Gypsy -- The 1962 Motion Picture

James Troutman

Date: 2003/11/11
Last revised: 2003/11/11

The 1962 motion picture version of Gypsy has always had a rather poor reputation. The good news is that it's not as bad as many people say it is; the bad news is that it could have been (and should have been) a whole lot better.

While there's no way of knowing how Ethel Merman might have done in the movie, Rosalind Russell has always gotten a bad rap because of the Hollywood politics that landed her the part. Furthermore, her singing voice is dubbed by Lisa Kirk, which often counts as another black mark against her. All in all, however, I think she gives a credible performance as Rose. Natalie Wood does a good job with the part of Louise, making the transition from awkward adolescent to sophisticated strip queen credible, and Karl Malden does right by Herbie. The problem with the movie isn't the cast.

The problem is the script by Leonard Spigelgass.

The pacing is completely muddled. First, he switches the order of "Small World" and "Some People" so the opening scenes lose some of their bite. Then he changes the vaudeville progression to make it seem that the act was a hit for a period of time. But the worst transgression is his rewriting of the "Everything's Coming Up Roses" scene, which is so drawn out with additional bits that the scene loses all of its tension.

"Together" is dropped completely, presumably to speed things up a bit (I'd have cut all of Spigelgass's additional dialogue), and Gypsy's strip routine doesn't make the impact that it should. In fairness, the lackluster strip is not the movie's fault; Laurents didn't work it out until the London production several years later when he added Gypsy's patter, which totally transforms that number.

On a personal note, I still vividly remember seeing this movie as a teenager during its original release. There was a young married couple sitting next to me, and I remember the husband becoming increasingly agitated every time Rose mentioned her dreams. Finally when she sang "I had a dream" in the verse of "Everything's Coming Up Roses" he stamped his foot and let out a loud, disgusted snort. So obviously Rose made an impact on him.

But I still have to say, if you only know Gypsy from this movie, you don't know Gypsy as well as you ought to.

Notes on individual numbers

• 1 Overture 3:57
  That wonderful Overture is badly truncated in the movie, jumping from "Everything's Coming Up Roses" to the strip music, so the contrasting middle section is lost. The only saving grace is that we get to see composer Jule Styne making an uncredited cameo as the orchestra conductor. The CD uses a different, somewhat longer version, but it still is not complete.
• Let Me Entertain You
  The lyric of the opening "May We Entertain You" is changed to "Let Me Entertain You." Why? This song is not included on the CD.
• 2 Small World 1:55
  For some reason the order of the scenes was changed for the movie, and this song appears before "Some People." It's also somewhat truncated.
• 3 Some People 3:26
  The script has changed the progression of towns, so since Rose has already been in Los Angeles, the line "Hey, L.A. I'm coming your way" becomes "Hey, New York. I'm coming your way."
• 4 Baby June And Her Newsboys (Let Me Entertain You) 1:41
  
• 5 Mr. Goldstone, I Love You 2:19
  Rosalind Russell's own voice was used in this song.
• 6 Little Lamb 2:18
  Natalie Wood's under-par singing voice is more disappointing on the CD where we don't have the visuals to distract us.
• 7 You'll Never Get Away From Me 2:36
  Herbie's part is cut from this number, but you can see a rough cut of an alternate performance on the DVD. The CD uses another take that partially restores Karl Malden's Herbie. Also included on the cd (see below) is an alternate version featuring Roz and Malden.
• 8 Dainty June And Her Farmboys 5:03
  
• 9 If Mama Was Married 2:54
  This number is very nicely sung and staged. However, Louise's antagonism to Herbie is missing in the scene leading up to the song.
• 10 All I Need Is The Girl 4:48
  This song is very well done.
• 11 Everything's Coming Up Roses 3:08
  This song doesn't make as much of an impact in the movie as it should because the screenplay has extended the scene and drained it of its tension. The movie vocal is by Lisa Kirk.
• 12 Together Wherever We Go (Album Version) 1:13
  This number was cut from the film but the DVD contains a master shot of a performance of the song. The CD includes a solo version by Lisa Kirk and the outake with Russell, Wood, and Malden (see below).
• 13 You Gotta Get A Gimmick 4:22
  One of the advantages of film is we get to see the delight on Louise's face as she watches the strippers perform this number. One of the lines in "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" is bowdlerized: "Grind your behind till you're banned" becomes "Grind till you're fined or you're banned." Ah, what innocent times those 60s were, at least in the movies.
• 14 Let Me Entertain You 4:03
  We don't get to hear Gypsy's patter during the strip because Laurents didn't get around to adding it until the London version several years later.
• 15 Rose's Turn (Album Version) 4:09
  This track on the CD is entirely by Lisa Kirk. The movie used an alternate take (see below) that includes both Kirk and Russell.
• 16 Finale 0:45
  
• 17 Some People (Outake) 3:32
  This bonus track and the next one on the CD demonstrate why Russell's voice needed to be dubbed.
• 18 Small World (Outake) 3:35
  
• 19 You'll Never Get Away From Me (Outake) 3:00
  Roz and Malden sing.
• 20 Everything's Coming Up Roses (Outake) 3:13
  Another Russell take not used in the movie.
• 21 Together Wherever We Go (Outake) 3:39
  Russell, Wood, and Malden perform.
• 22 Rose's Turn (Film Version) 4:07
  This is the version used in the movie; it is mainly Kirk's singing voice but with Russell's speaking voice.

• 
  Gypsy -- The 1962 Motion Picture DVD
• 
  Gypsy -- The 1962 Motion Picture Soundtrack CD with extra bonus tracks

Return to A Comparison of Gypsy Recordings

Related Gypsy Products

• 
  Remastered Original 1959 Broadway Cast CD with Ethel Merman (includes four Bonus Tracks)
• 
  Original 1973 London Cast CD with Angela Lansbury
• 
  1989 Broadway Cast CD with Tyne Daly
• 
  1993 Television Movie Soundtrack CD with Bette Midler
• 
  2003 Broadway Cast CD with Bernadette Peters
•   
  1962 Motion Picture DVD with Rosalind Russell (singing voice dubbed by Lisa Kirk)
  1962 Motion Picture Soundtrack CD with extra bonus tracks of Rosalind Russel singing
• 
  Gypsy Vocal Score
• 
  Gypsy: A Musical -- The complete libretto (or book) of the musical
  It's worth reading the Arthur Laurents libretto for Gypsy if only to savor his witty stage directions. E.g., at the end of the opening scene:
  

  ([Rose] is singing along with her girls when she sees the Balloon Girl, who has edged out from the wings. Still singing gaily, Rose removes her hatpin. The Balloon Girl backs into the wings as Rose marches after her, the hatpin extended like Joan of Arc's sword. Her dancing daughters watch, grin, and finish to a blare of music.)

• 
  Gypsy: A Memoir by Gypsy Rose Lee
  The musical is loosely based upon Gypsy's own memoirs.
• 
  The Making of Gypsy by Keith Garebian
  
• 
  Original Story by: A Memoir of Broadway and Hollywood by Arthur Laurents
  Often gossipy, always engaging, this memoir contains loads of information not only about Gypsy but about all the other projects and people with whom Laurents has been involved.