Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

Directed by George Sidney. Starring Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Ann-Margret, Paul Lynde, Bobby Rydell, Maureen Stapleton, Jesse Pearson, Mary LaRoche, Michael Evans, Robert Paige, Milton Frome.

A late-50s rock and roll idol (Pearson), modeled off Elvis Presley, is drafted into the army, so struggling songwriter Van Dyke and his long-suffering secretary/girlfriend (Leigh) concoct a scheme to have the rocker appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show” before reporting for duty, sing a song Van Dyke wrote called “One Last Kiss”, and plant that “last kiss” on a randomly-selected girl (Ann-Margret). The rhythms are so mechanical in this adaptation of Michael Stewart’s Broadway musical, you’ll swear you can almost see cast members and personnel ducking behind curtains on the edge of the frame. It’s kitschy and uneven, like Grease for the Elvis-mania crowd (also like Grease, it sugar-coats the biting and risqué elements for a bubblier, happier show), and George Sidney doesn’t have the instincts to deftly handle soft-target satire amid all the busyness. It’s exhausting, to be sure, but the songs and scenes keep flying, so you just hang on and wait for the bright moments—emotionally, they’re scant, and intellectually, they’re non-existent, but when it comes to humming and eye candy, good times come in a flock. As Ann-Margret’s father, Paul Lynde can be a lot to take, but he has his moments, and fans of his will eat up every hammy delivery of his; he and Van Dyke reprise their roles from the Broadway production. Ed Sullivan appears as himself.

58/100