Bye Bye Birdie (1995) (TV)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Gene Saks

Writer:

Michael Stewart (play)

Release Date:

3 December 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Musical

Plot:

Rock-and-roll icon Conrad Birdie is about to go into the Army, and plans are being made to arrange his final going-away concert. |

Plot Keywords:

Military Draft | Dancing | Rock Star | Based On Stage Musical | Singing

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Jason Alexander	...	Albert J. Peterson
Vanessa Williams	...	Rose Alvarez
Chynna Phillips	...	Kim MacAfee
Tyne Daly	...	Mae Peterson
Marc Kudisch	...	Conrad Birdie
George Wendt	...	Harry MacAfee
Sally Mayes	...	Doris MacAfee
Jason Gaffney	...	Hugo F. Peabody
Blair Slater	...	Randolph MacAfee
Vicki Lewis	...	Gloria Rasputin
Brigitta Dau	...	Ursula Merkle
Angela Brydon	...	Sad Face Girl
Shelley S. Hunt	...	Alice
Marlowe Windsor-Menard	...	Suzie
Brenna Quan	...	Penelope-Ann

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Columbia Pictures Television

Trivia:

Three songs were added for this version not included in any previous one. They include "Let's Settle Down", sung by Rosie to Albert, "A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore", Mae Peterson's admonishment to her son, and "A Giant Step", a love song for Albert to Rosie.

Movie Connections:

Version of Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

Soundtrack:

Hymn for a Sunday Evening (Ed Sullivan)

Strange casting, bad lighting and boring dance numbers.

I guess I am coming late to the party. I just saw this 1995 version of Bye Bye Birdy on Sky TV. I didn't know it existed and was fully prepared to see the 1963 film version when I turned it on.

I played Albert a long time ago and I am thinking of putting on an amateur production of the show because I remembered it as being so much fun to do. I was not impressed with this newer version. It just wasn't enough fun. It was not colorful. It lacked the exuberance of youth. The lighting was bad. No one seemed to mention this fact. This is not a moody musical, it is bright and up beat. The lighting decision was a poor creative choice.

Bye Bye Birdy is a farce, a comedy of errors. I got no sense of that in this version. The lighting was awful and it dulled the overall performances. The dance numbers seemed anemic as well. We do have music videos these day. At least the dance numbers should have measured up to some of the best of those, or how about some of the best of Broadway. The choreographer was asleep at the wheel it seemed.

Although all the actors were supremely talented, there were some really bad casting choices. Vanessa Williams is not Latin, and with so many talented Latin performers out there, wouldn't it have been more correct to cast one of them in the role of Rosie. Vanessa is African American, lovely and talented, but bad casting. Jason Alexander's effort was astounding, he always does intelligent work, but he just wasn't Albert. He was miscast and I think that is obvious to most people who see this version.

The medium of film is not the medium of stage. There needs to be translation from one medium to another. The exuberance and the flash of stage musical must be TRANSLATED to film. There is no merit being faithful to a stage script when it is being filmed. The spirit, the essence of the production must be brought forth. To me the 1963 film production of Bye Bye Birdy was bright and lively, while the 1995 production was as gloomy as the lighting and as lackluster as the dance numbers. It turned out to be an unfortunate waste of effort by many really talented people.