Well "Hello, Dolly!" ...Again (Feat: Channing, Pearl, Bette, and Babs)
Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at 10:08AM 
Bette on the Tonight Show in 2014Bette Midler basically gave the game away in a tweet last night but today it's official: The Divine Miss M will be taking over Carol Channing's signature role Dolly Levi in a Broadway revival of "Hello, Dolly!" due in the Spring of 2017. Carol Channing made a huge enduring career out of the role, of course, playing it three different times across four decades on Broadway and touring with it, too. Barbra Streisand tried to wrestle the role away from her in the movie musical adaptation in 1969 -- there are multiple catty anecdotes about this in the trivia-filled gossipy book "Roadshow! The Fall of the Film Musicals in the 1960s" that do not paint a pretty picture of Babs -- but despite the plentiful Oscar nominations thrown that movies way, it didn't really stick and no one thinks of Dolly as anyone's but Channing's.
Babs, Bette, Carol Channing & Pearl Bailey after the jump...
So Midler has big flashy shoes to fill. And Dolly herself is still with us! Carol Channing turns 95 this month.
Rumors of a "Hello Dolly!" revival tend to swirl around every musical diva of a certain age but it looks like this one is already further than most have been to actually happening though there is no theater announced yet. A lot can happen in a year with Broadway shows but we'll cross our fingers because it sounds like a terrific fusion of supersized star and role.
In Bette's illustrious career she's won three Emmys, three Grammys, and four Golden Globes. But the Oscar never happened despite two Best Actress nominations (The Rose, For the Boys) and a string of 1980s box office hits. Non competitive prizes are a subject of contention amongst awards nerds so Bette is either an Oscar short of an EGOT (she has a special Tony) or nowhere close -- unless she wins Best Actress for this "Hello, Dolly!" revival in June 2017. Stay tuned.
And now a brief diva-filled Hello Dolly! history...
The original production in 1964 was the biggest Tony hit of its year winning 10 of its 11 nominations including for Carol Channing who beat Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl to take Best Actress in a Musical. (They each parlayed their mid 60s Broadway musical smashes to big Hollywood musicals -- Channing was nominated for Supporting Actress for 1967's Thoroughly Modern Millie and Streisand won Best Actress for 1968's Funny Girl.
The first Dolly! ran for an incredible six years -- which back then made it the longest running musical on Broadway in history though other shows would later surpass it. It closed almost exactly a year after Barbra Streisand's movie adaptation (her Tony-losing revenge?) opened in theaters in December 1969.
The first revival of "Hello, Dolly!" in 1975 starred Pearl Bailey -- who is featured with Carol Channing in that last must see video above which takes a swipe at Babs (!!!) -- but it flopped lasting just over a month. The second and third revivals in 1978 and 1995 (which both starred Carol Channing) each ran for a few months receiving one Tony nomination each.
P.S. for more Hello Dolly history try this fine page at the Barbra Streisand Archives.
Reader Comments (29)
Roadshow! sounds like a delicious read...gotta track that one down. I hope it's not too hard on Star!, a personal favorite of mine. LOL
I'm so glad for Bette! Between this and the Netflix series, 2016 is off to a good start for her.
Slightly off topic, but your link to Roadshow! reminded me of a question I've been meaning to ask. Would you ever consider doing a post/list about essential reading about the movies? There are so many books on film, but it's sometimes hard to find the gems through the junk. I've got Mark Harris'/Vito Russo covered, but would love to hear what others you and the team think are key.
sfenton24 -- that's a good suggestion.
brookebsoy -- omg. the STAR! chapter is *insane* (it's very hard on Star! sorry)
I find the third act of Bette and Barbra's careers fascinating.
Midler uses her talents while Streisand simply idles and fusses.
Well, Bette playing middle-aged "Dolly" on Broadway sounds a lot more entertaining (in the right way, anyway!) than Babs playing 40-ish "Mama" Rose in a big-screen version of "Gypsy!"
Billy -- right? Streisand is such a weirdo (in that reclusive celebrity who shuts themselves off kinda way)... you always wonder how that happens to some but others stay part of the world in really tangible ways.
Pearl Bailey originally played Dolly as a replacement during the original run of the show after Channing left (I know because I saw it as a fetus) and very successfully, which is probably why they thought that revival would be a good idea. The original production was famous for its string of diva replacements, also including the Merm, Ginger Rogers and Phyllis Diller (!).
Bette will be great as Dolly---definitely winning a Tony unless someone (Audra) doing something new and exciting turns up next year.
For The Boys the BO disaster that really hurt Bette.A film I like a lot.
Love the soundtrack, Mary.
Nathaniel, thanks for the heads up! I was hoping that there would be a critical re-evaluation of this movie, but it looks like it might take another generation. Sigh. Whatever the movie's flaws, Julie really gives it her all. She said in an interview that it was the hardest she ever worked on a film, and her performance is spectacular. And the Saga of Jenny number is so twisted and astonishing!
Mary and Paul (where's Peter?) , I have never seen For the Boys (just rewatched The Rose, and Mark Rydell certainly knew how to direct Bette), but I know some of the music. Stuff Like That There--now that's a barnburner! LOL
This is such good news, Bette Midler is a national treasure whose talent will do well in "Hello Dolly".
Her twitter feed is always a fun read, she has done so much good work on and off stage.
That you tube clip is a lotta fun. Channing and Bailey in good form.
brookesboy -- yeah, if FOR THE BOYS were solely "stuff like that there" it would be Best Picture worthy. what a number.
brookesboy (who's Brooke btw?), I thought the movie was okay, but every musical number was a hoot and I used to play the soundtrack CD all the time: her versions of "For All We Know" and "P.S. I Love You" are killer. (And of course "Stuff Like That There" is a great nod to her first album and the hit single "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.")
Paul, brooke is Brooke English from All My Children. THE greatest soap heroine of all time! Giving the respect! LOL
Go Bette! Hope it works out for her.
And speaking of Dolly, Miss Parton is 70 years young today. Tribute time? I'd lovingly write one for the site, that woman means so much.
Brooke English? That's crazy talk, but now I really like your handle. Heh heh.
Thanks, Paul! Pine Valley is just like home to me. LOL
Nathaniel, the reason why I know that song without seeing the movie is that the tune has become a staple at a bar I frequent on Show Tunes night. It gets quite a response at this watering hole in Chicago. As you can imagine. LOL
brookesboy, I wouldn't have held it against you--too much--if you'd said Brooke Forrester. ;-)
Paul, I never watched B&B (AMC AND OLTL fan here!) but I know that character is tres glamorous! LOL
That Brooke is a selfish, conniving, social-climbing, husband-stealing poor-little-me beyotch if you ask me, so what's not to love? ;-)
Sorry folks for the soap opera digression. We now return you to regularly scheduled prestige programming.
Lol!!!! A-mazing! We all need soap daily!
A great meeting of performer and part. I hope they find a strong cast to support Bette and a Horace that she connects with.
I can understand why they chose Streisand for Dolly way back then and she sings the hell out of the score but there's no way that she's believable in the part. She just too young. It's a disservice to both the movie and to her.
I dun tink Streisand stole Channing's part. Babs was a big star in 1969 coming off her Best Actress Oscar, its a logical choice that the studio went with her for another big musical adaptation.(Ano prime example will be Hepburn replacing Andrews in My Fair Lady, creating a huge uproar)
Yes Babs sang really well and was charismatic & really funny in Hello Dolly! & yes she was way too young at 27 to play a 40ish matchmaker, but hey if JLaw can play a 30ish - 40 single mom and get nom......I dun see why Babs shld take the flak for accepting the part. If she turned it down, the studio will probably go for ano big movie star (Julie Andrews perhaps?) rather than Channing who was also well-known on Broadway.
Yay. Finally a post that doesn't mention the other CAROL. ;)
Any news about the Divine Miss M returning to Broadway is fantastic!
I've always been surprised by the age issue with Barbra and Hello, Dolly! Sure, on paper she was too young to play Dolly, but the full-bodied womanhood she exuded at age 27 made it easy for me to accept her as a worldly young gold-digging widow. She also brought more sex to the role than most. And she did sing the hell outta that score. And—visually, at least—she was God's gift to the hair, makeup and costume departments.
Why hasn't Bette and Babs not starred in a movie together yet? I'd pay good money to see these two megastars in a film together.
Raise your hand if you agree!
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that was supposed to be a hand raising but well... failed.
You see....you and The Most People here try hard to diminish Streisand power!!! Nice try! But it will never happen, she is, and she will always be Bigger than poor Carol, and Bette(this one will never won an Academy Award).