Bye Bye Birdie (1995)

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.

Director:

Gene Saks

Writer:

Michael Stewart (play)

Stars:

Jason Alexander, Vanessa Williams, Chynna Phillips

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Gardiner-Heslin	...	Suzie (as Marlowe Windsor-Menard)
Brenna Quan	...	Penelope-Ann

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

lifting female in air | lifting someone into the air | lifting an adult into the air | teenage boy | song | 

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Taglines:

The all-star comedy event of the year!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adiós Birdie

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

RHI Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first adaptation to include the title song as part of the story (a group of teenage girls sing it near the beginning as a farewell to Conrad Birdie). The song is not part of the original Broadway score and was added for the 1963 film. In that version, Ann-Margret sang the song as a prelude and reprised it as the film ended.

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Goofs

Albert, Rose and Conrad are shown departing from New York's Pennsylvania Station, in the film a terminal with "head-end" outdoor platforms at the same level as the station lobby. In reality, trains ran through Penn Station with platforms on the lower level.

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Connections

Version of Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

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Soundtracks

An English Teacher
Music by Charles Strouse
Lyrics by Lee Adams
Sung by Vanessa Williams

User Reviews

George Costanza and Miss America?

It's not a minor problem that ten minutes into the opening, I had trouble buying the premise, that Vanessa Williams had waited eight years for Jason Alexander to become an English professor and marry her. In the original, Dick Van Dyke and Chita seemed like a match made in heaven, so I was on board from the word go. Otherwise, I thought the casting was great, although Chinna Phyllips didn't have the voice of either Susan Watson (stage) or Ann Margrett (screen), and she couldn't do her songs justice. I thought Reinking's choreography was a bit claustrophobic, although the kids were energetic and adorable and really evoked a sixties innocence. Strouse was about 30 when he wrote the music, which I think epitomizes the melodiousness of the best of Broadway musicals. Every number is catchy and so many remain in the canon of unforgettable theater hits. As for the book, the farcical treatment of small town America is hilarious, but I think you need to have been alive in the early sixties to appreciate it fully. Finally, if you need the best excuse to check out this version, it's Tyne Daley as Alexander's bullying mother. Having played in Birdie and Gypsy (as Mama Rose), she has established herself as the comic mother from hell, her franchise for all time. It's like she's possessed, and her performance is mesmerizing.