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Life Magazine 1969 Cover Story >>

Vogue Magazine 1968 Photo Spread >>

The History of DOLLY/MATCHMAKER Theatrical Productions >>

Years later, Channing told a newspaper about the movie casting:

"No one even called me and told me. I remember I was in Montreal doing 'Dolly' and I read about the casting in the newspaper. Well, of course I felt suicidal; I felt like jumping out a window. I felt like someone had kidnapped my part. Eventually, everything worked out. Barbra has a tremendous creative force — she is so good - but that movie flopped. In hindsight, I was better off not doing it."

Fox acquired the rights to HELLO DOLLY in 1965. Broadway producer David Merrick put a clause in the contract that said Fox could not release the film so long as the play was still being performed on Broadway (Merrick wanted to break the record for longest running Broadway show). Filming was completed in July 1968 and editing began. Unfortunately for Fox, DOLLY was still running on Broadway! They negotiated with Merrick to release the film. Fox agreed to pay Merrick for any lost income that the Broadway show would incur, and released DOLLY in December, 1969.

Dolly Casting, Screen Tests, Costume Tests

20th Century Fox, about to spend millions on the production of Hello, Dolly!, did many screen tests, makeup, costume, and set tests before beginning principle photography.

Director Gene Kelly also tested many character actors for the supporting parts, including Trisha Noble and Sandy Duncan as Irene and Minnie, and Laugh In funny lady Jo Anne Worley as Gussie Granger.

Streisand was filmed in numerous screen tests that tested her makeup, wig, and costumes as Dolly Levi. Some of the different looks were quite interesting! Barbra participated in the tests on February 20, April 12 and 19, 1968.

DOLLY was budgeted at $20 million, but ended up costing the studio $26,400,000 - a huge amount in 1968.

The exteriors for Yonkers were filmed in Garrison, New York. The "New York" 14th Street set was constructed on the Fox backlot (and was actually used again in UP THE SANDBOX.)

Jerry Herman, the show's composer, wrote the song "Hello Dolly" in 1963. He was sued by Mack David (brother of Bacharach writing partner Hal David) for its similarity to a song he wrote in 1948 called "Sunflower." Herman settled out of court to the tune of $250K.

"Love Is Only Love" was a Jerry Herman "trunk" song ... an unused song for Herman's musical "MAME." The sentiments of the song, however, applied to Dolly's character, and so Herman tweaked it for Barbra to use in the film. He added the "Mrs. Horace Vandergelder" introduction to make it Dolly-specific.

"Just Leave Everything To Me" was written specifically for Barbra for the film. Herman recounted his experience with that song and director Gene Kelly in his autobiography:

"Gene Kelly, who directed, did not want to have anything to do with me. It wasn't that he hated me personally, he just didn't want his movie to be contaminated by anyone from Broadway. Gene Kelly wasn't the only one who had that old anti-Broadway bias. So many of these movie people are like that. I am not the kind of person who generally gets a cold reception, because the smart ones know that I can be very helpful. But these Hollywood types didn't like any theatre people. They considered us the enemy--and that's the God's truth. On one of the few occasions when Gene Kelly would even let me speak with him, I tried to tell him something about 'Just Leave Everything to Me,' which was the opening song that I wrote for Barbra Streisand. I had written it for a specific place, very early in the movie. But instead of using it where it belonged, he put it in the main titles. I was very polite and did not lose my temper, but I quietly pointed out to Mr. Kelly that if he took that song out of the scene I wrote it for, there would be no music for the first half hour of the movie. He gave me the could shoulder, which offended me deeply, because I was giving good advice and I knew it. Gene Kelly knew it, too. But he wouldn't admit it until we were sitting together at the Hollywood premiere in the Rialto Theater. It was a wonderful opening sequence--beautiful titles, gorgeous photography, and a grand entrance from Barbra--followed by a solid half-hour of talk. I sat there fuming. He had the gall to turn to me and say, 'You know, I should have put the song there.' I wanted to kill him."

In 1997 Jerry Herman reflected on DOLLY: "I like the film more every time I see it. And it's a great credit to Barbra because she knew she was too young. She's a smart cookie. She knew she was 27 years old playing a 60 year old woman. And she devised a way to do it that works today, that's lasted. She used that kind of pseudo Mae West, you know, whatever she devised. She's just so clever. And my God, she sang the hell out of it. I love the film much more than I did when it was released."

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