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Decent Quality Since 1847

The Great Movie Musical That Never Was

9/30/2013

21 Comments

 
There are a number of musicals that never got made, or made with Hollywood casting which meant the original classic performance was lost forever, which fill musical fans with angst.  At the top of the list are probably using Audrey Hepburn rather than Julie Andrews for My Fair Lady and Barbra Streisand instead of Carol Channing for Hello, Dolly! 

But there's another "if only" that probably trumps those, because it's a movie that was supposed to be made, that was cast (and cast brilliantly), had a director and was set to go -- but didn't.  And the story that this didn't happen is close to unknown.  If you're impressionable and given to writhing on the ground, you might want to avert your eyes.  I was reminded of this in a reader exchange here the other day telling Douglass Abramson the tale, and I've since found out a little more about it.

In 1969, MGM was planning to make a movie version of the wonderful musical, She Loves Me.  The show is based on the classic film, The Shop Around the Corner, that starred James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan (which in turned was based on a Hungarian play by Miklos Laszlo) -- all of which were the source for the more recent film, You've Got Mail.

The music and lyrics for She Loves Me are by the legendary Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock, who wrote Fiddler on the Roof, The Apple Tree and the Pulitzer Prize-winning (and Tony Award-winning Best Musical) Fiorello!, among many others.  It's a glorious score -- one of the best in Broadway history, for my taste.  In fact, when it was released as an LP, the record company did rare:  they put it out as a 2-album set.  The score is that great.

It tells the story of a middle-aged, withdrawn man who deeply dislikes the pretty free-spirited new employee at the parfumerie store he manages, and she detests him in return -- neither of the two realizing that they're actually pen pals and in love with each other.

(In fact, I embedded the TV version of She Loves Me that the BBC did.  If you want to see it, it's here.)

Okay, and here's the kicker.  Buckle your seat belts.

The movie was going to star Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.  Re-teaming for the first time since Mary Poppins. 

The thing is, not only is this perfect casting for audiences, seeing that pair back together again after the beloved film four years earlier -- but this isn't just "Hollywood casting," this is spot-on perfect casting for the two roles. All around, it's hard to imagine casting for any movie much better for all the various reasons.

Further, Blake Edwards was set to direct.

And the movie got dropped by the studio.  Never made.  Gone forever.  We will now pause to let the screams of disbelief and agony escape, and for people to regain their equilibrium.

What I've subsequently found out in recent days, from checking with Sheldon Harnick, is that he'd flown to Los Angeles to meet with everyone -- yes, that's how close it was to being done, this wasn't one of those "Let's talk about it) -- and he asked Blake Edwards if he was sure it was going to be made, not something that would fall apart.  Edwards was dead-on certain, most especially since Julie Andrews was attached.  No way the studio wouldn't go forward.  "Not a chance" was his answer.

Harnick flew back to New York, and just days later read that Kirk Kerkorian had bought MGM.  He brought in James Aubrey, whose nickname was "The Smiling Cobra," to run the studio.  At that point, Easy Rider was the big phenomenon, so studios began looking for the Youth Culture.  (And MGM began Kerkorkian's cost-stripping, which eventually destroyed the studio.)  They dropped a great many movies, and started instead making such counter-culture oriented disasters as The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart and The Strawberry Statement.

And one of those movies dropped was She Loves Me -- to star Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, directed by Blake Edwards.

It will not shock you that after 40 years, Sheldon Harnick was still heart-broken about this.  I admired his restraint.

And after all that, this leads to today's remarkable find, and at least a nod towards a happy-ish ending.

It turns out that Julie Andrews recorded one of what would have been her character's song, the beautiful Dear Friend, and released it as a single.  (The song comes in the scene when Amalia -- or Meg Ryan, for those of you who've only seen You've Got Mail -- has finally set up a date with her pen pal, and he hasn't shown up.  "Dear Friend," you will recall, is how they address one another in their anonymous pen letters to each other.)

This is a tremendous vocal performance and an absolutely gorgeous arrangement.  Interestingly, Sheldon Harnick had never heard it, and was blown away by the recording.  On the one hand, this is difficult to listen to, knowing what might have been.  On the other hand, it is such a great treat to have at least this -- and heard what almost was.

Here is what almost was.
21 Comments
Douglass Abramson
9/30/2013 12:57:36 pm

Blake Edwards? Blake frick'n EDWARDS was going to direct his wife and Dick Van Dyke in a musical romantic comedy?! Oy vey! I'll add this to the list of things to despise Kirk Kerkorian for. What's really sad, is that the show could be mounted for TV and slightly rewritten for mature leads; but since a butcher surgeon ruined Julie Andrew's range; it won't happen.

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Robert Elisberg
9/30/2013 03:22:05 pm

Yeah, I knew you'd be so "thrilled" to read that...

Yes, Blake Edwards was set to direct Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in "She Loves Me." And Kirk Kerkorian and James Aubrey cancelled it. How about that recording, though...?

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Douglass Abramson
9/30/2013 04:35:33 pm

Oh, the recording is beautiful. Its sad that she can't do that anymore. Singing always seemed to bring her as much pleasure as the audience.

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2/17/2014 03:54:04 pm

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Robert Elisberg
2/17/2014 11:24:04 pm

Thank you. Much appreciated. You should also look at Mark Evanier's great website, at www.newsfromme.com.

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caroleeastman
5/9/2015 04:32:57 pm

THIS IS SO TRAGIC!! IT WOULD'VE BEEN SUCH A GREAT FILM! Blake Edwards directed Julie in "Darling Lili" and also "Victor/Victoria," both of which were wonderfully well done! Julie even garnered an Oscar nomination for "Victor/Victoria." What a loss for posterity!

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Robert Elisberg
5/10/2015 02:58:38 am

Carole, every time I think of this, it still is teeth-gnashing. As I said, this was spot-on perfect casting for an abundance of reasons. And it was set to go. And cancelled. For movies like, "The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart."

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Franc David
6/12/2015 04:15:16 pm

The film was going to be shot on location in Switzerland and it would have been perfect. The film was cancelled because Julie Andrews was considered box office poison after Star and Darling Lili, two very expensive bombs and ad the author pointed out MGM was not interested in producing musicals at that point in time.

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Robert Elisberg
6/12/2015 08:45:00 pm

Thanks for your note -- though it's not fully accurate. The film was planned for 1969, the same year Kirk Kerkorian bought MGM and hired James Aubrey. It was cancelled soon after, when Aubrey quickly started stripping the schedule in favor of heavily youth-oriented films, and also downsized the entire company, even selling off much of the studio lot. "Darling Lilli" wasn't released until 1970.

Keep in mind that if MGM had wanted to make the film, but with a different cast or director, they could have. But they didn't, they dropped it, period. Along with most of their non-youth culture films. More to the point, as I mention above, Sheldon Harnick told me the timing of his part in this, and how closely his 1969 trip was tied into Aubrey coming in and beginning his massive cutbacks, of which "She Loves Me" was just one of many.

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Diana Aljadeff
8/3/2015 02:43:39 am

Sorry but you forgot the amazing Barbara Cook and Daniel Masseyperformances as Amalia and Georg and although I love Julie and Dick Amalia and Geog were Barbara and Daniel roles.Listen also Barbara singing Dear friend.

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Robert Elisberg
8/3/2015 04:29:10 am

Thanks for your note -- though I'm not sure what you meant by "Sorry, but you forgot.." There was no forgetting involved, the article was only about bringing "She Loves Me" to the screen, which is why I didn't get into the Broadway production.

You're quite right however that the Broadway cast album with Barbara Cook and Daniel Massey in the leads is wonderful. (Though singing was never Massey's strong point. A terrific actor, though -- I saw him on stage at the Old Vic in Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure.")

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Robert I would have prefered to see th efilm with Barbara and Daniel repeating their roles.I love both Julie and \Dick but for me the roles arent for them.
3/18/2016 04:34:08 pm

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Robert Elisberg
3/18/2016 07:59:52 pm

Thanks for writing. I understand your point, and agree that it would be wonderful to see the original stars, but that was simply not going to happen. Neither were movie stars, nor even made many movies, period. But doing it with Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews would have at least allowed the musical to have been made. That aside, I'm not sure that I agree with your assessment that Van Dyke and Andrews would have been wrong for the roles. I don't think that's the case at all, and in fact (to me) seem quite well-suited for the parts.

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Eric V.
11/7/2019 10:38:51 am

A real shame the movie never happened. Jerry Orbach claimed that he had been offered the part of Georg opposite Andrews-https://books.google.com/books?id=lNCGDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT85&lpg=PT85&dq=%22she+loves+me%22+%22jerry+orbach%22+%22julie+andrews%22&source=bl&ots=RcgtPym2jN&sig=ACfU3U0XcdGRC7eZpRiXE4rGKv6wVN_BRg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDpaqp3tjlAhURXK0KHYthB4QQ6AEwA3oECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22she%20loves%20me%22%20%22jerry%20orbach%22%20%22julie%20andrews%22&f=false
Hal Prince wrote in his book that he was going to do a film version with Orbach and Joan Hackett-https://books.google.com/books?id=eMs6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT82&lpg=PT82&dq=%22she+loves+me%22+%22jerry+orbach%22+%22joan+hackett%22&source=bl&ots=YsR6Y8LWV5&sig=ACfU3U3FiUkcPKBm5taMkbhgQrpA4MS2OA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwickvTQ3tjlAhVPXKwKHXsMCR0Q6AEwC3oECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22she%20loves%20me%22%20%22jerry%20orbach%22%20%22joan%20hackett%22&f=false
I wonder when the Prince version was contemplated. Orbach's copy of the screenplay is for sale for $650 at this site-https://www.jamespepperbooks.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=1026091

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Robert Elisberg
11/7/2019 12:04:47 pm

Eric, thanks for your note. I suspect there have been various attempts to film the musical. It only makes sense since the dramatic version has been made twice as a movie (I include "You've Got Mail" as one of the two...) And the musical has been done on TV twice that I'm aware of. There are many castings that would be ideal as a movie. But losing out on Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke with Blake Edwards directing is a tough pill to take...

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David Rosen
12/13/2020 04:20:26 pm

This is so so sad to hear about, the movie of She Loves Me that never was. And I'll be honest, while Barbara Cook's voice is strong, it's a bit strident and sometimes brittle for the delicate melodies of Harnick's score. Andrews' version of Dear Friend is a revelation. As is Craven's on the UK video version. Judy Kuhn and Bennotti rank up there for revivals. But, there was an incredible version done at Playwrights Horizon with Sophie Hayden (Most Happy Fella), Walter Bobbie and Andrea Martin. Of course, I'm married to Sophie, so I am biased.

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Robert Elisberg
12/14/2020 08:55:25 am

David, thanks for your note. And biased opinions are allowed here. You must be quite the truly, most happy fella...That aside, what a great cast.

Yes, it's almost gut-wrenching knowing about that planned movie with such an ethereal cast that never happened. All the more gnawing that it was cancelled by someone with such a bad reputation. That Sheldon Harnick himself, with all his renowned success, was still heart-broken by it 40 years later speaks volumes.

I will admit that that's the first time I've ever heard Barbara Cook's voice described as even a bit strident and somewhat brittle. And perhaps the last time I except to. But all opinions and personal taste are welcome here, as well. So, opine away! (I just have to remember to keep you separated from a writer friend of mine who grew up in New York during the Golden Age and she saw the original production of "The Music Man" six times, among many other shows Barbara Cook was in, who will fight you to her last breath...)

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David Rosen
12/14/2020 08:28:44 pm

Robert,

Ok, you inspired me to do a bit of re-listening and comparing. And you're right, of course, it's all personal taste in the quality of voice. And for me it also comes down to the acting within the song and unfortunately Barbara Cook's version of Amalia is lost forever. But I did find the Judy Kuhn version from 1993, someone has mounted the final 23 minutes. And I re-watched the 1978 version of Gemma Craven in the UK version and the 2016 Benatti version. And I take it back. Barbara Cook's rendition of Will He Like Me, Dear Friend, and Ice Cream are way better than Benatti's and Craven's. Cook's voice is much sweeter than I remembered. But I also loved Judy Kuhn's acting and voice in that production, never got to see it live. And I'm about to listen to a VERY rare Northwestern U. production Sophie was in in 1976, recorded on audio, and that Sheldon Harnick came to see! I will still be terribly biased, but you've clearly forgiven that!

It's been fun to reminisce about this incredible musical. Thank you for posting this blog. Maybe one day they will make a movie of it. Who knows. Tho they don't make broadway divas the way they used to.

One final thing, I am a MOST happy fella for the past 40 years. Sophie is a delight and an incredible talent, and in the 80s and 90s worked quite a bit. Her rendition of Rosabella in the 91 revival of Most Happy Fella is worth listen. It's on Apple Music. "Somebody, Somewhere" is pretty special.

Be well! And happy holidays!!

DR

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Robert Elisberg
12/15/2020 01:13:58 pm

David,

Thanks again for your note. And I offer great admiration for you not only going back to dive into all this, but also changing your long-held views. To which I will add, "Phew!" since the initial position bewildered me. I will add that I'm a huge Judy Kuhn fan, and have featured her on this pages. So, a thumbs-up there, too. And as I said, I would not dream of contradicting your view on whose rendition is the best...

"The Most Happy Fella" was one of my dad's favorite scores, though I never reached his high level of appreciation, but I do like much of it. But I'll try to track down that song, which is one of my favorites in the show.

By the way, I most recently saw "She Loves Me" in a Writers Theatre production about 10 years ago in Glencoe, Illinois, where the lead was played by a local actress Jessie Mueller -- who soon after went to Broadway and won a Tony. Sheldon Harnick was at that performance, which I sort of coordinated because he grew up with my aunt and they also went to Northwestern together, so she came to the show that same night.

More to the point, I will now blow your mind. For a while. No, really.

When you mentioned your wife being Sophie Hayden, I was trying to think why that name was so familiar to me. Had I seen her in some shows? Had I possibly even gone to school with her?? Had I... hmm, I couldn't figure it out. So, when I got your follow-up note today, it nagged at me some more, so I did a quick search. And I saw -- ohhhhhhh, right, yes. Sophie Schwab!!

I went to Northwestern when your wife was there. But that's just the starting point. I've even met her (only once, briefly). And I wrote a piece about her on this website (!) and included a video of her. And my dad -- who taught at the Northwestern medical school -- had season tickets to the football games for 51 years!!! and he not only loved your wife's baton twirling as the majorette, but she was his absolute favorite of all the majorettes he saw from all those years and would talk about "Sophie" decades later.

So, there. Did I lie? Mind blown? Repeatedly?

I did know that she had kept acting, but what I didn't realize is how extensive and at how such a impressive level she'd reached. Wonderful to know all around.

And here's the article with the embedded video --

http://www.elisbergindustries.com/blog/barnums-the-name-pt-barnum

Happy holidays to your all, as well.


Bob

P.S. As whimsy would have it, before reading your note here, I had just completed a Northwestern-related article for Wednesday.

Reply
David Rosen
12/24/2020 01:11:55 pm

Hi Bob! I've been meaning to respond. Oh my, you did blow my mind several times! It is such a small world. Yes, Sophie Hayden aka was a baton twirler extraordinaire.

And maybe I can blow your mind a little with a fun little side story, sort of behind the scenes of Broadway, related to this discussion. I was a talent agent in 1979 when Sophie was first pursuing acting in NY. We were a couple at this time, having met at An Evening Dinner Theater in Westchester, where we met doing Fiddler. Fun story about seeing her twirl for the first time in between shows, but that's another story. So when the try outs for Barnum came up, I got her an audition for Charity Barnum, which she aced, but Glenn Close had already been hired so they considered Soph for understudy. So they asked if she "had any circus skills" ie juggling, etc. She said, sure, I can juggle three fire batons. She said, they laughed, and said to come back. Well the rest is history. And she came back, lit three batons up and kicked butt. Needless to say it was impressive. So she ended up in the chorus and understudied Charity. Also, the line in Come Follow the Band..."See the pretty lady toss that baton high" wasn't in the original score. : ) Being a stage door Johnny, I saw the show like 25 times! I still think its one of the best underrated musicals of all time.

Sadly, the dinner theater we met at, five miles up the road from where we live now, closed last month due to COVID. sigh...

I have to ask, did you see Sophie and Jim Mahady do She Loves Me at NU in 1975? As I told you we have an old audio of the entire show, fun to listen to once in a blue moon.

Have a wonderful holiday and be well!

David Rosen

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Robert Elisberg
12/24/2020 05:11:31 pm

David, welcome back... Yes, I knew my reply was full of "Blow your mind" material...

I loved your background stories. I can only imagine the reaction when they got the "Oh, sure, I can juggle three fire batons." And then their reaction when she came back and actually did it. FAR beyond their wildest dreams, when they were hoping for "I can juggle three oranges." And that's SO great that they added the line about "See the pretty lady toss that baton high." Wonderful. In fact, when I watched the video again the other day, I noted with an "Oh, my God" how long the baton stays up in the air. The audience must have gone wild.

In fact, I have always been sure that her twirling in the show sent the audience into stunned joy. It's one thing for someone to be truly great as she is simply as a pure baton twirler, really one of the best I've ever seen. (And I have to keep repeating, my dad's favorite from 50 years of going to NU games.) But for an audience to see an *actress* do that -- yipes. Audiences probably expect a few finger twirls from an actress...but then to get true world class expert doing such stunning tricks while on stage as an actress -- it must have been explosive each night.

(Much as I wish I could have seen that, I did get a sort of sense of it when I saw her with the Flying Karamazov Brothers doing "Much Ado About Nothing." From the start of the play, I was sure they'd throw a baton scene in -- how could *they* not? -- and when she finally picked one up, the fun was that I knew what was coming, and so I watched the unsuspecting audience that didn't have a clue. And when she did her monologue WHILE doing those amazing baton tricks, it was *such fun* seeing them all discover it. The place went crazy. It must have been a hoot for her.

(Actually, for all your stories, I almost love the most that she twirled batons between shows of "Fiddler on the Roof...")

But all that is twirling -- the fact that she was the understudy for Charity on Broadway is seriously impressive. Did she ever get to go on in the role?

I agree with you about how good "Barnum" is. Happily, for a lesser-known show, it does have a good video with Michael Crawford, so it's not a "lost" show. Luckily, I got to see it in L.A. with Jim Dale. I think Glenn Close toured with it, too. (Did your wife go on that tour?)

I don't know the show all that well, but do listen to the score periodically, which I think is great. Tremendous lyrics by Michael Stewart. All the more so since he was known as a book writer. In fact, for years I thought it did the book for Barnum, and the other guy did the lyrics. When I realized my mistake and that it was the other way around, I was amazed. I was friends with Larry Gelbart, who was old friends with Stewart, and once asked him about it. He said Michael had always wanted to write lyrics but was never given the chance. I know he passed away much too early, but it's great that he got to do "Barnum" and show to the world what he could do -- and get it on album and video. (By the way, I also have the Spanish cast recording of the show. I sort of used to collect such things.)

No, I didn't get to see Sophie in "She Loves Me." I graduated in 1974, so I missed it by a year. I wish I'd seen it. She seems ideal for the role. And that's a show I love, too. Oddly, after NU I went to UCLA for grad school,...and *they* did "She Loves Me" the very next year, in 1976! Good as it was, and memorable, I obviously saw the wrong version....Glad to know that you have the audio of it.

Sorry to hear your dinner theater closed -- permanently, or just during the pandemic. I fear the former but hope for the latter.

Yours in blowing minds. Happy holidays.

Bob

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    Robert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. 

    Elisberg is a two-time recipient of the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. He's written for film, TV, the stage, and two best-selling novels, is a regular columnist for the Writers Guild of America and was for
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