with their scores virtually intact were GYPSY and MY FAIR LADY
All traces of Karl Malden singing were cut from Gypsy (1962). That would constitute parts of at least two numbers and the complete excision of the upbeat “Wherever We Go.”
About #5, “An English Teacher” from Bye Bye Birdie (1963), the song had no place in the film because the Dick Van Dyke character was changed from an English major to a scientist. THAT is the change from stage to screen that bears discussion.
Not on the list is a lot of people’s #1 fury about a song being dropped from a film. It is mine. That would be “The Seven Deadly Virtues” from Camelot (1967). When the movie came out, one outraged movie patron in my city actually wrote a letter to the editor about the loss of the song. That’ll show ‘em.
My #2 choice would be the disservice done to the music of the comic villains, Monsieur and Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables (2012) . An entire song of Monsieur T. – perhaps the bleakest number in the entire work , “Dogs Eat The Dogs” (also known as “The Sewer Song”) - is totally gone except for one line which is spoken (“Here’s a tasty ring”). The couple’s final number, “Beggar At The Feast,” is half-missing, the first half which includes the title line.
mf
If you're gonna kill me, get on with it; if not, shut the hell up.
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