Sweet Charity
Short description
Charity Hope Valentine works as a taxi dancer at a New York dance hall, giving paid dances to men who pass through her life. She keeps her optimism and her belief in people despite a string of disappointments and failed romances, and she holds on to the hope that she will eventually meet a decent man who will take her away from this life. A chance encounter with Oscar, a shy and anxious insurance clerk, leads to a romance that seems to offer her a way out, though he does not know how she earns her living.
Sweet Charity is a musical comedy-drama drawn from Federico Fellini's Nights of Cabiria and adapted for the screen by Peter Stone. It is the first film Bob Fosse directed, released three years before Cabaret, and his later credits as director include Lenny, All That Jazz and Star 80. The cast is led by Shirley MacLaine as Charity, with John McMartin as Oscar, Chita Rivera as Nickie, Paula Kelly as Helene, Ricardo Montalban as Vittorio and Sammy Davis Jr. as Big Daddy; 85 performers are credited in all. It was produced by Robert Arthur for Universal Pictures on a budget of about 20 million dollars, and it took roughly the same amount at the worldwide box office, so it did not recoup its cost in cinemas.
The film runs 153 minutes. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.9 out of 10 from around 7,600 votes, and on TMDB it also sits at 6.9 out of 10, from roughly 94 votes. A critics' rating of 6.5 out of 10 from 10 reviews places it slightly below the audience scores, though the two are close.
What's left behind the scenes
- On-location filming took place at various sites in New York, while sets of Central Park were constructed on the Universal Pictures studio lot at a cost of $85,000.
- On the Broadway stage, the role of the fairy godmother was played by Ruth Buzzi. In the film adaptation, this character was removed entirely.
- According to Shirley MacLaine, it was Gwen Verdon (who played Charity on Broadway) who suggested she apply for the same role in the movie. When MacLaine actually got the part, Verdon helped her develop the character.
- Filming was underway on the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Upon receiving the news, actress Paula Kelly became so distraught that she was unable to work. Director and choreographer Bob Fosse did not share such profound grief, but he ended the day's filming early and sent everyone home.
- The LaserDisc version of the film (a commercial optical data carrier with analog video and audio recording) featured an alternative ending. Oscar leaves Charity (played by John McMartin and Shirley MacLaine, respectively) and begins to lose his mind. He soon realizes that he cannot live without Charity, despite all her flaws. He finds Charity on a bridge in Central Park and then falls into the water. Charity dives in after him and forgives Oscar, and they walk through the park, soaking wet. Bob Fosse did not like this ending and made the final cut more depressing, yet more inspiring.
- The screenplay was initially assigned to I.A.L. Diamond, the screenwriter of Billy Wilder's romantic comedies 'The Apartment' (1960) and 'Irma la Douce' (1963), both of which starred Shirley MacLaine. However, he clashed with director Bob Fosse, and Peter Stone was hired in his place.
- Shirley MacLaine, who played the lead role, suggested to Universal Pictures head Lew Wasserman that Bob Fosse, the director and choreographer of the Broadway musical, should be entrusted with filming the movie.
- Universal Pictures ordered John McMartin (who played Oscar) to dye his hair black for the film's posters in the US. Without the gray hair, he looked younger than his actual age.
- Initially, the film's producer was Ross Hunter, but after a falling out with director Bob Fosse, he left the project and was replaced by Robert Arthur.
- Shirley MacLaine, who played the lead role, suffered from a terrible toothache during filming, but she showed no sign of pain so as not to delay the production process. The pain was so intense that she performed some of the dance scenes literally on autopilot.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
