She was always great on stage, but Gwen was 44 when Sweet Charity was made. They would never have risked a multi-million dollar movie on her at that point. She didn't have the looks for movie stardom and away from Broadway, most moviegoers didn't know her.
Chris N Gwen Verdon was an established theatre AND movie star by the time Sweet Charity was in production. In the beginning of their marriage, Gwen was a bigger star and more well known in Hollywood than Fosse. He got a lot of opportunities to grow his name and career because of her connections. Regarding Shirley, it was a studio decision to cast her because she had come to be known for her comedic roles, she was a studio darling, and yes her looks. Her looks, not because she was thought of as a bombshell. Her looks because she had the Gwen Verdon look. You may not think Gwen is attractive but she was thought to be quite beautiful in a quirky way and Shirley Maclaine was seen as a quirky beauty back then too. Ultimately, the movie flopped and was a stain on the careers of all associated. What the studio probably should have considered was first, making the movie sooner and second, using the woman who already had a huge built in fan base associated with her originating that character much like Damn Yankees. And Shirley was no spring chicken, she was something like 35.
@@jamie1044 I agree. I admire Shirley MacLaine, but Gwen Verdon embodied the character so deeply, it would have been really fantastic to see what Fosse and Verdon could create together for the movie, and who cares about her age.
When I was a kid I dreamed of being a dancer because of Gwen Verdin and I ended up doing just that, once dancing in the chorus of a production of Damn Yankees, where this is from, with Dick Van Dyke as the devil, Donnie most as Joe Hardy and Ken Page as the baseball coach. The role of Lola was played by a wonderful Fossi dancer named Vicky Frederick. Do not know whatever happened to her but those who trained under Fossi were extraordinary performers.
@@carveylover She was given no chance. I really can’t disagree more with your comment, you give an impression that she wasn’t ROBBED. She didn’t “encourage” Shirley to “go after it”, she trained Shirley up for the role after Shirley was cast at the behest of Fosse and the studio execs. Hardly a case where anyone with a heart would say “so she she did ok”. She was deemed too old, too unattractive and too unknown to mainstream non-broadway audiences. It was unfair and the situation stunk.
The 1953 Fred Astaire movie musical, "The Band Wagon", was about an unsuccessful attempt to stage a Broadway Musical Comedy based upon the story of "Faust". Ironically, in 1955 a Broadway Musical Comedy actually was staged based upon the story of "Faust" and, unlike the one in "The Band Wagon", it proved to be extremely successful. That was "Damn Yankees". It was such a big hit, in fact, that it was translated into a motion picture in 1958. The movie included some of the original Broadway cast members, including Ray Walson as Mephistopheles and Gwen Verdon as his temptress. The "Damn Yankees" of the title were the New York baseball team, the plot revolving around a frustrated middle-aged baseball fan selling his soul to the devil to become a young baseball star in order to win the championship for his beloved but losing team, the Washington Senators. Ironically, the real Senators were such a losing team that they literally ceased to exist after 1960, becoming the Minnesota Twins.
This is the wit, expertise, sexiness and down-right fun that I so miss in Today's BROADWAY. And Gwen.... one of those unique, iconic Broadway figures. So glad they didn't use someone else when they made this movie, like they usually did. (And like it was often their big mistake, as using Audrey in My Fair Lady).
Andrew Rudin I think that Agnes Moorehead would have been a better Lola in the movie version. 😉 But seriously folks, I agree that Gwen Verdon was ideal casting for this role.
In other words; Consider the job done! The Broadway Musical was brought to new life on the Silver Screen! They were such great entertainment. It would be great to see them return to the industry in today's world!
The Hollywood musicals were wonderful but very much of their time. And as such, unrepeatable. I compare it to an innocent child who believes that fairy-tales are real. Once the child's mind is 'corrupted', fairy-tales will be seen as just that. The same can be said of songs/lyrics of the time. Yesterday neighbours next door were having a queen's Jubilee party in their garden. I could not start to describe the music that was being played. And this was supposed to be a gathering of people celebrating? TO THIS MUSIC?! Even double-glasing couldn't keep out the monotonous, repetitive beat.
The last bit about Samson and Deliah was added in for the movie replacing the racier lyrics in the stage version. "You see the sign that said "George Washington once slept here" Well though nobody spied him Guess who was beside him?"
@@LeighMet likely a generational thing- wouldn't have been seemly during the 1950s to suggest anything racy about George Washington...'unAmerican' , I'm guesssing
Racier lyrics? Richard Arlen didn't mention that in his autobiography, but he did say Gwen was complaining about this particular song, saying the lyrics don't rhyme, he said to her, "Yes, they do rhyme..."
Robert Johnson was before Gwen's time, but he might have had her in mind when he sang "She's got Elgin movements from her head down to her toes Breaks in on a dollar 'most anywhere she goes..."
Yes Gwen would have been great in Sweet Charity. She was one of my favorites. She was in a Walker, Texas Ranger, episode, with Robin Thomas as her murdered son. Maybe in 1996 to 2000, somewhere in that time span. She was in both Coccon movies . Not sure about spelling of title. I was pretty young when her dancing and acting was totally fantastic. It's so nice to be able to watch these now. So many talented dancers, great dance numbers. Boy do I miss those days, lots of musicals. With alot of actors and actress who made these movies so entertaining, and wonderful to watch. 🥰😍🤩
As a kid I remember wathing Damn Yankees in the very late fifties(over sixty years ago). And over the last few weeks I returned to 'Whatever Lola Wants' number again and again. What would I(we) do without TH-cam?!
@@hamrunfc1 Hello. I'm kinda on UTUBE alot. Bob Fossie was also in that movie with Gwen. They were married. They did that number "Who's Got The Pain"...I liked that Dance number. I have the DVD Of Damn Yankees, I love that video. Always liked Gewn Verdon. You have the name I had before I was born. "Linda," then my mother changed it to Leslie. I hate my name. Rather been named Linda. I bought some books from Amazon, Gwen Verdon, Bob Fossie. Interesting reading. Bob F. does a fabulous dance number near the end of Kiss Me Kate movie. I've been enjoying UTUBE for awhile.
![CAMPปลิ้น | EP.83[2/2] ประสบการณ์ขนหัวลุกจากตำนานวงการผี!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/T_kFecQw7Ds/mqdefault.jpg)
“Ask me why! Weak men'll die for me, strong men simply shatter” is such a good line
The way she moves her body is just incredible. She somehow makes the tiniest, subtlest movements feel so grand and meaningful.
This woman was my inspiration for dancing! I’m 64 and still at it! Thank you Gwen! Love and miss that amazing talent!❤❤❤
Absolutely criminal that Gwen Verdon wasn't allowed to do the movie of SWEET CHARITY. A unique talent!
She was always great on stage, but Gwen was 44 when Sweet Charity was made. They would never have risked a multi-million dollar movie on her at that point. She didn't have the looks for movie stardom and away from Broadway, most moviegoers didn't know her.
@@chrisn7259 But the movie was really a flop...
Chris N Gwen Verdon was an established theatre AND movie star by the time Sweet Charity was in production. In the beginning of their marriage, Gwen was a bigger star and more well known in Hollywood than Fosse. He got a lot of opportunities to grow his name and career because of her connections. Regarding Shirley, it was a studio decision to cast her because she had come to be known for her comedic roles, she was a studio darling, and yes her looks. Her looks, not because she was thought of as a bombshell. Her looks because she had the Gwen Verdon look. You may not think Gwen is attractive but she was thought to be quite beautiful in a quirky way and Shirley Maclaine was seen as a quirky beauty back then too. Ultimately, the movie flopped and was a stain on the careers of all associated. What the studio probably should have considered was first, making the movie sooner and second, using the woman who already had a huge built in fan base associated with her originating that character much like Damn Yankees. And Shirley was no spring chicken, she was something like 35.
@@jamie1044 I agree. I admire Shirley MacLaine, but Gwen Verdon embodied the character so deeply, it would have been really fantastic to see what Fosse and Verdon could create together for the movie, and who cares about her age.
@@jamie1044 wow is 35 old in your book ???
When I was a kid I dreamed of being a dancer because of Gwen Verdin and I ended up doing just that, once dancing in the chorus of a production of Damn Yankees, where this is from, with Dick Van Dyke as the devil, Donnie most as Joe Hardy and Ken Page as the baseball coach. The role of Lola was played by a wonderful Fossi dancer named Vicky Frederick. Do not know whatever happened to her but those who trained under Fossi were extraordinary performers.
The incomparable Miss Verdon! Talent, wit, art, playfulness, and an incredible dancer!
"I took the starch out of the sails of the Prince of Wales". Classic, thank you
How adorable she is in this, my favorite from Damn Yankees 😃
No one can top Gwen Verdon! She was a true force of nature.
Maybe if Verdon had played Charity the movie wouldn't have bombed at the box office.
She encouraged Shirley McClain to go after the role. She was also assistant Choreographer so she did ok. But I do agree she is the best Charity!
@@carveylover She was given no chance. I really can’t disagree more with your comment, you give an impression that she wasn’t ROBBED. She didn’t “encourage” Shirley to “go after it”, she trained Shirley up for the role after Shirley was cast at the behest of Fosse and the studio execs. Hardly a case where anyone with a heart would say “so she she did ok”. She was deemed too old, too unattractive and too unknown to mainstream non-broadway audiences. It was unfair and the situation stunk.
what a performance. i remember watching this religiously to practice for my role of lola back in my highschool days. damn yankees was my favorite
Gosh,I played a wife and sang this sing in a school musical back in the 80's. 😂 Still know the words.
Thanks Cumberland High School!
Perfection. Concise, detailed, easy, and in complete control.
The 1953 Fred Astaire movie musical, "The Band Wagon", was about an unsuccessful attempt to stage a Broadway Musical Comedy based upon the story of "Faust". Ironically, in 1955 a Broadway Musical Comedy actually was staged based upon the story of "Faust" and, unlike the one in "The Band Wagon", it proved to be extremely successful. That was "Damn Yankees". It was such a big hit, in fact, that it was translated into a motion picture in 1958. The movie included some of the original Broadway cast members, including Ray Walson as Mephistopheles and Gwen Verdon as his temptress. The "Damn Yankees" of the title were the New York baseball team, the plot revolving around a frustrated middle-aged baseball fan selling his soul to the devil to become a young baseball star in order to win the championship for his beloved but losing team, the Washington Senators. Ironically, the real Senators were such a losing team that they literally ceased to exist after 1960, becoming the Minnesota Twins.
This is the wit, expertise, sexiness and down-right fun that I so miss in Today's BROADWAY. And Gwen.... one of those unique, iconic Broadway figures. So glad they didn't use someone else when they made this movie, like they usually did. (And like it was often their big mistake, as using Audrey in My Fair Lady).
Andrew Rudin I think that Agnes Moorehead would have been a better Lola in the movie version. 😉 But seriously folks, I agree that Gwen Verdon was ideal casting for this role.
Andrew Rudin or using Shirley McLaine instead of Gwen in Sweet Charity!
@@tombennett3827 I've never heard that Agnes could sing and dance well enough to star in a musical.
@@lasktdave I think he was being facetious, or sarcastic, or something.
Let’s not forget the incomparable Ray Waldron. Bring a center of truth to everything he does.
She’s fabulous!
This song would make a fabulous drag number.
Gwen is gold💜
* In her later years she made memorable TV appearances on M*A*S*H and Walker, Texas Ranger. ☺
WytZox1 yes, and she was also in movies like "Cocoon" and "Cotton Club."
WytZox1, not to mention that she played Thomas Magnum's mother in MAGNUM, P.I.--and did it charmingly. :-)
In other words; Consider the job done! The Broadway Musical was brought to new life on the Silver Screen! They were such great entertainment. It would be great to see them return to the industry in today's world!
The Hollywood musicals were wonderful but very much of their time. And as such, unrepeatable. I compare it to an innocent child who believes that fairy-tales are real. Once the child's mind is 'corrupted', fairy-tales will be seen as just that. The same can be said of songs/lyrics of the time. Yesterday neighbours next door were having a queen's Jubilee party in their garden. I could not start to describe the music that was being played. And this was supposed to be a gathering of people celebrating? TO THIS MUSIC?! Even double-glasing couldn't keep out the monotonous, repetitive beat.
It’s a talent to know how to move while singing so that it makes a scene interesting and dynamic, and she really nailed it.
Such a good actor
Best Movie Ever
The last bit about Samson and Deliah was added in for the movie replacing the racier lyrics in the stage version.
"You see the sign that said "George Washington once slept here"
Well though nobody spied him
Guess who was beside him?"
Yeah, but ".... lamps on" rhyming with "Sampson" is pretty damn good, if not really still better.
How is one racier then the other?
@@LeighMet likely a generational thing- wouldn't have been seemly during the 1950s to suggest anything racy about George Washington...'unAmerican' , I'm guesssing
@@LeighMet The father if the country vs. a mythological figure.
Racier lyrics? Richard Arlen didn't mention that in his autobiography, but he did say Gwen was complaining about this particular song, saying the lyrics don't rhyme, he said to her, "Yes, they do rhyme..."
WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE, ON THE LATTEERRRRRRRRRR
Thank you so much for this clip! Could you upload "Two Lost Souls" with Gwen and Tab Hunter?
Robert Johnson was before Gwen's time, but he might have had her in mind when he sang
"She's got Elgin movements from her head down to her toes
Breaks in on a dollar 'most anywhere she goes..."
Love this song.
Verdon was the best. Superb even in this second-tier number,
Well is this what Happened to Washington 😂😂😢😢🎉😂❤❤Shame on something so cute😂❤😮
Thank you! I couldn't find this for yearsss
Yes Gwen would have been great in Sweet Charity. She was one of my favorites. She was in a Walker, Texas Ranger, episode, with Robin Thomas as her murdered son. Maybe in 1996 to 2000, somewhere in that time span. She was in both Coccon movies . Not sure about spelling of title. I was pretty young when her dancing and acting was totally fantastic. It's so nice to be able to watch these now. So many talented dancers, great dance numbers. Boy do I miss those days, lots of musicals. With alot of actors and actress who made these movies so entertaining, and wonderful to watch. 🥰😍🤩
As a kid I remember wathing Damn Yankees in the very late fifties(over sixty years ago). And over the last few weeks I returned to 'Whatever Lola Wants' number again and again. What would I(we) do without TH-cam?!
@@hamrunfc1 Hello. I'm kinda on UTUBE alot. Bob Fossie was also in that movie with Gwen. They were married. They did that number "Who's Got The Pain"...I liked that Dance number. I have the DVD Of Damn Yankees, I love that video. Always liked Gewn Verdon. You have the name I had before I was born. "Linda," then my mother changed it to Leslie. I hate my name. Rather been named Linda. I bought some books from Amazon, Gwen Verdon, Bob Fossie. Interesting reading. Bob F. does a fabulous dance number near the end of Kiss Me Kate movie. I've been enjoying UTUBE for awhile.
This May be one of her best ever, and that's saying something
Yeah, she's got this, Chief. ^^
Great stuff.
a widdle bwains, a widdle taaawent
She really said tawent uwu
They went with the insufferable Shirley MacLAME, instead of this talented goddess?!?!
I love such specious rooms
Doctor Smith! Warning, Will Robinson!!
Words ain't good enough
¡¡¡Wowwwwwwww !!!!😍😍😍😍
Still watching in 2021
❤❤❤
thanks!!!!
She was great. She should have been in the movie version of “Sweet Charity”. This number is really cute. This set is hideous, though. HIDEOUS.
Yeah it is, but it’s supposed to be the Devil’s bedroom. So it seems fittingly garish
And he wants to go home to his wife！ THE NERVE！
Hey George!
Hey Seavor!
Wut genre of music is this guys
Those stripes***
Apoplexy
How is her skirt not wrinkled? 🤔
Any other songs ray walston sings in this movie?
good bad old days
He sings 'Those Were The Good Old Days'
Gwen