Gypsy (1962)

Based on the Broadway hit about the life and times of burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee and her aggressive stage mother, Mama Rose.

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Arthur Laurents (based upon the stage play: book by), Gypsy Rose Lee (from the memoirs of)

Stars:

Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rosalind Russell	...	Rose Hovick
Natalie Wood	...	Louise Hovick
Karl Malden	...	Herbie Sommers
Paul Wallace	...	Tulsa
Betty Bruce	...	Tessie Tura
Parley Baer	...	Mr. Kringelein
Harry Shannon	...	Grandpa
Morgan Brittany	...	'Baby' June (as Suzanne Cupito)
Ann Jillian	...	'Dainty' June (as Ann Jilliann)
Diane Pace	...	'Baby' Louise
Faith Dane	...	Mazeppa
Roxanne Arlen	...	Electra
Jean Willes	...	Betty Cratchitt
George Petrie	...	George
Ben Lessy	...	Mervyn Goldstone

Storyline

Mama Rose lives to see her daughter June succeed on Broadway by way of vaudeville. When June marries and leaves, Rose turns her hope and attention to her elder, less obviously talented, daughter Louise. However, having her headlining as a stripper at Minsky's Burlesque is not what she initially has in mind.

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Plot Keywords:

burlesque | stripper | show business | based on stage musical based on book | showbiz | 

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Taglines:

Let this tuneful Broadway classic entertain you.

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gypsy - Königin der Nacht

Filming Locations:

Stage 19, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$13,008,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mervyn LeRoy Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min

Sound Mix:

6-Track Stereo (70 mm prints) 4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the many posters hanging on Tessie Tura's dressing room wall is a caricature of Ethel Merman, who created the role of Rose in the Broadway musical version of "Gypsy".

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Goofs

There is no Maple Street in Seattle.

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Quotes

Louise "Gypsy Rose Lee" Hovick: I said, turn it off! Nobody laughs at me! Because I laugh first. At me! Me, from Seattle! Me, with no education. Me, with no talent, as you kept reminding me my whole life! Well, Mama look at me now. I'm a star! Look! Look how I live! Look at my friends! Look where I'm going! I'm not staying in burlesque! I'm moving, mabye up, maybe down! But wherever it is, I'm enjoying it. I'm having the time of my life! Because for the first time, it is my life! And I love it. I love every second of it! And ...

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are superimposed on a closed stage curtain, below which is an orchestra and conductor, performing the film's overture. The overture has been truncated from the stage version's original overture, but is otherwise quite faithful to it.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood Musicals of the 60's (2000)

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Soundtracks

Let Me Entertain You
(1959) (uncredited)
Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Performed by Ann Jillian and Morgan Brittany

User Reviews

A wonderful film.

This is a great film. It is not an exact duplicate of the stage show, but what movie musical is? Funny Girl on film is not the same as Funny Girl on stage, but both are very entertaining. The same is true here.

Rosilind Russell shows us the shades of a character that is very complex. She didn't do her own singing, but, so what? She did a great job of performing during the songs, and her overall performance throughout the movie is wonderful. She is not Bette Midler, but who is? For that matter, if you listen to the multiple versions of the cast albums and soundtracks, I am not sure you wouldn't find Angela Lansbury's performance the best one out there.

The rest of the cast is also wonderful to watch. To this day, I cannot watch Natalie Wood in the "Little Lamb" number without tears coming to my eyes. Her interpretation of a lost little girl who always plays second fiddle and doesn't even know how old she is always gets to me. And the duet "If Momma Was Married", with Ann Jillian, is a memorable number. For those who didn't know Ann Jillian could sing, she has played on Broadway for years, most notably in "Sugar Babies".

I think we all can appreciate the fact that this is a version which can be loved on its own, while still having a similar degree of affection for the 1993 version.