Hello, Dolly! (1969)
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A strong-willed matchmaker travels to Yonkers to find a wife for a miserly half-a-millionaire.
The story
In 1890, widowed matchmaker Dolly Levi travels to Yonkers, New York, seeking a wife for the miserly Horace Vandergelder. While Horace plans to travel to New York City to propose to a milliner named Irene Molloy, Dolly convinces his niece Ermengarde and her intended Ambrose Kemper to join the trip. Along the way, Dolly also arranges for Horace's clerks, Cornelius and Barnaby, to venture out of Yonkers with Irene and her shop assistant Minnie Fay. The group travels to New York City, where a series of comedic misunderstandings and social maneuvers ensue as Dolly attempts to orchestrate the perfect matches for everyone involved.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1890, Dolly Levi travels to Yonkers to find a wife for Horace Vandergelder. Horace intends to propose to Irene Molloy in New York City, but Dolly also arranges for his clerks, Cornelius and Barnaby, to accompany Irene and her assistant Minnie Fay to the city. Dolly further helps Ambrose Kemper and Ermengarde Vandergelder enter a dance contest at Harmonia Gardens. In New York, Cornelius and Barnaby pretend to be wealthy to impress the women. When Horace arrives, a series of comedic mishaps occur, including Cornelius and Barnaby hiding in a shop and being forced to take the women to dinner. During a parade, Dolly seeks permission from her late husband to marry Horace. At Harmonia Gardens, Horace meets a woman Dolly intended to be a decoy, while Dolly sits at his table to declare she won't marry him. After a confrontation where Horace fires the clerks and a riot breaks out, Horace realizes he needs Dolly. Eventually, Horace admits his feelings, and Dolly agrees to stay with him, with Cornelius becoming his business partner.
- First release year
- 1969
- Runtime (minutes)
- 148
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gene Kelly
- Writers
- Ernest Lehman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Barbra Streisand · Dolly Levi; Walter Matthau · Horace Vandergelder; Michael Crawford · Cornelius Hackl; Marianne McAndrew · Irene Molloy; Danny Lockin · Barnaby Tucker; E. J. Peaker · Minnie Fay; Joyce Ames · Ermengarde Vandergelder; Tommy Tune · Ambrose Kemper
- Genres
- musical; romantic comedy
- Themes
- Love; Marriage; Social Status
- Tone and mood
- Romantic; Comedic; Musical
- Premise and plot tags
- Historical; Musical; Romantic Comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1964 Broadway musical by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1954 Broadway play The Matchmaker
- Reception
- The film received favorable reviews on release but was considered a box office disappointment initially, though it became profitable through home-video sales. Critics noted it was over-produced and that Streisand was miscast.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Art Direction · Win; Academy Award · Best Score of a Musical Picture · Win; Academy Award · Best Sound · Win; Academy Award · Best Picture · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was beset by tension on the set, with Streisand clashing with co-star Matthau and director Kelly.; The name of Judy Knaiz's character, Ernestina Semple, was changed from the stage version's Ernestina Money.; Songs and footage from the scenes "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" and "It Only Takes a Moment" were prominently featured in the 2008 Disney-Pixar film WALL-E.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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