Cy Coleman, Shirley MacLaine, Sammy Davis Jr. - Sweet Charity (1969 Film Soundtrack)

Great Soundtrack for a So So Film

This Movie made a real impression on me as a youth. However all I could ever remember were the songs and dance numbers. As i got older, I found out that there was a very good reason for this. The Movie was just OK,
but the song and dance numbers were amazing. This score for the film has not been available on CD for quite some time, but the new mastering and packaging are really terrific. Highlight are "Hey Big Spender" and "The
Rhythm of Life". Very very late 60'ies. Worth every cent. September 8, 2008

SWEET CHARITY -found none at all at the box office!

You say to yourself, why did this musical fail so badly at the box office?
And if you're bit of a movie buff like I am, you remember that in the 1960's, just about every musical after THE SOUND OF MUSIC bombed. DR. DOOLITTLE, STAR, HELLO DOLLY and thats just from Fox. DARLING LILI, PAINT YOUR WAGON from Paramount. FINIANS RAINBOW from Warners, GOODBYE MR.CHIPS from MGM. And then came Universal's turn...

It was to be the studio's grandest picture of 1969. Topping off a period that saw talent agency MCA's take over Universal. The building of the "black tower", the creation of the "Universal Studios tour", the construction of the Sheraton Universal hotel and the beginning development and expansion of Universal City itself. Studio boss Lew Wasserman, Hollywood's reigning supreme power monarch, had personally fought for SWEET CHARITY to be made. But when the premiere party screening was held for all his friends, the elite, the political establishment and even MCA's founder Jules Stein, this tale of of a common taxi dancer Shirley MacLaine falling in love. And the psychodelic Sammy Davis Jr's musical number offended the likes of Nancy Reagan and many others in the audience. Well, it was taken as somewhat obscene, despite all the political assasinations of the decade and the really obscene death and destruction of the Vietnam war. Bad timing I guess, specially for veteran choreographer and first time director Bob Fosse.

SWEET CHARITY had what all good musicals must have -good music. It was well cast too. I thought Fosse did a great job, unfortunately the public passed on it as did all those who were so deeply "offended" at the big screening. How dare all those girls sing "Hey big spender" to boot. Today, SWEET CHARITY would be considered oh so tame and innocent. Maybe PRETTY WOMAN should be remade as a musical, with today's political crowd it would be a real hit! September 7, 2007

Sweet Charity: Sweet Memories

Listening to this Soundtrack brought back so many sweet memories of a fun time in my life - college. Hearing "Rhythm of Life" done by Sammy Davis Jr. was most memorable. This is such a fun soundtrack to play. I look forward to many years of enjoyment and recommend it to anyone who was in college in the late 60's. July 13, 2007

Sammy Davis Jr. is awesome

I have been converting my old LP's into CD's then putting them on my Ipod. I am picky about what I put on my Ipod, selecting only certain tracks from each CD. This CD, however, I put all tracks onto my Ipod except the overture. While I find Shirley MacLaine's voice a bit weak, the songs overcome any such problems with their energy. And one of the main reasons I wanted the movie rather than broadway CD was because of Sammy Davis Jr. His contributions to this album are worth every penny. January 10, 2007

Great Memories (better than current 2005 Broadway Revival)

I saw the movie version for the first time a couple of years ago and continue with fond memories. I saw the 2005 Broadway Revival in June. Trust me, stick with the movie cast recording. Paula Kelly, Chita Rivera, and even Shirley MacLaine have a magic and zeal that is lost in the current revival. My main disappointment is that the movie soundtrack's version of The Rich Man's Frug is too short and doesn't have the best parts of the full number from the movie. That aside, who could ever top Sammy Davis' performance in Rythm of Life. Chita and Paula are beyond comparison in Something Better Than This.

This cast recording makes me wish I was old enough to have seen them during the original Broadway run.

Consider buying the DVD to the movie to accompany this DVD. That way, you'll also get to see Ben Vereen at his best. I will warn you that the movie was a bit indulgent with extended scenes whose length is not justified by their contribution to the overall film. It's about 20-30 minutes too long. But the musical and dance numbers are really great. Who doesn't love Fosse? August 6, 2005

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