The Boy Friend (1971)

When the leading lady of a low-budget musical revue sprains her ankle, the assistant stage manager is forced to understudy and perform in her place, becoming a star and finding love in the process.

Director:

Ken Russell

Writers:

Ken Russell (screenplay), Sandy Wilson (musical)

Stars:

Twiggy, Christopher Gable, Max Adrian

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Twiggy	...	Polly
Christopher Gable	...	Tony
Max Adrian	...	Max
Bryan Pringle	...	Percy
Murray Melvin	...	Alphonse
Moyra Fraser	...	Mme. Dubonnet
Georgina Hale	...	Fay
Sally Bryant	...	Nancy
Vladek Sheybal	...	De Thrill
Tommy Tune	...	Tommy
Brian Murphy	...	Peter
Graham Armitage	...	Michael
Antonia Ellis	...	Maisie
Caryl Little	...	Dulcie
Anne Jameson	...	Mrs. Peter (as Ann Jameson)

Storyline

The assistant stage manager of a small-time theatrical company (Polly Browne) is forced to understudy for the leading lady (Rita) at a matinée performance at which an illustrious Hollywood director (Cecil B. DeThrill) is in the audience scouting for actors to be in his latest "all-talking, all-dancing, all-singing" extravaganza. Polly also happens to fall in love with the leading man (Tony) and imagines several fabulous fantasy sequences in which the director is free to exercise his capacity for over-the-top visuals in this charming 1920's era flick.

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Plot Keywords:

1920s | fantasy sequence | thinness | based on stage musical | 1930s | 

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Taglines:

EMI-MGM Presents The Return Of Entertainment

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

25 February 1972 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

The Boyfriend

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Russflix

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min 125 min (short UK) 140 min (director's cut) 109 min (US) 138 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The screen rights for the film were originally bought by MGM producer Arthur Freed in 1967 for Debbie Reynolds to star. After Reynolds turned the part down, Liza Minnelli was briefly considered for the role of Polly Browne before Freed shelved the project to concentrate on his Irving Berlin revue, "Say It with Music" (which was never filmed).

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Quotes

Max: Now, Polly! Listen to me! You're going out there as a youngster, you've got to come back - a star! Now get out there and do your damndest!

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Crazy Credits

Ken Russell's Talking Picture

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Alternate Versions

CBS edited 38 minutes from this film for its 1975 network television premiere.

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Connections

References Blood and Sand (1922)

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Soundtracks

I Could Be Happy with You
Music and Lyrics by Sandy Wilson
Performed by Christopher Gable and Twiggy (as Twiggy Lawson)

User Reviews

"I could be happy with you, my darling, if you could be happy with me."

I was lucky enough, thirty five years ago, to see a revival of the original musical THE BOY FRIEND at a nice little theater in upper Manhattan called THE EQUITY LIBRARY THEATER. It was on West 105th Street, near Riverside Drive, and was very good at putting on revivals of musicals. THE BOY FRIEND was a very charming, slight salute to the musicals of that period of the 1920s, with Polly (the heroine) as one of the girls at a finishing school, and the travails she has to go through before she finds happiness with Tony. With tunes like, "A ROOM IN BLOOMSBURY" they helped capture a period that just doesn't exist anymore. Too bad that.

In the original cast, the role of Polly was played by Julie Andrews, and were the first steps to her musical stardom on Broadway and in film. But that was in the 1950s. In 1971 the film version came out, starring Twiggy, Christopher Gable, Tommy Tune, Max Adrian, and Glenda Jackson. The original sweet musical was changed into a spoof of such musicals. Twiggy, the stage manager, is the understudy for star Glenda Jackson who is injured. She has to take the role on a critical night performance. But Jackson discovers that a Hollywood big-shot is in the audience looking for talent, and she is determined to reclaim her part. Except that now the cast is used to Twiggy's performing the role.

Jackson tries to get rid of Twiggy in one sequence, trying to arrange an accident while the latter is on stage. Similarly other members of the cast, including the head of the company (Adrian) are preening themselves to try to catch the bigwig's attention. Only Twiggy and Tommy Tune are being more circumspect. Twiggy wants the male lead (Christopher Gable) to notice her - she likes him. Tune wants to just perform correctly, and he seems rather less than bothered by the bigwig in the audience than anyone else.

Besides singing (quite well) several tunes of the 1920 period, Twiggy and the cast handle the musical numbers nicely (my favorite is the one where Adrian's attempts at dominating a song "Never Too Old To Fall In Love" being reduced to a comic prop in a Bath chair by Georgina Hale).

The movie is funny and likable. Who can ask for anything more from a good musical film?