Sweet Charity (1969)

Director:

Bob Fosse

Writers:

Federico Fellini (screenplay) &
Ennio Flaiano (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 April 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

...The Musical Excitement of the 70's

Plot:

Taxi dancer Charity continues to have Faith in the human race despite apparently endless disappointments at its hands...

Plot Keywords:

Purse | Used | Tragic Love | Wish Better Life | Broken Engagement

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 16

7:00 AM

MAX

Cast

Shirley MacLaine	...	Charity Hope Valentine
John McMartin	...	Oscar Lindquist
Chita Rivera	...	Nickie
Paula Kelly	...	Helene
Stubby Kaye	...	Herman
Barbara Bouchet	...	Ursula
Ricardo Montalban	...	Vittorio Vidal
Sammy Davis Jr.	...	Big Daddy Brubeck
Suzanne Charney	...	Lead frug dancer (as Suzanne Charny)
Alan Hewitt	...	Nicholsby
Dante DiPaolo	...	Charlie (as Dante D'Paulo)
Bud Vest	...	Frug dancer
Ben Vereen	...	Frug dancer
Lee Roy Reams	...	Frug dancer
Al Lanti	...	Dancer in 'Big Spender' number

Also Known As:

Sweet Charity: The Adventures of a Girl Who Wanted to Be Loved (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

149 min | 154 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (Westrex Recording System) (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1996) | USA:G | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Chita Rivera's film debut.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the "Aloof" movement of "The Rich Man's Frug," two of the male principal dancers walk down the stairs to light a woman's cigarette, while the others dance behind them. The background choreography in this shot leads directly to the triangle formation of the next shot, and the two men are now in the middle of the group, although there was no time for them to reach that position.

Quotes:

Charity Hope Valentine: Wow, this place is sure full of celebrities. I'm the only one in here I've never heard of.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Boum 2, La (1982)

Soundtrack:

Rich Man's Frug

"if they could see me now .."

Shirley MacLaine is simply stunning as the lead character in this rambling musical, directed by Bob Fosse. She plays taxi dancer Charity, who hides her true soul under the bored front of a good-time girl. The number 'Big Spender' is symptomatic of this perception of where she's at, where the girls strut their stuff for the punters while barely stifling their yawns.

The stand-out number for me, though, is the one where Charity simply cavorts with joy at her good fortune at landing her movie star fish (the charming Ricardo Montalban) in 'If They Could See Me Now'. There's also Sammy Davis in the famous 'Rhythm of Life' sequence. In supporting roles are Chita Rivera and Paula Kelly, who join MacLaine in the rousing 'There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This'. You also see Stubby Kaye and Suzanne Charny, and very good they are too.