Adapted from the stage musical, "Bye Bye Birdie" is based on the real-life story of Elvis Presley being drafted. In the film, Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson)--a teenage heartthrob--is to visit a small town in Ohio and kiss a local girl as a promotional appearance that would be part of The Ed Sullivan Show's live broadcast.
The real star of the film is Ann-Margret (as "local girl: Kim McAfee). There is quite a contrast between the teenage boys, who are all feet and Adam's apples, and Ann-Margret, whose more mature sexuality makes her feel like a Las Vegas dancer. This film does, in fact, serve as a bridge in her film career between "State Fair", with the wholesome Pat Boone, and "Viva Las Vegas", with Elvis.
On the adult side, Dick Van Dyke (Albert F. Peterson) and Paul Lynde (Harry McAfee) reprise their stage roles and sing the songs they are best known for: "Put On a Happy Face" and "Kids", respectively. But for my money, it is Janet Leigh (as Rosie Deleon, Peterson's long-suffering girlfriend) who really shines.
The camera work is sometimes amateurish and the choreography liberally borrows from "West Side Story" (1961). The film's story, perhaps more than the stage version, feels very choppy and uneven. Pearson's portrayal of Conrad is more like Lonesome Rhodes ("A Face in the Crowd") than Elvis. Worst of all, Maureen Stapleton is saddled with a caricature of the smothering Jewish mother; the role is so cartoonish it would fit better in "Li'l Abner".
Decades after the film's original release, Ann-Margret's performance of the title song, which was added in post production, is the most memorable part of the film.
The real star of the film is Ann-Margret (as "local girl: Kim McAfee). There is quite a contrast between the teenage boys, who are all feet and Adam's apples, and Ann-Margret, whose more mature sexuality makes her feel like a Las Vegas dancer. This film does, in fact, serve as a bridge in her film career between "State Fair", with the wholesome Pat Boone, and "Viva Las Vegas", with Elvis.
On the adult side, Dick Van Dyke (Albert F. Peterson) and Paul Lynde (Harry McAfee) reprise their stage roles and sing the songs they are best known for: "Put On a Happy Face" and "Kids", respectively. But for my money, it is Janet Leigh (as Rosie Deleon, Peterson's long-suffering girlfriend) who really shines.
The camera work is sometimes amateurish and the choreography liberally borrows from "West Side Story" (1961). The film's story, perhaps more than the stage version, feels very choppy and uneven. Pearson's portrayal of Conrad is more like Lonesome Rhodes ("A Face in the Crowd") than Elvis. Worst of all, Maureen Stapleton is saddled with a caricature of the smothering Jewish mother; the role is so cartoonish it would fit better in "Li'l Abner".
Decades after the film's original release, Ann-Margret's performance of the title song, which was added in post production, is the most memorable part of the film.