Hello, Dolly! | |
---|---|
Original film poster by Richard Amsel
|
|
Directed by | Gene Kelly |
Produced by | Ernest Lehman |
Screenplay by | Ernest Lehman |
Based on |
Hello, Dolly! by Michael Stewart The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder Einen Jux will er sich machen by Johann Nestroy A Day Well Spent by John Oxenford |
Starring |
Barbra Streisand Walter Matthau Michael Crawford Marianne McAndrew E. J. Peaker Louis Armstrong |
Music by | Jerry Herman |
Cinematography | Harry Stradling Sr. |
Edited by | William Reynolds |
Production
company |
Chenault Productions
|
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date
|
|
Running time
|
148 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $25 million |
Box office | $26 million (theatrical rental) |
Hello, Dolly! is a 1969 American romantic comedy musical film based on the Broadway production of the same name. Directed by Gene Kelly and adapted and produced by Ernest Lehman, the cast includes Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Danny Lockin, Tommy Tune, Fritz Feld, Marianne McAndrew, E. J. Peaker and Louis Armstrong (whose recording of the title tune had become a number-one single in May 1964). The film follows the story of Dolly Levi (a strong-willed matchmaker), as she travels to Yonkers, New York, to find a match for the miserly "well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder. In doing so she convinces his niece, his niece's intended, and Horace's two clerks to travel to New York City.
The film won three Oscars for Best Art Direction, Best Score of a Musical Picture, and Best Sound Mixing and was nominated for a further four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Although the film eventually broke even, it was not a commercial success.
In 1890, all of New York City is excited because widowed, brassy Dolly Levi (Barbra Streisand) is in town ("Call On Dolly"). Dolly makes a living through matchmaking and numerous sidelines ("Just Leave Everything to Me"). She is currently seeking a wife for grumpy Horace Vandergelder (Walter Matthau), the well-known "half-a-millionaire", but it becomes clear that Dolly intends to marry Horace herself. Dolly travels to Yonkers, New York to visit Horace. Ambrose Kemper (Tommy Tune), a young artist, wants to marry Horace's weepy niece, Ermengarde (Joyce Ames), but Horace opposes this because Ambrose's vocation does not guarantee a steady living. Horace, who is the owner of Vandergelder's Hay and Feed, explains to his two clerks, Cornelius Hackl (Michael Crawford) and Barnaby Tucker (Danny Lockin), that he is going to get married because "It Takes a Woman" to cheerfully do all the household chores. He plans to travel to New York City to propose to Irene Molloy (Marianne McAndrew), who owns a hat shop there. Dolly arrives in Yonkers and sends Horace ahead to the city. Before leaving he tells Cornelius and Barnaby to mind the store.