My favorite play...deserves a worthy movie

A couple events had me thinking of my favorite musical play today and when I came home and turned on the tv, the 1963 movie was playing on the movie channel. I was at my niece's dance recital and the littlest ones did a performance of Put on a Happy Face. In a latter number, the choreographer from my high school's production of 25 years ago was featured. I was feeling a little reminiscent and wanted to wind back the clock to enjoy Bye Bye Birdie.

What I had forgotten until a few minutes into the film is that this is not the Bye Bye Birdie of the stage. Gone is the witty dialogue, the clever placement of the numbers and some of the most entertaining songs. Not a single change made is for the better. While they had the cameras running and the temper of the time period, it would have been great to see Dick van Dyke and Paul Lynde performing the original material. But no such luck. Only Russians, turtles, canasta and way too much hoakie dialogue spelling out every detail, save any hint of satire of American life of the 50's or any comedy of any kind.

It doesn't help that my favorite songs are cut. No 'An English Teacher,' 'Healthy Normal American Boy,' or 'Talk to Me.' I'm surprised they didn't opt for 'How to Kill a Man/100 Ways Ballet.' It seems like it would be hoakie enough for the tuna fish casserole audience that the audience targets. But it was probably cut for more dialogue, or the unnecessary Mr Paisley subplot. How the 'Shriner's Ballet' ever made it goes against the grain of the movie. Of course added in is watered down choreography of the sultry original and Mr. Strouse's catchy tune is completely homaginized by Johny Greens corny orchestrations.

I can sit through most local productions of the play to enjoy the comical reading of the lines, the creativity of the sets and costumes, listen to the hard work of the orchestra and the singers and enjoy a little satire of suburbia from a simpler time. However, this movie is a hard pill to swallow. Ann Margret is not the problem. Whoever authorized the changes in the dialogue and the elimination of songs was the problem.