IMDb > Pippin: His Life and Times (1981) (TV)

Pippin: His Life and Times (1981) (TV) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   215 votes
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Down 15% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Roger O. Hirson (musical)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Pippin: His Life and Times on IMDbPro.
Genre:
Plot:
At the goading of the ominous and omnipresent Leading Player, Pippin, the eldest son of King Charlemagne, samples life's pleasures to discover his place in the world and the meaning of his life. | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
Very disappointing to anyone familiar with the musical. more (14 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Ben Vereen ... The Leading Player
William Katt ... Pippin
Leslie Denniston ... Catherine
Benjamin Rayson ... Charlemagne
Martha Raye ... Berthe
Chita Rivera ... Fastrada
Joanie P. Oneill ... Player
Debra Phelan ... Player
Linda Haberman ... Player
Kate Wright ... Player
Allison Williams ... Player
John Mineo ... Sword Bearer
Charles Lee Ward ... Peasant
Lee Mathis ... Beggar
Frank Mastrocola ... Noble
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Additional Details

Runtime:
112 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The original Broadway production of "Pippin" opened at the Imperial Theater in New York on October 23, 1972, ran for 1944 performances and was nominated for the 1973 Tony Awards for the Best Musical, Book and Score. The 1973 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical was won by Ben Vereen who recreated his stage role in this filmed production. more
Quotes:
Charlemagne: Sometimes I wonder if the fornicating I'm getting is worth the fornicating I'm getting. more
Soundtrack:
Kind of Woman more

FAQ

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6 out of 10 people found the following comment useful.
Very disappointing to anyone familiar with the musical., 15 November 1998
4/10
Author: Bruce Wheelock (wheelock@aa.net) from Covington, Washington, USA

This should have been great, but anyone familiar with the stage production will be disappointed. Great numbers are cut, (esp. most of Fastrada's "Spread a Little Sunshine" and all of Catherine's "I Guess I'll Miss the Man"). So are important lines, such as Pippin's discussion with the severed head after the poorly staged "Glory." When Pippin is king, he and others refer to critical lines that were cut, making the scene incomprehensible. They cut the death of Theo's duck, which is so important to that part of the show, and without which the rest of that that section makes no sense. They would have done better to cut all the ad libs and most of Martha Raye's pathetic (what's with the microphone?) appearance as Berthe. And to cap it all off, William Katt blows the final--and most important--line in the show, destroying the entire point of the production.

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Pippin Might End Up on the Big Screen!!! wickywackyman135
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