Hello, Dolly! (1969)

Matchmaker Dolly Levi travels to Yonkers to find a partner for "half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder, convincing his niece, his niece's intended, and his two clerks to travel to New York City along the way.

Director:

Gene Kelly

Writers:

Michael Stewart (book), Thornton Wilder (based on "The Matchmaker" by)

Stars:

Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford

Won 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 13 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barbra Streisand	...	Dolly Levi
Walter Matthau	...	Horace Vandergelder
Michael Crawford	...	Cornelius Hackl
Marianne McAndrew	...	Irene Molloy
Danny Lockin	...	Barnaby Tucker
E.J. Peaker	...	Minnie Fay
Joyce Ames	...	Ermengarde
Tommy Tune	...	Ambrose Kemper
Judy Knaiz	...	Gussie Granger
David Hurst	...	Rudolph Reisenweber
Fritz Feld	...	Rudolph's Assistant
Richard Collier	...	Vandergelder's Barber
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Policeman in Park
Louis Armstrong	...	Orchestra Leader

Storyline

A matchmaker named Dolly Levi takes a trip to Yonkers, New York to see the "well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire," Horace Vandergelder. While there, she convinces him, his two stock clerks and his niece and her beau to go to New York City. In New York, she fixes Vandergelder's clerks up with the woman Vandergelder had been courting, and her shop assistant (Dolly has designs of her own on Mr. Vandergelder, you see).

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Plot Keywords:

matchmaker | new york city | widow | year 1890 | 19th century | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ernest Lehman's Production of Hello, Dolly!

Filming Locations:

Metro-North Station, Poughkeepsie, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$33,136,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chenault Productions, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

146 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) Mono (35 mm prints) DTS 70 mm (70mm re-release)

Color:

Color (Color by Deluxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Harmonia Gardens, the back wall behind the hat-check girl is the wall from the ballroom of the Von Trapps Villa in The Sound of Music (1965).

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Goofs

There are several shots of the orchestra in the Harmonia Gardens during which no conductor can be seen, yet right before his duet with Streisand, Louis Armstrong suddenly appears conducting the orchestra before turning to join Dolly in singing. Later, he disappears once again.

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Quotes

Dolly Levi: Here, let me cut your wings!
Horace: I don't want my wings cut!
Dolly Levi: No man does, Horace, no man does.

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Alternate Versions

There are two alternate takes during the number Before The Parade Passes By. They occur as Dolly Levi (played by Barbra Streisand) is running down the garden path to see the parade and is singing the line "Before the Parade Passes by".In the 35mm prints which were sent to movie theaters after the roadshow engagements, Dolly almost loses her hat while running. This was used for the home video version. The 70mm prints have a different take, in which Dolly did not have any hat problems. This was used for the DVD version.

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Connections

Referenced in Nympho Cycler (1971)

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Soundtracks

Hello, Dolly!
(1964) (uncredited)
Written by Jerry Herman
Performed by Barbra Streisand, Louis Armstrong, and the Waiters
Reprised by Walter Matthau and Barbra Streisand

User Reviews

I'd kinda like to see Barbra do this role now

The miscasting of Barbra Streisand is an interesting topic of discussion regarding this movie. She's way too young, as everyone else has said; despite slight changes to the script and giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, it's silly to think that a woman in her mid twenties would have built up both the social contacts and worldly sangfroid that the character possesses. That said, however, she does about as well as anyone could ask playing a role she was 3 decades too young for. The animosity between Barbra and Walter Matthau is another problem--they have no chemistry together whatsoever. While his annoyance with her at the beginning is believable, the turnabout at the end comes across completely false. Fortunately, the movie has many other charms to make up for that central problem.

My favorite part of the movie, and the heart of the film, is the "courtship" of Cornelius & Irene and Barnaby & Minnie Fay. Michael Crawford and the late Danny Lockin are absolutely adorable as Cornelius and Barnaby. The "Dancing" and "Elegance" numbers and the dinner scene at the Harmonia Gardens are worth the price of admission alone. Barbra plays better with the rest of the cast too; she's more believable as a "woman of the world" when she's with the younger cast members. The production design is wonderful as well. While the movie was outrageously expensive for its time, just about every dollar is visible on screen. The claustrophobic musicals they've made since the Seventies really look deficient when compared to the wide-open dance scenes and crowd shots in classic musicals like this one.

All in all, Hello, Dolly has much to offer. It's not the best musical ever made by a long shot, but it's undeniably fun to watch. It would be fun to see Barbra play the role now that she's a more appropriate age for it. Unfortunately, she doesn't do musicals anymore. Maybe Tyne Daly would take the part.