Gypsy (1993 film)

Gypsy is a 1993 American made-for-television biographical musical comedy-drama film directed by Emile Ardolino. The teleplay by Arthur Laurents is an adaptation of his book of the 1959 stage musical Gypsy, which was based on the 1957 autobiography Gypsy: A Memoir by Gypsy Rose Lee.[2]

Gypsy
Promotional poster
Genre
  • Biography
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Musical
Based onGypsy: A Musical Fable
by Arthur Laurents
Screenplay byArthur Laurents
Directed byEmile Ardolino
StarringBette Midler
Cynthia Gibb
Peter Riegert
Jennifer Rae Beck
Edward Asner
Music byJule Styne (Score)
Stephen Sondheim (Lyrics)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersBonnie Bruckheimer
Robert Halmi Sr.
Neil Meron
Craig Zadan
ProducersEmile Ardolino
Cindy Gilmore
Bob Weber
Production locationsOrpheum Theater
Palace Theater
State Theatre
CinematographyRalf Bode
EditorsWilliam H. Reynolds
L. James Langlois
Running time153 minutes[1]
Production companiesStoryline Entertainment
All Girl Productions
RHI Entertainment
DistributorCBS
Release
Original networkCBS
Picture formatColor
Audio formatDolby
Original releaseDecember 12, 1993 (1993-12-12)

Gypsy Rose Lee's son, Erik Lee Preminger, was instrumental in getting the film in production and was the main source for research. He had tried to get the musical filmed with Bette Midler, who had always wanted to play Rose,[3] in the principal role 10 years earlier, but it required the approval of five entities to obtain the rights. One of the obstacles had been Arthur Laurents himself, who wrote the book for the musical based on Lee's memoirs. He had hated the 1962 film version and was initially opposed to a remake.[4] "Not for all the money in the world will we let them make another film version of Gypsy," he had said.[2]

The film was originally broadcast by CBS on December 12, 1993, and then released in theaters in foreign markets. It has been released on home video multiple times.

Director Ardolino died of AIDS three weeks before the film was broadcast.[5]

Plot

Determined to make her young, blonde, and beautiful daughter, June, a vaudeville headliner, willful, resourceful, domineering stage mother Rose Hovick will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. She drags June and her shy, awkward, and decidedly less-talented older sister, Louise, around the country in an effort to get them noticed, and with the assistance of agent Herbie Sommers, she manages to secure them bookings on the prestigious Orpheum Circuit.

Years pass, and the girls no longer are young enough to pull off the childlike personae their mother insists they continue to project. June rebels, and elopes with Tulsa, one of the dancers who backs the act. Devastated by what she considers an act of betrayal, Rose pours all her energies into making a success of Louise, despite the young woman's obvious lack of singing and dancing skills. Not helping matters is the increasing popularity of sound films, which leads to a decline in the demand for stage entertainment. With bookings scarce, mother and daughter find themselves in Wichita, Kansas, where the owner of a third-rate burlesque house offers Louise a job.

When one of the strippers is arrested for soliciting, Louise unwillingly becomes her replacement. At first, her voice is shaky, and her moves tentative at best, but as audiences respond to her, she begins to gain confidence in herself. She blossoms as an entertainer billed as Gypsy Rose Lee, and eventually reaches a point where she tires of her mother's constant interference in both her life and wildly successful career. Louise confronts Rose and demands she leave her alone. Finally, aware that she has spent her life enslaved by a desperate need to be noticed, an angry, bitter, and bewildered Rose stumbles onto the empty stage of the deserted theater and experiences a moment of truth that leads to an emotional breakdown followed by a reconciliation with Louise.

Cast

Musical numbers
  1. "Let Me Entertain You" - Baby June, Baby Louise
  2. "Some People" - Rose
  3. "Small World" - Rose and Herbie
  4. "Baby June and Her Newsboys" - Baby June, Baby Louise, Chorus
  5. "Mr. Goldstone" - Rose, Herbie, Chorus
  6. "Little Lamb" - Louise
  7. "You'll Never Get Away from Me" - Rose, Herbie
  8. "Dainty June and Her Farmboys" - June, Louise, Chorus
  9. "If Momma Was Married" - June, Louise
  10. "All I Need is the Girl" - Tulsa
  11. "Everything's Coming Up Roses" - Rose
  12. "Together, Wherever We Go" - Rose, Herbie, Louise
  13. "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" - Tessie Tura, Miss Mazeppa, Miss Electra
  14. "Small World" (reprise) - Rose
  15. "Let Me Entertain You" - Louise
  16. "Rose's Turn" - Rose

Production

The film features a score with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and reuses the original orchestrations by Sid Ramin and Robert Ginzler. The musical numbers were choreographed by Jerome Robbins, who directed and choreographed the original Broadway production. Bob Mackie designed the costumes.

Awards and nominations

Midler won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. Gibb was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film and the production was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film.

The film was nominated for 12 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Midler, and won for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Direction (Michael Rafter).

Ardolino was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials.

Home video

It was released on videotape and laserdisc by RHI Entertainment in 1994 and on DVD by Pioneer Entertainment in 2000 and Lionsgate Home Entertainment in 2005. In recent years, the film has also been released to several digital download and streaming outlets such as Amazon and iTunes. On March 12, 2013, after several years of unavailability, Mill Creek Entertainment reissued the film on DVD in a double-feature set with the 2001 television remake of South Pacific.

Critical reception

Jule Styne said "I'm so excited. I just watched a tape of the movie and I cried. It is the most outstanding singing and acting performance I've seen on the screen within memory."[2]

Dorothy Rabinowitz wrote "Ms. Midler the toughest and brassiest Mama Rose ever... Most everything comes up roses here all right."[6]

Jennifer Stevenson wrote "Probably the best movie of the television year..."[7]

Barbara Jaeger wrote "Midler deserves both an Emmy and a Grammy."[8]

"Midler was sensational as Mama Rose in the recent TV version of Gypsy," wrote The Buffalo News.[9]

The Chicago Sun-Times wrote "Midler has the perfect blend of energy and maturity to portray vaudeville's ultimate stage mother. But the guiding force behind the new, sparkling Gypsy comes from the perceptive and reverent direction of Oscar winner Emile Ardolino, who artfully preserves the spirit of a stage play within the confines of television."[10] In another article, the publication wrote "Bette Midler's star turn in CBS' Gypsy not only brought the TV musical back from the dead, but it also helped the network win another ratings season."[11]

Nielsen ratings

The film received an 18.6/28 household rating/share, ranking 4th out of 90 programs that week, and was watched by 26.2 million viewers.[12]

See also

References
  1. Gypsy (1993) at IMDb
  2. "They're Coming Up Roses: Bette Midler headlines a new movie version of 'Gypsy,' a rare exact replication of a Broadway show. Therein lies a tale of tenacity, good timing and star power that Mama Rose herself would have appreciated". Los Angeles Times. December 5, 1993. p. 2. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  3. "Midler Fulfills Dream of Playing Mama Rose" (December 5, 1993) Altoona Mirror, p. E1
  4. Marilyn Beck (13 Mar 1993) "Preminger Gives Bare Facts for Film on Stripper Mom", Orange County Register, p. K02
  5. "Obituary: Emile Ardolino" (4 Dec 1993) The Independent, London, UK
  6. "TV: Sharks, the King of Swing and shell-shocked outlaws" (2 Dec 1993) Wall Street Journal
  7. "Turn on Holiday Cheer" (3 Dec 1993) St. Petersburg Times, p. 6
  8. "As Brash Mama Rose, Midler Walks Off with 'Gypsy'" (Jan 9, 1994) The Record, Bergen County, NJ
  9. "Irrepressible, Not Stupid" (Jan 30, 1994) The Buffalo News, Buffalo, NY
  10. "Movies on Video" (March 4, 1994) Chicago Sun-Times
  11. "Houston to Star in 'Cinderella'" (May 17, 1994) Chicago Sun-Times
  12. DeRosa, Robin (December 15, 1993). "Midler's Gypsy coming up roses for CBS". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
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