Bye Bye Birdie

G

Released Apr 4, 1963

1h 52m

Musical

Comedy

List

86%

29 Reviews

Tomatometer

66%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When the draft selects rock star Conrad Birdie, his fans are devastated, but none more than struggling songwriter Albert Peterson (Dick Van Dyke), whose song Birdie was just about to record. Albert's longtime girlfriend, Rosie (Janet Leigh), pushes Albert to write a new tune that Birdie will perform on television to a fan selected in a contest. The scheme works, with young Ohio teenager Kim McAfee (Ann-Margret) declared the winner, but no one has counted on the jealous wrath of her boyfriend.

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Critics Consensus

A poppy satire on pop music, Bye Bye Birdie is silly, light, and very, very pink.

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alan g

Great musical. Best of the bunch. Much better than the remake

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/26/24

Full Review

Keith N

Watched this only because our school is doing a play, and I'm glad I watched it because it's a classic

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/31/23

Full Review

craig p

Nobody hotter than Ann Margaret in the 1960's, but a very light weight musical.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Really good with a very young Ann Margaret in it highly Recommend it, James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas October 16, 2023

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

Full Review

Mike P

This is a good, if slightly overblown version of the hit Broadway show. (And Kim/Ann-Margaret overshadows everything in this version; where that wasn't true in the original...). But the plot; which feels like reheated Happy Days; is fun and entertaining enough; and I love the music. (Including standards "Kids"; "Put on a Happy Face"; and "I've Got A lot of Living Left to Do.") I guess Dick Van Dyke told all his friends NOT to see the movie; that they had bastardized it and mangled it from it's solid Broadway origins, and was now just The Ann Margaret Story.... But THIS story, as is, has Conrad Birdie; (who is essentially Elvis); going off to the army; and then his manager/agent arranges some big publicity event where one teenage girl is chosen to give him a big send off; a big goodbye kiss; to be recorded and viewed by every tv station in America... And that girl winds up being Captain of the Conrad Birdie fan club; Kim McAfee. Problem is, Kim has a boyfriend... And so this big event winds up opening a whole can of worms for everyone involved... So that's the well-known story here. It's all based on the real media event that was Elvis joining the army... I especially liked the choreography here; it's wonderfully innovative; and opens up the story nicely... The director uses creative directing choices; including even animation; to open the story up; in a very freestyle, liberating way... Particularly the wonderful opening number "Goin' Steady" which has all 200 teenagers in town playing a crazy game of phone tag; passing the news that Kim and Hugo are getting pinned... (Setting up Hugo's conflict with Birdie later on in the show, ofcourse). I also loved "Put on A Happy Face"; and "I've Got A lot of Livin' Left to Do"; which is a showstopper... And it reminded me of the very similar "Before The Parade Passes By" from Hello Dolly. The cast is great; except for Janet Leigh who is miscast. (She's no Spanish Rosa! They should have stuck with Chita Rivera; the original...Or maybe Rita Moreno)... One big question... Why didn't they chose Elvis to play Conrad? Conrad is BASED on Elvis! And Elvis and the Colonel were already developing all these corny film projects for him; i.e. Viva Las Viegas. This part was taylor made for him... I mean it WAS him! It makes no sense to me that Elvis didn't do this part! But anyway... This movie reminds of what Grease was trying to be...This is what Grease was imitating; essentially... I mean this and Grease would make a good double feature! so...VERDICT: 👍 Thumbs up. Fun 50s/Early 60s musical

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/21/23

Full Review

Liam D

A very fun musical with some very smart commentary of the time

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

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George Sidney

Director

Dick Van Dyke

Albert Peterson

Janet Leigh

Rosie DeLeon

Ann-Margret

Kim McAfee

Maureen Stapleton

Mama Peterson

Bobby Rydell

Hugo Peabody

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Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Underrated satirical musical that has contributed more to popular culture than many people are aware of.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 1, 2015

Full Review

TIME Magazine

[Bye Bye Birdie] had an apple-cheekiness about it on the stage that seems slightly worm-eaten on film, and the result is more goof than spoof.

Aug 1, 2015

Full Review

Keith Uhlich

Time Out

Why watch George Sidney's adaptation of the popular stage musical when you can slap yourself upside the head with a soggy, hot-pink slab of beef?

Rated: 3/5

Nov 17, 2011

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

the whole long section with Albert creating a speed drug is so strange

Apr 26, 2023

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Ann-Margret makes one thing clear every second she's on screen in Bye Bye Birdie: no matter how hokey, forcibly madcap, or just plain dumb the material gets, she's coming out of this thing a star.

Rated: 2/4

Feb 16, 2019

Full Review

Tony Sloman

Radio Times

A wonderfully energetic and colourful adaptation of the smash Broadway hit, satirising the traumatic induction of one Elvis Presley into the US Army.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 1, 2015

Full Review

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Synopsis

When the draft selects rock star Conrad Birdie, his fans are devastated, but none more than struggling songwriter Albert Peterson (Dick Van Dyke), whose song Birdie was just about to record. Albert's longtime girlfriend, Rosie (Janet Leigh), pushes Albert to write a new tune that Birdie will perform on television to a fan selected in a contest. The scheme works, with young Ohio teenager Kim McAfee (Ann-Margret) declared the winner, but no one has counted on the jealous wrath of her boyfriend.

Director: George Sidney
Screenwriter: Irving Brecher
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: G
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 4, 1963, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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