Blu-ray Review Bye Bye Birdie Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[bestactor]

I don't think my memory is as imperfect as you imply. I have always been obsessed with the beginning of movies and was always incensed if showings screwed up the beginnings, especially if there was a road show overture/prelude. I was also obsessed with Bye Bye Birdie when it came out and saw it numerous times--I often stayed in the theatre for replays. The animated flame was not in any print of Bye Bye Birdie I encountered until much later. It is not so unusual for more than 1 version of prints to exist even in the initial distribution. I thought the animation was added later to hide the morph. It was clearly Columbia turning into Conrad dressed in gold. I also more vaguely remember Columbia doing stuff during a Three Stooges short or feature.
The white credits definitely exist in some versions but I know they were for video releases and never in the original. The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm also suffers from reworked credits in current versions. I would love to see this film restored to the level of How the West Was Won.

 

[Eric Vedowski]

I doubt the elements of "Gypsy" are in need of much work (Warners' most recent DVD - included in their 2009 Natalie Wood Collection DVD boxset), was a couple of notches better visually than the earlier (now OOP) snapper case edition from 2000. I also doubt the DVD sold poorly - both video and DVD editions have been strong sellers for Warners.

"Gypsy" was being shown On Demand on Comcast in HD at one point. It was available for a long time and I watched it more than once. It looked fabulous. Comcast has since done away with the Preferred Collection section of On Demand, replaced by Infinity Streaming. They also had all the recent Columbia HD on there as well. Picnic, a bunch of Kim Novaks, and even the Bye, Bye Birdie now out. All looked great. Too bad they pulled that section.

 

[Eric Vedowski]

I don't think my memory is as imperfect as you imply. I have always been obsessed with the beginning of movies and was always incensed if showings screwed up the beginnings, especially if there was a road show overture/prelude. I was also obsessed with Bye Bye Birdie when it came out and saw it numerous times--I often stayed in the theatre for replays. The animated flame was not in any print of Bye Bye Birdie I encountered until much later. It is not so unusual for more than 1 version of prints to exist even in the initial distribution. I thought the animation was added later to hide the morph. It was clearly Columbia turning into Conrad dressed in gold. I also more vaguely remember Columbia doing stuff during a Three Stooges short or feature.
The white credits definitely exist in some versions but I know they were for video releases and never in the original. The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm also suffers from reworked credits in current versions. I would love to see this film restored to the level of How the West Was Won.

DVD Savant has his own memories: "Even stranger is what was done with the first few seconds of the wonderful film Bye Bye Birdie. It originally began with a really cool animated sequence. To the electric guitar chords of the opening music, a giant 'Bye Bye Birdie' logo zoomed forward out of the Torch held by Columbia's Torch Lady. It was accompanied by some text, the credit, I believe, of producer Fred Kohlmar. Something about the wording of the text must have offended, however, because in its first video incarnations, the whole title card was dropped. After a plain Columbia logo, the music played over black, and the film popped in with the newspaper headline announcing the drafing of Conrad Birdie.
About 1990, when a letterboxed laser of Bye Bye Birdie was released, a redone title sequence was substituted. Here a different, presumably acceptable, wording of the Kohlmar credit (adding George Sidney as co-producer?) appears over the Columbia logo. Then, crudely animated red hearts pop out of the torch flame and merge to form the title logo, which dissolves into the newspaper headline. This is an okay replacement, I suppose, but I miss the punch of the original (hey, I was thirteen and they showed it in Junior high school: I thought Bobby Rydell was cool)."

 

[GMpasqua]

Originally Posted by bestactor /t/322968/bye-bye-birdie-blu-ray-review#post_3961912
Does anyone know if the original theatrical release version of the Columbia logo for Bye Bye Birdie exists anywhere? Originally Bye Bye Birdie opened with Columbia holding the torch but she morphed into Conrad Birdie during the music before Ann Margret appeared. I remember this from my very first time watching in the theatre. I thought it was hilarious and immediately established the satirical comic tone for the whole movie. It stayed this way for TV broadcasts for about 10 years or so. Someone at Columbia must have really found this insulting because all video releases now have the sappy animated hearts. Also the credits have been shown in various states--often white instead of the original yellow. Can someone comment on the Blu-ray release about these elements?

I remember this happening - the Columbia Lady morphed into "Conrad Birdie" although I don't remember him being "Conrad Birdie" - I believe you are remembering another film.

I've seen BBB in the theater a number of times and each time it opened wth the red flames morphing into the logo.

My memory might also be confusing the Columbia torch Lady with MGM's Leo the Lion who was also know to morph into other characters at the being of films

 

[KMR]

If that is way their original intention was for the opening number, I vote for the blue screen background. 

Amen! I saw this film in its first release, when I was 6 years old, and A-M singing in front of that blue background is not only what I most remember from that movie, but is probably my most vivid memory from going to the movies in my childhood, period. It was powerful!

 

[MatthewA]

I just got my copy and watched it, and boy was I ever impressed. I had the VHS, the widescreen laserdisc, and the DVD, but after watching this Blu-Ray, I can say only this has done it justice. The colors just fly off the screen, and the sound comes alive.

And what a movie it is. I have never seen the play, but this movie more than stands up on its own merits. It's one of the most visually creative and exciting musicals of the 1960s, and the cast is perfect. One thing I noticed is the large amount of references to Hanna-Barbera cartoons, which Columbia distributed at the time. It's more than fitting; the film is a live-action cartoon, and George Sidney was the one who brought H-B to the studio after MGM closed down their animation unit. The Speed-Up subplot is beyond hokey, but somehow it fits into the overall context of the film, and, whether intended or not, adds an additional layer of satire of the drug culture that was germinating around the time; Timothy Leary was doing his research with hallucinogens in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The film seems surprisingly prescient about that as well as the Sexual Revolution; the film seems to spoof the whole idea of teenagers. That very word is a creation of the 1920s, but it wasn't until the post-WWII era that its effects on American culture were visible. A lot of this stuff went over my head when I was a kid; I was introduced to it in part because my mom loved the movie when she was a kid, having fond memories of seeing it in a theater in Myrtle Beach on a rainy day during a family vacation.

Since television seems to be motivating much the plot, I couldn't help notice how the film's visual style reminded me of the classic Screen Gems sitcoms of the mid-to-late 1960s (Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Monkees), and having Paul Lynde in the film reinforced that, too.

One thing that has always bugged me, though, is the rather abrupt end of "Rosie," cutting rather awkwardly into the end reprise of the title song. I assume it was always like that, but it always struck me as pretty jarring.

Anyway, bravo to Twilight Time for this disc.

 

[JamesNelson]

My only minor criticism with this otherwise stellar release is the dearth of chapter stops. A musical disc should have, at a minimum, a chapter stop at every song.

 

[Jefferson]

I agree, and made the same comment last night. Later releases of musicals on dvd do not have chapter stops on the songs as they did in the early days. Annoying trend.

 

[neil]

I have watched this blu-ray twice.I am using a 5.1 yamaha surround receiver and it is set to dts, the default audio from the disc and the speaking voices are coming out of the side speakers rather than the front and side speakers. Anyone else having this issue?

 

[haineshisway]

I have watched this blu-ray twice.I am using a 5.1 yamaha surround receiver and it is set to dts, the default audio from the disc and the speaking voices are coming out of the side speakers rather than the front and side speakers. Anyone else having this issue?

I have to say I have had this problem occasionally with the Yamaha receiver - just on certain players, though. It's weird.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein /t/322968/bye-bye-birdie-blu-ray-review#post_3962028
Just watched this film for the first time yesterday.

Thought it was simply "okay." Certainly light and fun,
but it fell below my initial expectations.

If I hadn't read Joe's post (#3) before watching the film,
perhaps I wouldn't be complaining. However, I think that
opening blue-screen song is horrendous.

On the plus side, I have always enjoyed Paul Lynde, and
he is the highlight of the film. Wish Dick Van Dyke had
another dance number, but the so-familiar "Put on a Happy
Face" was nice to finally see.

As for the transfer....it's terrific.

Well, for me it's one of my more favorite moments from this film. It's the one thing I remembered most from my first viewing of this film back in 63. Tonight, I had a blast revisiting this fine musical with my BRD. It's been many years since the last time I viewed this film and I almost forgot how many musical numbers were in this film. Those involved in this BRD production should be proud of the fine job they did with it. Also, after my viewing tonight, I can see why I troubled my older brother to take me to see the film "Viva Las Vegas" back in the day and it wasn't to see Elvis on the big screen.






Crawdaddy

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by JamesNelson /t/322968/bye-bye-birdie-blu-ray-review/30#post_3962046
I've never understood why Ann Margret sings the title song with an exaggerated Brooklyn accent (Boi, Boi, Boid-Hee) when her character hails from Sweetwater, Ohio. Unless she's not portraying Kim in these bookend sections?

I thought it sounded more like an exaggerated Chicago accent.

 

[David Norman]

Well, for me it's one of my more favorite moments from this film.  It's the one thing I remembered most from my first viewing of this film back in 63.  Tonight, I had a blast revisiting this fine musical with my BRD.  It's been many years since the last time I viewed this film and I almost forgot how many musical numbers were in this film.  Those involved in this BRD production should be proud of the fine job they did with it.  Also, after my viewing tonight, I can see why I troubled my older brother to take me to see the film "Viva Las Vegas" back in the day and it wasn't to see Elvis on the big screen.
Crawdaddy

I'm going to guess you agree with the Maureen Stapleton quote.
I just about die laughing everytime I read that story and how warped it became passing from person to person. Elvis -- Natalie Wood, Nancy Sinatra, Ann-Margret, and gets 'stuck'
with Priscella. Damn what a guy.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by David Norman /t/322968/bye-bye-birdie-blu-ray-review/60#post_3964078
I'm going to guess you agree with the Maureen Stapleton quote.
I just about die laughing everytime I read that story and how warped it became passing from person to person. Elvis -- Natalie Wood, Nancy Sinatra, Ann-Margret, and gets 'stuck'
with Priscella. Damn what a guy.

What quote is that?

Another thing about this film is that Stapleton playing Van Dyke's mother was actually born the same year as him.

One more thing about the Bye Bye Birdie song. Ann singing in the opening was more like a teenager singing while the quality of her voice in the closing number was more like a woman's singing voice.






Crawdaddy

 

[David Norman]

What quote is that?
Another thing about this film is that Stapleton playing Van Dyke's mother was actually born the same year as him.
One more thing about the Bye Bye Birdie song.  Ann singing in the opening was more like a teenager singing while the quality of her voice in the closing number was more like a woman's singing voice.
Crawdaddy

BBB @ TCM
"One famous behind-the-scenes Bye Bye Birdie anecdote that continues to circulate today is Maureen Stapleton's legendary comment at the film's wrap party. After the producer, the director and Dick Van Dyke all made speeches and personally singled out Ann-Margret for individual praise, Ms. Stapleton allegedly stood up and said, "Well, it looks like I'm the only one on this picture who didn't try to f**k Ann-Margret." In her autobiography Hell of a Life, Stapleton sets the record straight once and for all: "I hate to disillusion anyone, but that's not what happened. Actually, we were at a party at somebody's home, and I noticed that Ann-Margret was sitting on a couch surrounded by a bunch of guys coming on to her. About an hour later she was in the same place. I was on my way to the buffet table and called over to her. "Annie, why don't you come and sit with me? I'm the only one here who doesn't want to f**k you." That's the true story, and I wouldn't care how it was told except that I like Ann-Margret and the first version makes it sound like I was putting her down." "
All that said, I've had a major league crush on her since the early 70's (probably Viva Las Vegas on TV) and constantly go back and forth between her and Natalie Wood for Most Beautiful Actress in my lifetime. Eliz Taylor was just a little before my adolescence, Raquel was never my favorite (liked her much better as she aged), Prime time Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman, and Audrey Hepburn for wholly different reasons. I can be a pervert in all sorts of eras.

 

[GMpasqua]

I like the one in Dick Van Dyk'e book where he comes on to the sound stage and see's Ann-Margret sitting on Director George Sidney's lap. Dick turns to fellowBBB stage co-star Paul Lynne and says "oh we're in trouble"

 

[Ejanss]

I was on my way to the buffet table and called over to her. "Annie, why don't you come and sit with me? I'm the only one here who doesn't want to f**k you." That's the true story, and I wouldn't care how it was told except that I like Ann-Margret and the first version makes it sound like I was putting her down." "

(Oh, then Maureen Stapleton really IS a pottymouth? I just thought it was a cliche' when they always made her drop F-bombs in comedies, like 'Johnny Dangerously".)

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by GMpasqua /t/322968/bye-bye-birdie-blu-ray-review/60#post_3964218
I like the one in Dick Van Dyk'e book where he comes on to the sound stage and see's Ann-Margret sitting on Director George Sidney's lap. Dick turns to fellowBBB stage co-star Paul Lynne and says "oh we're in trouble"

Dick probably should've warned Elvis then.

 

[GMpasqua]

Originally Posted by Ejanss /t/322968/bye-bye-birdie-blu-ray-review/60#post_3964220
(Oh, then Maureen Stapleton really IS a pottymouth? I just thought it was a cliche' when they always made her drop F-bombs in comedies, like 'Johnny Dangerously".)

According to Van Dyke's book, at the wrap party Stapleton was took off all her clothing and jumped into the swimming pool, but no one else joined in

 

[Larry Geller]

One more thing about the Bye Bye Birdie song. Ann singing in the opening was more like a teenager singing while the quality of her voice in the closing number was more like a woman's singing voice.

Funny you should mention this. This is what my dad used to explain the concept of maturity to my 11-year old self, in 1963. She started the film as a kid & ended it as a woman. It was my favorite movie ever at the time & was the first LP I ever bought.