It's "Double-Diva Day" again! As I said back in 2013...
...when we have two of our Patron Saints sharing a birthday, what can one do but try and make a connection?
There are probably myriad connections, personally and professionally. However there is one notable work that provides the link today between our birthday girls Barbra Streisand and Shirley MacLaine - Thornton Wilder's finest moment, his play The Matchmaker!
For indeed, Miss MacLaine starred in the original 1958 screen adaptation of Mr Wilder's play - as the romantic lead, milliner Irene Molloy:
And of course, in 1969 Miss Streisand took the eponymous "Matchmaker" role in the Ernest Lehman/Gene Kelly adaptation of the Jerry Herman musical based upon that same play, Hello Dolly!:
Happy birthday, ladies!
Mega-Babs aka Barbra Streisand (born 24th April 1942)
Shirl (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, 24th April 1934)
I would love to see the 1958 version; not so "over the top".
ReplyDeleteIt was shame that not one, but two excellent musicals by Mr Jerry Herman were marred by over-produced and miscast film adaptations - MegaBabs was completely wrong for Hello Dolly and the production was indeed, as you say, somewhat overblown; and Lucille Ball made a complete pig's ear of Mame! Jx
DeleteYes, tis true. Dolly is gawd awful. But the boyfriend's FAVORITE FILM of all time... well, a tie with ghostbusters. I don't get it. It is also my least favorite Jerry Herman vehicle. Now... Mack and Mable and Dear World... those are to die for. And why weren't THEY made into sucky hollywood musicals. Dear World is really due to a revival due to it's ecological theme. Sigh. Do you think it will happen? Broadway is always willing to suck more blood from an old victim.
ReplyDeleteI doubt Hollywood is that interested in "the older generation" of fun, camp, musicals nowadays - musical adaptations lately tend to be Disney or Hamilton-type stuff for the kids.
DeleteIf you are a Jerry Herman fan you might be interested in this gem I came a cross a few years ago - the "one that got away"...
Jx
ReplyDeleteVery strange casting in both films if you ask me.
and there never be an excuse for inflicting Michael Crawford upon us either.
I agree on all counts. Jx
DeleteHahaha - re Micheal Crawford!!! Too true. What odd casting indeed.
ReplyDeleteSx
It was rather an odd film altogether. MegaBabs was far too young for the role, Walter Matthau never looked comfortable in it (apparently he and Streisand hated each other on sight), the backing cast (Mr Crawford included) were terrible, and the whole thing was so over-long and over-produced that it bankrupted 20th Century Fox in the process. Love the show, but this film didn't do it justice. Jx
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