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

Director:

David Sheehan

Writer:

Roger O. Hirson (musical)

Genre:

History | Musical | Romance | War

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. |

Plot Keywords:

King | Stage Play | Love | Patricide | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Elkins Entertainment

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.

Quotes:

Charlemagne: Sometimes I wonder if the fornicating I'm getting is worth the fornicating I'm getting.

Soundtrack:

Kind of Woman

Very disappointing to anyone familiar with the musical.

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.