• Hello, Dolly! (1969 film)

7/24/26 (Fri)

I hadn’t thought about the Barbra Streisand vehicle since its release in 1969, so my memories, not entirely positive, were pretty vague. When a friend suggested it out of nowhere, I figured it was a good excuse to take another look.

I had seen a stage revival some years back with Bette Midler, which pretty much replicated the original 1960s production. That version is huge in every sense, complete with trains, carriages, parades and several spectacular chorus numbers. But somehow when that becomes real, it loses its charm, at least as rendered in this film. It’s just excess on excess. “Before the Parade Passes By” is not just about a parade; it represents Dolly’s determination to “rejoin the human race” – the number famously turned the stage show’s fortunes around by giving Dolly more vulnerability and (having replaced a solo by Horace) putting her front and center. Here, the scale overwhelms that. The opening number (a nice new song written specifically for Streisand) and “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” are just too much to take in as well. “Elegance” adds unnecessary clowning with street props and such that come off as dumb. They get away with it in the title number, which is necessarily restricted to the restaurant (though what’s with the applause by the customers at the end?). But generally the film, helmed by Gene Kelly, is too big for its own good. It might have been a different experience with another director.

Not much they could do about the silly story, though they did try to patch up some of the stage show’s numerous lapses in logic, like jettisoning the switch in wallets at the restaurant (creating chaos instead by Horace’s furious pursuit of his clerks). The shift in “It Only Takes a Moment” from a courthouse to the park was an interesting touch, if not particularly well done. The film also made Dolly’s machinations much clearer, a distinct improvement helped by Streisand’s performance. But overall the flaws of the book stand out more on screen. There was no need whatsoever for the new song, “Love Is Only Love”, a reject from Mame that is overly serious and utterly unconvincing as presented here (and not a very good song anyway). The romance should be left to the young couples.

Yes, Streisand was way too young to play a middle-aged widow, but the part otherwise fit her like a glove. Her Jewish take worked splendidly, and she sang the role to perfection. While I still prefer the stage version’s opening number, which shows Dolly actually putting couples together, Streisand’s vibrant presentation more than justifies the new song. (I don’t think it would work for Carol Channing, who relied more on charm than pushiness.) Her duet with Louis Armstrong was easily the film’s best moment and utterly irreplaceable in any remake. She reportedly did not get along with her costar, the lovingly grumpy Walter Matthau, but their chemistry on screen was absolutely fine. Michael Crawford as Cornelius got notable billing in the credits, but his voice was grating – I can’t believe this is the same guy who originated the Phantom role. Others were undistinguished other than then-unknown Tommy Tune, who stands out for his height, scarily long legs, and undeniable presence as a dancer.

The film doesn’t give proper focus to Dolly’s desire to live again, cutting an important speech in the play that makes that clear. It’s basically just spectacle, and while it does offer that fantastic score, it’s unfortunate to think that people might judge the stage show from this.