Robert J. Maxwell It's too bad Bob Fosse came to prominence so close to the end of the musical era, or the Golden Era, or whatever it was. There would be musicals to come, but nothing resembling, say, 1945 through 1959.Fosse had a unique style. It owed nothing to ballroom dancing, like Fred Astaire's; it wasn't athletic like Gene Kelly's; not as balletic as Jerome Robbins; and it wasn't as acrobatic as Michael Kidd's; but, at its best, it was at least as thrilling as the best of his forerunners'. Fosse had people striking awkwardly appealing postures, knock-kneed and pigeon-toed, with their rumps thrust out and a derby on their heads. Sometimes, with the non-dancers in "Cabaret", the style became minimalist, with the actors sidling along the stage, waving the fingers on their dangling arms, all of it helped enormously by innovative orchestral arrangements, full of clicks, clunks, and booms.Fosse himself was a splendid dancer. His number in "Kiss Me Kate," with Bobby Van and Tommy Rall, raises the hair on the back of the viewer's neck. Even in sluggish material like "My Sister Eileen", he stands out in a competitive dance with Tommy Rall. You know the "airplane" steps that Gene Kelly does for the French kids in "An American in Paris", whirling around like an airplane propeller? Fosse does it here, but at a blistering speed. He seems barely to touch the ground.There's a lot of posturing in "Sweet Charity" but not much verve elsewhere. The most kinetic number is probably "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This," with Shirley MacLaine, Chita Rivera, and Paula Kelly on a rooftop.Alas, the movie isn't as good as it could have been. The score might be accommodating two or three symphony orchestras, given what it sound like, but the tunes themselves aren't really memorable, despite our having heard at least two of them -- "Hey, Big Spender" and "If They Could See Me Now" -- over and over in the media. The second sounds like the kind of loud, peppy show-stopper that seems de rigueur for all Broadway musicals -- "Tomorrow","You're Gonna Hear From Me", "Everything's Coming Up Roses," "The Impossible Dream," and "I'm Dead But Still Smiling." Well -- not that last one. I made that up, but you get the picture.Some have complained that the story is depressing -- and it is. Sad musicals aren't all that rare. "It's Always Fair Weather" was sad in addition to being a vehicle for dull tunes, and in Fosse's own "All That Jazz", the central figure checks out with a heart attack (as Fosse himself was to do; I hope Fosse found the Angel of Death to resemble Jessica Lange in white lace.) The lyrics are better than the tunes themselves. There's considerable wit in some of them. Sammy Davis, Jr., as a hippie priest gets to tell us never to smoke "marijuana, grass, reefer" because it's "sinful, wrong -- and EXPENSIVE." MacLaine is not dumb but she's gullible as hell. Fellini's original was a tragedy. But Fellini's earned its tears because it was so well done. This story doesn't measure up and MacLaine might just as well have run off to "New Jersey or someplace" and lived happily ever after.

drednm Shirley MacLaine is excellent in this underrated, brassy musical based on the Italian classic film, NIGHTS OF CABIRIA.MacLaine plays Charity Hope Valentine, a sweet but rather clueless woman who works in a dance hall but yearns for love. She's constantly linking up with men who use her, take her money, dump her. The film opens with Charity in Central Park with her "boyfriend." Sitting on a bridge, she chirps about making a wish and throwing something off the bridge. The creep shoves her into the water.She has two wiser-but-cynical pals, played by Chita Rivera and Paula Kelly. They seem resigned to their fates as dance hall girls but there's still an ember of hope for a better life.Charity meets an Italian film star (Ricardo Montalban) and spend the night with him ... in his closet. She then meets a repressed man (John McMartin) in a stalled elevator and seems to have found happiness at last..... But is happiness in the cards for Charity? MacLaine seems to channel Gwen Verdon (who starred in the show on Broadway and who worked with MacLaine on the dance numbers) and excels in the many productions numbers, especially "If They Could See Me Now" and "Somebody Loves Me at Last." MacLaine also has a spirited rooftop dance number with Rivera and Kelly as they opine "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This." The show-stopper is probably the "Big Spender" number which features MacLaine, Rivera, and Kelly with a line of dance hall girls who try to lure men to be their partners. It's a sensational number that shows Bob Fosse's choreographic skills and also demonstrates the cynical life of a dance hall girl.Other great numbers include MacLaine and Montalban's visit to the Pompeii Club where the dancers go through a series of landmark Fosse dances. The lead dancer here is the sensational Suzanne Charny. Among the dancers are also Ben Vereen, Lee Roy Reams, and Chelsea Brown.Sammy Davis turns up the heat with the "River of Life" number which shows Charity and Oscar (McMartin)seeking meaning and discovering the 60s counter culture. Then there's Stubby Kaye as the dance hall manager who throws Charity a wedding party and sings "I Love to Cry at Weddings." This is a hugely underrated musical filled with great music and production numbers. Big, bright, brassy, and brazen, what's not to love? MacLaine won a Golden Globe nomination.

MartinHafer "Sweet Charity" is about the adventures of a terminally optimistic 'woman of easy virtue' (Shirley MacLaine) who seems to be happy no matter what horrible things are thrown her way. While the prostitution angle is highly de-emphasized (which is odd, given it was made in the later part of the swinging 60s and in the original she was CLEARLY a prostitute), she is a 'dance hall hostess'. But she also is very dumb--a terrible judge of character and some one who always seems to be bouncing from one problem to another. Through the course of this film, you hope that somehow things will finally work out for this sweet but ditsy lady."Sweet Charity" is a hard sell for me. This is because the musical is based on Fellini's film "Nights of Cabiria"--a technically well made but incredibly unpleasant film that I saw twice. Why twice? Because it is very, very highly touted as one of his best films but one that left me so depressed that I couldn't understand why anyone would want to actually watch it. Imagine--the film is about a sweet prostitute who is constantly being abused, disappointed and degraded. Not pleasant stuff, that's for sure.It's also a hard-sell because it's a movie so deeply entrenched in the late 60s that it has not aged well. The best example is the bizarre dance numbers that occur when the Italian actor (a miscast Mexican-born Ricardo Montalban) takes her to a trendy club. The dance numbers look almost like a combination of Italian high fashion of the day which is performed by a bunch of Twiggy-like models and was designed by Andy Warhol and Richard Avedon!! It may have seemed really cool in the day, but now it just comes off as bizarre...very, very bizarre. And, very slow...as the dancers keep blank expressions while they move in a manner that requires the minimum of energy! It's just strange and goes on, seemingly, forever.Now I did not thoroughly dislike the movie--but I did dislike it. MacLaine was cute in the lead (though, oddly, her singing sounded very tinny and canned--but she could sing well so I don't blame her for this). And, if you love modern dance, then you'll most likely like the film--it just wasn't my taste but I could respect the effort it took to make this. Overall, not a particularly enjoyable film...at least for me.

mark.waltz To transfer the Broadway musical of "Sweet Charity" to the screen is a difficult task because this strange period of American history is automatically going to date itself. A lot happened in America (especially New York City) between 1966 (when this opened on Broadway) and 1969 (when the film was released), so the result is an almost completely different feeling. The leading heroine is a cheery dance hall hostess (if there is such a thing), her friends at the dance hall are all tough broads with a typically cynical attitude (hiding hearts of gold) and the men in her life have treated her with much disrespect. At the very beginning, her current lover grabs her money-filled handbag and tosses her off the bow bridge in Central Park. She is so naive, she thinks he ran off to get help. Charity's pals quickly set her straight. Will her next lover(s) treat her better? Not if the fickle finger of fate steps in! That sparking redhead Shirley MacLaine gives one of her most identifiable performances in the role originated on the stage by Gwen Verdon, who generously coached MacLaine for the film, directed by Verdon's husband, Bob Fosse. MacLaine's sassy pals are the talented Paula Kelly and Chita Rivera (still on Broadway as I write this in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"), while lovable Stubby Kaye originally appears not-so-lovable as the dance hall manager who barks at the girls to get their keesters on stage. MacLaine's suitors include Ricardo Montalban as an Italian movie star who subs her for his date when his highly dramatic girlfriend runs out on him, and original Broadway cast member John McMartin as the shy bookkeeper who becomes the first man ever to tell Charity that he loves her.Cy Coleman's splashy musical score is transfered almost complete with Dorothy Fields' saucy lyrics. The most famous is of course "Big Spender", a number that indicates that these dance hall girls will do more than just dance, if the offer (and $) are right. MacLaine, Rivera and Kelly brighten up the screen with their anthem of hope, "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This", while MacLaine's big solo, "If My Friends Could See Me Now!" is as triumphant for her as Barbra Streisand's "Don't Rain on My Parade" was in "Funny Girl". And speaking of parades, there's a big fantasy moment with "I'm a Brass Band" where MacLaine is joined by (in her mind, a la "Chicago") a marching band as she parades down Wall Street. Sammy Davis Jr. takes over briefly for a spoof of street religions ("Rhythm of Life"), and Fosse's choreographic genius is never more noticeable as in the "Rich Man's Frug", a fun look at the underground nightclub scene of the late '60's. Deborah Cotton and Ben Vereen are the stand-out dancers in this camp treasure.Ultimately, this is a movie musical that depends entirely on its leading lady, and MacLaine is thrilling as the eternal optimist (there are those existing in New York, believe it or not...) who won't give up on finding love even if she does come out a bit battered.