Complete credited cast: | |||
Shirley Booth | ... | Dolly 'Gallagher' Levi | |
Anthony Perkins | ... | Cornelius Hackl | |
Shirley MacLaine | ... | Irene Molloy | |
Paul Ford | ... | Horace Vandergelder | |
Robert Morse | ... | Barnaby Tucker | |
Perry Wilson | ... | Minnie Fay | |
Wallace Ford | ... | Malachi Stack | |
Russell Collins | ... | Joe Scanlon | |
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Rex Evans | ... | August |
Gavin Gordon | ... | Rudolph | |
Torben Meyer | ... | Alex, Headwaiter, Harmonica Club | |
Orangey | ... | Self - a Cat (as Rhubarb) |
It's 1884 in Yonkers, New York. Dolly Gallagher-Levi is a Jane-of-all-Trades, but her latest and most lucrative venture is as a matchmaker, setting men up with women with the intention of matrimony. This job is ironic as she was previously married herself, not enjoying the experience. Her latest client is older penny-pinching retail store owner, Horace Vandergelder, who works his two young meek clerks, Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker, to the bone. As Horace won't give them a day off, Cornelius and Barnaby plot to close the store and sneak into New York for the day, their mission to meet and kiss a girl. In New York, Cornelius spots Irene Molloy, a young female milliner upon who he sets his sights. On their meeting, Cornelius is unaware that she is also one of Horace's possible brides. Beyond what happens between Horace, Cornelius and Irene, Dolly herself may be ready for matrimony again despite her words to the contrary. Written by Huggo
I have always loved the "straight play" version of the Dolly story. Actually Thornton Wilder's play had a previous incarnation set in Austria, in the German language. He had written it for Broadway in the fifties, it was filmed in 58 in this version, and Jerry Herman must have seen it and fallen in love with it for the musical "Hello, Dolly!". Parts of this are superior to the original stage version of the musical. The film version of the musical is dreadfully over danced and Streisand was way too young for the lead role. Shirley Booth, here in this "Matchmaker", is much closer, in a way to Channing's Dolly of Broadway. I have often wished that SOMEONE would re-do the musical for either video or film. I saw the 1964 Channing production and it was magical. Hollywood so often trashes these brilliant stage works. Anyway, rent this film when you can and compare it to the Streisand "Dolly".