorder.

 

[Everett S.]

The dvd is the roadshow version. I saw this when it first came out.

Sorry, but I worked as an Usher 4 most of the roadshow run of "Funny Girl" and I took my mom to see it at the local theatre durning the general release, It was changed durning the Swan number which was now showed in full, where as there was the card game double exposed over it in the RoadShow,REALLY.

 

[Everett S.]

Sorry, but I worked as an Usher 4 most of the roadshow run of "Funny Girl" and I took my mom to see it at the local theatre durning the general release, It was changed durning the Swan number which was now showed in full, where as there was the card game double exposed over it in the RoadShow,REALLY.

Also the ones being streamed are not the RoadShow !!! They should put both on the Blu-Ray.

 

[Jim*Tod]

I saw the roadshow of FUNNY GIRL, albeit almost certainly a 35mm print. But the double exposed image of the card players over the Swan Lake parody was there too. I always wondered if I'd imagined this or what since I saw it later in general release. Are there any other differences between what is currently on the dvd and the road show? Definitely looking forward to both this and DOLLY on blu ray.

 

[Ethan Riley]

I've always heard that Anne Francis had a solo number, but I know nothing more than that. I think it must have been cut before release.

 

[bryan4999]

I saw the roadshow of FUNNY GIRL, albeit almost certainly a 35mm print. But the double exposed image of the card players over the Swan Lake parody was there too. I always wondered if I'd imagined this or what since I saw it later in general release. Are there any other differences between what is currently on the dvd and the road show? Definitely looking forward to both this and DOLLY on blu ray.

Thanks you guys so much for this info. I saw FUNNY GIRL mid-1980s in a revival house (The Vista in Hollywood on a double-bill with GYPSY, it was pouring rain that night) and the card game was superimposed over Swan Lake; they must have gotten a vintage print. I was startled because I had never see it that way before, and after watching the home video versions and it never being that way I thought I was nuts.

 

[KMR]

"Patton" won best Picture for 1970 and was also a 20th Fox Reversed seat roadshow production.

Wow, that must have been a chore for the audiences of the roadshow version, to twist around in their seats to watch the movie. There have been a couple of movies I've seen in the theater where a reversed seat would have been an improvement, though. Oh, you meant "Reserved seat". That's very different. Nevermind.

 

[bryan4999]

Since the superimposing of the card game over Swan Lake came up, I wonder if anyone who had the widescreen laserdisc of FUNNY GIRL noticed something odd. Just before the song "People", as Fanny and Nick come into the alley by the saloon, for a few seconds there was some other image superimposed there. It looked like an automobile, very faint. I don'y think it was on purpose, but I can't imagine how it could have ahappened. it does not appear on the DVD. Did anyone else notice that? I no longer have that laserdisc or I would try to capture that sequence.

 

[Erik_H]

"Funny Girl" is now available for pre-order on Amazon (release date not specified). List price is $19.99, which leads me to assume that Sony isn't going the special edition route for this title.