Hello Dolly (1969) (1 Viewer)

[Mikey1969]

Indeed, there are many attractive young male dancers in that scene...it's unfortunate that most of them are making those wild, exaggerated facial expressions and actions that would be more at home in a silent film, or one aimed at the visually impaired.

 

[ahollis]

While we are playing who's that, does anyone know the name of the dancer/actor that has blond hair and wears glasses. He plays a waiter and can be seen sitting on the NYC train station steps during opening number and also in the "Keep Dancing Number". He was talented and must have been a favorite of Michael Kidd since he is prominent in the waiters scenes.

 

[Jim*Tod]

Not sure about the blonde dancer with glasses, though it might be Michael Blodgett, later star of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. He is more visible in the chorus of the film of BYE BYE BIRDIE.

Perhaps most notable among the male dancers is Bert May, who can be spotted as one of the waiters with brown slicked back hair and a handlebar mustache. He started his career in MGM musicals and can be spotted in ZIEGFELD FOLLIES, SUMMER STOCK, IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER, GUYS AND DOLLS, LIL' ABNER, THE BANDWAGON, and even AT LONG LAST LOVE.... plus many others. His dance career spanned at least 25 years, which is pretty amazing. I have learned he is still alive and well and can only hope someone will sit him down for an interview. I bet he has some incredible stories to tell.

 

[ahollis]

Perhaps most notable among the male dancers is Bert May, who can be spotted as one of the waiters with brown slicked back hair and a handlebar mustache. He started his career in MGM musicals and can be spotted in ZIEGFELD FOLLIES, SUMMER STOCK, IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER, GUYS AND DOLLS, LIL' ABNER, THE BANDWAGON, and even AT LONG LAST LOVE.... plus many others. His dance career spanned at least 25 years, which is pretty amazing. I have learned he is still alive and well and can only hope someone will sit him down for an interview. I bet he has some incredible stories to tell.

Thanks. It would intresting to read a few back stories on alll the dancers from the film along with comments from the remaining living actors.

 

[Matt Hough]

Thanks. It would intresting to read a few back stories on alll the dancers from the film along with comments from the remaining living actors.

I have long advocated a book of backstage stories from the dancers on the MGM and Fox musicals. There have to be some still around who must have a plethora of tales to spin about those legendary films. I think it would be a CRIME if these stories weren't put down for posterity.

 

[haineshisway]

Not sure about the blonde dancer with glasses, though it might be Michael Blodgett, later star of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. He is more visible in the chorus of the film of BYE BYE BIRDIE.

Perhaps most notable among the male dancers is Bert May, who can be spotted as one of the waiters with brown slicked back hair and a handlebar mustache. He started his career in MGM musicals and can be spotted in ZIEGFELD FOLLIES, SUMMER STOCK, IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER, GUYS AND DOLLS, LIL' ABNER, THE BANDWAGON, and even AT LONG LAST LOVE.... plus many others. His dance career spanned at least 25 years, which is pretty amazing. I have learned he is still alive and well and can only hope someone will sit him down for an interview. I bet he has some incredible stories to tell.

Michael Blodgett??? That is so not Michael Blodgett!

 

[Ethan Riley]

I have long advocated a book of backstage stories from the dancers on the MGM and Fox musicals. There have to be some still around who must have a plethora of tales to spin about those legendary films. I think it would be a CRIME if these stories weren't put down for posterity.

I don't know any Hello Dolly dancers...would a Meet Me in St. Louis dancer do?

This person:

View attachment 619

Is this person:

View attachment 620

Her name is Dee Volz. She was my journalism teacher in college. She was under contract at MGM in the mid-40s. She was also in Ziegfeld Follies. She mentioned she chatted with Judy Garland on more than one occasion. She is now 90 years old; still takes dance class and occasionally still teaches!!

 

[Ethan Riley]

Here she is again. This photo was taken just last month and was published in our local paper (Ventura County, CA). 90 years old and grading her students' papers!

 

[Doug Bull]

Our own member Joe Caps once told me he had met BERT MAY and reported that he was a really nice guy.
He told me he started out as an acrobat.

Bert May also danced on Broadway in Cole Porter's "Can-Can".

Bert May has appeared in countless Movie Musicals (from the 40s onwards), mostly at MGM, but later with other studios.
He danced and even sang along with many Film Musical Greats.

His biggest role was playing a brother of Pier Angeli in the Danny Kaye Cinemascope musical "Merry Andrew"
He was un-billed but had some dialogue and actually got to dance alongside Tommy Rall and Danny Kaye.

Bert was often given short on screen solo turns during large production numbers.

He is in his late 80s and reported to be in good health.
He now resides in South Dakota, a long way from his golden years in Hollywood.

Bert's Appearances include,

"Everything I Have Is Yours" (Dancer)
"Two Girls And a Sailor" (non dancing Soldier in audience)
"Movie Pests" - Pete Smith Specialty ( Soldier in audience again)
"The Barkley's of Broadway" (Dancer)
"Summer Stock" (Dancer in the Get Happy number)
"The Strip" (Dancer)
"The Band Wagon" (Dancer and a couple of words of dialogue with Fred Astaire)
"Hit The Deck" (Dancing Sailor)
"Till the Clouds Roll By" (Dancer)
"Ziegfeld Follies" (dancer and gets to sing a line in a judy Garland song)
"It's Always Fair Weather" (Dancer)
"Meet Me in Las Vegas" (Dancer)
"Merry Andrew" (Featured role and dances with Tommy Rall and Danny Kaye)
"Frankie and Johnny" (Dancer)
"Bye Bye Birdie" (dancing Shriner)
"Hello, Dolly! (dancer in most, if not all the ensemble numbers. Is Danny the waiter in the title number)
"Finian's Rainbow" (Dancer in all ensemble numbers and the one who asks for a helicopter in the come and get it day number)
"Funny Lady" ( non dancing assistant stage manager role)
"The Music Man" (Dancer and has some short solo turns and appears throughout the movie)
"Guys and Dolls" (another film where his dancing stands out, especially in Luck be a Lady sequence)
"Mary Poppins" (dancing chimney sweep)
"The Happiest Millionaire" (Dancer)
"Easter Parade" (Dancer)
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (Dancer)
"Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (Dancer)
"California Suite" (Is actually credited but is nowhere to be seen)
"The Toast Of New Orleans" (Dancer)
"Words and Music" (Dancer)
"The Thin Man Goes Home" (Gets to jitterbug with Myrna Loy)

Also a dancer in, "The Pirate", "On the Town", "Two Weeks With Love","The Opposite Sex",
"Li'l Abner", "Spreadin' the Jam"(Pete Smith Specialty), "Blazing Saddles", At Long Last Love",
"Little Egypt", "The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band" and Mervyn LeRoy's version of "Little Women"

Phew! I compiled that list over a viewing period of more than 10 years. I first noticed him on the laserdisc version of "The Band Wagon"
Finding out his name in my pre internet days was very difficult.
I'm sure there are more Bert May Movies out there that I've yet to see.

From other sources I believe he was also in several TV Musical productions during the 50s and 60s.

In regards to ahollis' question about the dancer wearing glasses.
I'm also trying to find out his name.
He was also a dancer in 'The Music Man" and "The Happiest Millionaire".

Finally in regards to the "Hello, Dolly!" blu-ray.
It mostly looks fabulous, certainly a lot better than it's ever looked on Video, but I agree with a few others here that some of the outdoor scenes have minor problems.
Nothing too serious thankfully.
Regardless of it's great sound quality, I think the laserdisc has slightly better clarity. ( A different channel mix maybe?)
I'm wondering if Joe Caps has a comment on this

I rate the disc quality a close third behind the other large film format blu-rays of "South Pacific" and "Circus World"(French disc)

It's nice to have a few kind words to say about 20th Century Fox for a change.

Doug.

 

[OliverK]

Totally. See 16:25, 25:56 (no rain- the sun is out- yet the sky and the Hudson are a bloomin' arse white. And the worse offender is at 2:24:45 all the mens suits look exactly the same washed out whitish color.

In the first two scenes what you call white is a shade of grey as can be easily verified by measuring the illumnation level and RGB level mix on a properly calibrated setup or even easier it can also be checked with screencaps and suitable programs for this purpose.Which means that cranking up the contrast in those areas so that detail disappears would lead to heavy loss of details elsewhere which would make the picture completely unwatchable.The scene with the suits is even more puzzling as there are so many shades of brown and grey there that I wonder how your display is set up if it doesnt show them?I would really need to see a screencap of the 2:24:45 scene in your system before commenting further but the information is there if you can set up your display to show it.

 

[haineshisway]

OliverK, no one is going to change their opinion. A handful of people here see blooming whites. More than a handful don't. I think enough of us who know this film well from seeing the film projected know that there aren't any blooming whites in this transfer - hence, it's how those handful of people are viewing this.

 

[Doug Bull]

......A handful, more than a handful, enough of us?.....
This is not a numbers game of I'm / we're correct and the others are not.
We all see things very differently under many various individual settings and personal viewing conditions.
A technically perfect set up is not always that in the eyes of others.

After all that, I personally don't see the blooming whites, but I do think that some of the outdoor scenes, while still good, are just a little bit contrasty, which is a possibility of why the whites may seem highlighted in some viewing conditions.
Most of the indoor scenes display accurate color with an excellent grey scale.

It is still a fabulous and wonderful looking version of Dolly.

ps.
In reply to seeing the film projected, I have projected Dolly on 35mm more times than I care to remember.
I've seen an acquaintance's 35mm Scope print go from brilliant full color to depressing pink over the last 30 years, so I for one know the film very well.

Doug.

 

[haineshisway]

As long as you don't see the blooming whites, I'm jiggy But I don't even think that was Noel's point - I think his point was he thought the skies were white where they shouldn't be and that, I'm afraid, isn't the case at all.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Were they white in the old dvd? Are you sure it wasn't just overcast that day?

 

[Rob_Ray]

Were they white in the old dvd? Are you sure it wasn't just overcast that day?

They were a duller shade of white on the old DVD. It *was* an overcast day for certain shots anyway.

 

[GMpasqua]

The transfer seems to have a little bit too much contrast which appears to make some scenes look washed out in lighter colors. you can even see it in some of the screen shots over at blu-ray.com

on the DVD there is detail in the lace which appears grayer, and her face is flesh colored, here it is almost white

skins tones are washed out, the white dress is blue on the DVD

some flesh tones are washed out and some detail is lost, these could appear too white on some sets

 

[OliverK]

The transfer seems to have a little bit too much contrast which appears to make some scenes look washed out in lighter colors. you can even see it in some of the screen shots over at blu-ray.com

htf hd1.jpg

on the DVD there is detail in the lace which appears grayer, and her face is flesh colored, here it is almost white

thf hd22.jpg

skins tones are washed out, the white dress is blue on the DVD

some flesh tones are washed out and some detail is lost, these could appear too white on some sets

Do you have screenshots of the DVD?

 

[trajan]

Totally agree with the above comments.

 

[GMpasqua]

The more i watch it the more I can see something is off, don't know if it's the contrast or the fact the whiter colors are too bright in relation to all else. Plus the color seems to have a bluish tint (very slight) not the way it was in the theater

left side of his collar off from rest of scene
blu-ray.com screen shots

 

[RolandL]

Do you have screenshots of the DVD?

Caps-a-holic has some comparisons of the DVD and Blu-ray on their site.