For all its annoyances -- and there are many -- the film somehow sears its way into the mind’s eye.
Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:14
Fresh:14
Rotten:0
Average Rating:6.6/10
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: This entertaining musical, based on the Broadway hit inspired by the hysteria surrounding Elvis Presley's induction into the army, traces the shock waves a drafted rock & roll star, Conrad Birdie... This entertaining musical, based on the Broadway hit inspired by the hysteria surrounding Elvis Presley's induction into the army, traces the shock waves a drafted rock & roll star, Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson), creates when he comes to a small town to kiss adoring fan Kim McAfee (Ann-Margret) good-bye on national TV. A fiesty secretary, Rosie DeLeon (Janet Leigh), has put the whole plan in motion, hoping that Birdie will sing a song composed by her beau, Albert Peterson (Dick Van Dyke), enabling Rosie's boyfriend to finally break free of his domineering mother (Maureen Stapleton) and marry her. Meanwhile, Kim's new steady, Hugo (Bobby Rydell), is less than pleased about the spotlighted embrace, as are her parents (Paul Lynde and Mary LaRoche)--at least until they get in on the action too. Ed Sullivan appears as himself, Ann-Margret is her usual perky, gyrating self, Van Dyke amply displays his wealth of talents, and Lynde and Stapleton nearly steal the whole production with their hilarious supporting roles. Director George Sidney, who would soon collaborate with the real King in the Presley tour de force VIVA LAS VEGAS, tightens the Broadway original without losing any of its verve and charm to create a rollicking uptempo joyride through a candy-colored early 1960s pop-culture landscape. [More]
Starring: Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Paul Lynde
Starring: Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Paul Lynde, Maureen Stapleton, Bobby Rydell, Jesse Pearson, Ed Sullivan, Robert Paige
Director: George Sidney
Director: George Sidney
Composer: Michael Stewart, Charles Strouse, Lee Adams
Producer: Fred Kohlmar
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Release:
Jul 20, 1999
Reviews for Bye Bye Birdie
Of all the innocent and innocuous musicals of the 1960's, this goofy one is my favorite.
Latest News for Bye Bye Birdie
January 06, 2009:
Adam Shankman Says Bye Bye Birdie ![]()
Now that "Bedtime Stories" is out and doing well in theaters, director Adam Shankman has his choice of projects -- and he's set his sights on Columbia's long-in-the-works remake... More...
September 07, 2008:
Further Reading: Superman's Musical Moment in It's a Bird... It's a Plane...
The 1975 TV special It's a Bird It's a Plane It's Superman is so seldom-seen it tends to get written off by people who only judge from ropey clips in documentaries which bulk... More...
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