Gypsy - Königin der Nacht

During the roaring 1920s, domineering Rosalind Russell (as Rose Hovick) pushes her two young daughters successfully onto the vaudeville stage. But, when star Ann Jillian (as "Dainty" June) hits puberty and runs off with a chorus boy, Ms. Russell is left with relatively untalented Natalie Wood (as Louise). Undaunted, Russell alters the act for Ms. Wood, who makes it a burlesque show. When she becomes a strip-tease star (as "Gypsy Rose Lee"), an ungrateful Wood leaves her Mama in the wings. Russell receives moral support from agent and lover Karl Malden (as Herbie Sommers), who wants to be her fourth husband...

Everything's Coming Up Roses...

The main problem, here, is that the terrific score, by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, is given a relatively lesser treatment, when compared to Ethel Merman's Broadway version (available on CD). Russell was dubbed well by singer Lisa Kirk - but, instead of rendering her own version of the classics, she was apparently hired to sound similar to Russell. The benefit is that you don't get raspy Russell suddenly singing like soprano Marni Nixon. While perhaps not ideally cast, Russell and Wood possess enough star power to make an already great show pass muster. Thankfully, Paul Wallace (as Tulsa) retains his stage presence.

Sing Out, Louise!

******* Gypsy (11/1/62) Mervyn LeRoy ~ Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Paul Wallace

I guess Roz Russell's singing, which was dubbed, was a bit underwhelming, but she has great presence in many of her songs, such as "Rose's Turn". She gives a pretty complex portrayal of Mama Rose that shows she has some heart. Though I wish I'd seen Ethel Merman, Miss Russell is a worthy substitute! Natalie Wood is quite good, too, giving much depth to her portrayal of Louise/Gypsy. Ann Jillian is good, also, as Dainty June. Karl Malden does overact, but that's only a small complaint. Great songs and good performances make this worth watching.

It's been nearly 50 years since I first saw this film, and at the time I thought it was good. Over the years since, many criticisms have been hurled at this film version, and it has suffered a bad reputation. Yes, it would have been great to have a film record of Merman performing one of her most famous roles, but Merman was not as good on film as on the stage. In subsequent years, I have seen the Bette Midler TV version (Midler was much more miscast than Roz Russell! And Midler seemed to really struggle vocally in the part). I have also seen Tyne Daly on stage (great acting, vocally a stretch for her), and most recently, Patti LuPone's Tony winning, mesmerizing performance on stage. LuPone had both the acting and singing ability required and then some - it would be interesting to see how she would fare in a film version. So, when TCM recently showed this, I thought it was time to revisit the film and see what my view was after nearly 50 years. My verdict is that Rosalind Russell is not that bad really, she really acts the part, and as for Lisa Kirk dubbing some of her songs, I think it is a good fit and not at all distracting. All of the supporting roles are excellently played, too, especially my favorite Paul Wallace as Tulsa. In short, I think Russell deserves a lot more credit than she is often given for her performance!

This enjoyable class act has Natalie Wood as Gypsy Rose Lee and Rosalind Russell as her overbearing mother Rose. And they are both terrific. Ok, so Russell isn't Ethel Merman and the OBC has that bit of an edge where the songs are concerned, but as an actress she is great in this role, especially in the scenes where June and Louise (Gypsy-to-be) are auditioning and she constantly interrupts; and in the Mr Goldstone number.

Natalie Wood looks the part and gives Louise a sympathetic edge, particularly in 'Little Lamb'. The best musical numbers of the lot though are Tulsa's song and dance number rehearsing his imaginary double act, and the truly brilliant 'You Gotta Have a Gimmick'. It is also a joy to see Karl Malden in a nice supporting role as Rose's long suffering beau Herbie.

This is a terrific filmization of the 1959 Broadway show which starred Ethel Merman. Although some may argue that Rosalind Russell is not effective in the role of Mama Rose, I can't see how anyone could complain. Russell is excellent in the role, she's funny, entertaining, and sincere. Although I understand her singing voice was dubbed, it still sounds more pleasant to me then the loud, brash singing of Merman that I heard from the Broadway soundtrack album.

As for the others, Karl Malden is great in his role, as is Ann Jillian as June. The real star here, to me, is Natalie Wood who is both believable in her role as the neglected Louise, and stunning in her transformation to Gypsy Rose Lee. The moment where she looks in the mirror prior to her first solo performance ("I'm pretty!"), is one of the best screen moments ever.

The songs and musical scenes here are all wonderful too, "If Mama Was Married" is a great duet between June and Louise, "Everything's Coming Up Roses" is terrific too, as is "Rose's Turn" and most of the others. If there is one complaint to be made about this film, it's that the wonderful "Together, Wherever We Go" number was cut out. Worse then that, no prints with that number intact seem to exist on 35mm. Other then that, though, it is a great film with excellent Technicolor photography and excellent music. If you love musicals, see it, and be sure to see it in the wide screen version.