Bye Bye Birdie (1963 film)

Bye Bye Birdie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge Sidney
Screenplay byIrving Brecher
Based onBye Bye Birdie
by Michael Stewart
Produced byFred Kohlmar
Starring
CinematographyJoseph Biroc
Edited byCharles Nelson
Music by
Production
company
The Kohlmar-Sidney Company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release dates
  • April 4, 1963 (1963-04-04)
(Radio City Music Hall, New York City)[1][2]
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million[3]
Box office$13.1 million

Bye Bye Birdie is a 1963 American musical romantic comedy film directed by George Sidney, with a screenplay by Irving Brecher, based on the 1960 Broadway musical of the same name by Michael Stewart. Produced by Fred Kohlmar, the film stars Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Maureen Stapleton, Bobby Rydell, Jesse Pearson, and Ed Sullivan, with Van Dyke and Paul Lynde reprising their roles from the Broadway production. The film features songs by composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Lee Adams, along with an original score by Johnny Green.

The story was inspired by Elvis Presley's 1957 draft into the United States Army, with Pearson) portraying the character Conrad Birdie, a parody of Presley, whose name is a play on country singer Conway Twitty, a teen idol at the time.[4]

Bye Bye Birdie tells the story of Conrad Birdie (Pearson), a rock 'n' roll star drafted into the army, causing a frenzy among his teenage fans. As part of a publicity stunt, Conrad is set to give a "farewell kiss" to Kim MacAfee (Ann-Margret) on live television, which stirs up the small town of Sweet Apple, Ohio. The story involves romantic and comedic entanglements between Kim, her boyfriend Hugo Peabody (Rydell), and Conrad’s manager Albert Peterson (Van Dyke), who is also navigating his relationship with Rosie DeLeon (Leigh).

Bye Bye Birdie premiered on April 4, 1963, and received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with praise for Sidney's direction, the energetic musical numbers, and the performances of Van Dyke and Ann-Margret, with the latter achieving her breakthrough with the film. It emerged as a commercial success at the box-office, grossing $13.1 million worldwide against a production budget of approximately $6 million, ranking as the eighth-highest grossing film of the year.

At the 36th Academy Awards, Bye Bye Birdie received 2 nominations – Best Original Score and Best Sound. The film also earned 2 nominations at the 21st Golden Globe Awards – Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Ann-Margret).

In 2006, Bye Bye Birdie was ranked #38 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYDN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Columbia Pictures' Volume Indefinite". Variety. May 23, 1962. p. 6.
  4. ^ Conway Twitty website biography Archived June 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ AMC Filmsite - 50 Best High School Movies Archived December 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, filmsite.org; accessed October 18, 2016.