The Pajama Game (1957)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Directors:

George Abbott
Stanley Donen

Writers:

George Abbott (screenplay) and
Richard Bissell (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 January 1958 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Based on the hit Broadway musical, featuring the choreography of Bob Fosse.

Plot:

Employees of the Sleeptite Pajama Factory are looking for a whopping seven-and-a-half cent an hour increase and they won't take no for an answer...

Plot Keywords:

Job | Factory | Pajamas | Clothing Industry | Labor

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Doris Day	...	Katherine 'Babe' Williams
John Raitt	...	Sid Sorokin
Carol Haney	...	Gladys Hotchkiss
Eddie Foy Jr.	...	Vernon 'Hinesie' Hines
Reta Shaw	...	Mabel
Barbara Nichols	...	Poopsie
Thelma Pelish	...	Mae
Jack Straw	...	Prez
Ralph Dunn	...	Myron Hasler
Owen Martin	...	Max
Jackie Kelk	...	First Helper
Ralph W. Chambers	...	Charlie (as Ralph Chambers)
Mary Stanton	...	Brenda
Buzz Miller	...	Dancer
Kenneth LeRoy	...	Dancer

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #18393) | Canada:G (video rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Frank Sinatra turned down the lead role in The Pajama Game (1957), which would have paired him up with Janis Paige, who played the role on Broadway. As a result, Paige lost out on playing the part to Doris Day, who was considered a bigger box-office draw.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the Annual Picnic is announced on the banner outside the Sleeptite Pajama Factory, it shows it as Thursday, 12th July. If you look carefully at the calendar in Sid Sorokin's office, you will see that the 12th is a Monday.

Quotes:

Mae: We ain't giving up nothing!
Katie 'Babe' Williams, Grievance Committee: Wait a minute, don't you see? We've won!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Punky Brewster: The Matchmaker (#3.13)" (1987)

Soundtrack:

There Once Was a Man

One word sums it up: "Ole!"

Even with three numbers from the Broadway production missing, and even with some lyrics sanitized for middle-America, "The Pajama Game" remains one of the most successful stage-to-screen transitions. Except for Doris Day stepping in for Janis Paige, all the principals of the Broadway production are also aboard. You can compare for yourself Day's performance to Paige's (if you can get your hands on the original cast recording) but it's not hard to understand the producers' choice to go with at least one movie box office name. In old man Hasler's words, it's a "COMPROMISE!"

"The Pajama Game" is (with one unfortunate exception) unapologetically stagy. And why apologize? By keeping the feel of a stage production the movie preserves the flavor of the performances. Reta Shaw and Eddie Foy Jr. team up for a winning soft shoe routine in "I'll Never Be Jealous Again." "Racing With the Clock" benefits from dolly shots that open up the number without closing out the visual ironies.

The unfortunate exception is "Once a Year Day," which takes to the not-so-great outdoors to destroy a once-great production number. The legendary Bob Fosse choreography is badly served by a multiplicity of camera angles that actually dilute the dancing. Oh, well.

Luckily, there is "Steam Heat," completely undiluted, offering Fosse as one of the dancers.

I am now about to make myself feel very old by saying (oh, dear): They don't make 'em like this anymore. But, you see, they can't because Broadway doesn't make 'em like this anymore except in revival. Wait, let me sing it:

"The nostalgia game/ is the game I'm in/ And I'm proud to be/ in the nostalgia game/ I love it..."

And I love this movie. Don't miss it if you can.