If you've seen this film, you know that the story is essentially the same, but without the musical production numbers. If you're a fan of "Hello, Dolly!", this film is interesting to watch, especially when realizing how this century-old tale was brilliantly reinvented as a Broadway showcase for Carol Channing, and later as a film vehicle for Streisand. "The Matchmaker" is currently available on DVD.

 

David Merrick took another stab at his 1955 production of "The Matchmaker" when he produced the Tony award winning musical sensation "Hello, Dolly!" on Broadway in 1964. At the Tony awards, "Hello, Dolly!" was voted "Best Musical" and Carol Channing was awarded "Best Actress" honors. In total, "Dolly" racked in ten Tony's, making it the season's biggest commercial hit, while dashing Barbra Streisand's own hopes for a Tony (for "Funny Girl") in the process. "Dolly's" ten Tony awards made it the most honored show in Broadway history, a record that would stand for decades. It took thirty-eight years for the Tony baton to eventually be handed over. In 2001, Mel Brooks' "The Producers" walked away with twelve Tonys.

"Dolly" ran in New York for an astounding 2,844 performances. After Channing left the show, a revolving door of actresses was brought in to play the title role. Among them were Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, Betty Grable and Pearl Bailey, the most successful of Carol Channing's replacements. Even the legendary Ethel Merman, whom composer Jerry Herman had in mind when he originally wrote the score, ultimately gave her own spin as Dolly.

Barbra Streisand starred in the film version of "Hello, Dolly!". The film won three technical Oscars (Best Art Direction, Best Sound, and Best Score Adaptation). When it was announced that Barbra Streisand had been chosen to play the part on screen over Carol Channing, controversy immediately erupted. Naysayers from Broadway to Hollywood claimed that Streisand was too young to play the part of the worldly widowed matchmaker. But Barbra was a fresh, new, and immensely talented performer, so giving her the chance to reinvent the age-old character of Dolly only seemed logical. Besides, who's to say that Dolly can't be a younger woman? In the original script of "The Matchmaker," Thornton Wilder describes Dolly Levi as a woman of "uncertain age."  

The film was a flop at the box-office and 20th Century Fox suffered major financial losses after pouring millions into the biggest budget musical Hollywood had ever produced. So where did the "Dolly" film go wrong? A case can be made for the studio's, or perhaps director Gene Kelly's, reliance on overproduction. Others contend that the story needed to be tightened up for the screen, after all there are long stretches of the film where the star is noticeably absent. Only one new number was added for Streisand to sing ("Love Is Only Love") while other non-Streisand musical sequences seemed to go on endlessly. Most would agree that the lack of chemistry between Walter Matthau and Barbra was a major reason why the film failed in the romantic appeal department. Still, for all the criticism heaped on the film version of "Dolly," none could justifiably be pegged on Streisand's performance. Her vocals alone were enough to insure a lasting legacy for the film.

Of course, it is the film's title number that will always be remembered for its historic significance. It paired Streisand with legendary jazz great Louis Armstrong. In 1964, Armstrong released his own vocal version of the "Hello, Dolly!" title number. His rendition not only established itself as a long standing  number one chart hit, but its extraordinary popularity and radio air play was a key factor in the overall success of the "Dolly" franchise on Broadway. Putting Louis Armstrong smack-dab in the middle of the film's most famous number was a stroke of commercial brilliance.

Barbra did indeed reinvent the role, and her vocal performance was head and shoulders above any delivery Carol Channing ever gave to the part. Bitter at being overlooked for the film role, Channing managed to keep her sour grapes discussion alive in theatrical circles for nearly forty years. Channing, however, made one concession to Barbra in her 2002 memoir "Just Lucky, I Guess." According to Broadway's Dolly, Barbra Streisand's singing in the film "was beautiful."