The Pajama Game

Rating:
Summary: Good Broadway Becomes Great Hollywood!
Review: "The Pajama Game" had been a tremendous hit on Broadway starring John Raitt and former co-star of Doris Day's, Janis Paige.

When Warner Brothers bought the rights to the musical, they had singer, Patti Page in mind to play Babe Williams, the chairman of the grievance committee for the Sleeptite Pajama Factory.

When the lavish musical arrived on the screen, however, it was Doris Day who received sole star billing in "The Pajama Game" and it was greeted with unanimous rave reviews which it deserved.

The story centers around a dispute at the factory over a seven and a half cent raise. The workers are clammoring for it while management is fighting against it. A new superintendant, Sid Sorokin arrives at Sleeptite and promises to run the organization with an iron hand. This brings him in direct conflict with the grievance committe's lovely leader, Babe.

Babe is certainly smitten with Sid, but holds to her convictions concerning the worker's union. Her heart is vulnerable, however, and she falls in love with Sid.

Many say that "Pajama Game" looks like a filmed Broadway show. I say, who cares? It's a great entertainment with wonderful, memorable songs like "Hey There" which Sid sings when he can't seem to get to first base with Babe. She later reprises the song during a tender interlude.

Other highlights are Day's "I'm Not at All in Love" which she belts when the girls accuse her of having a weak spot for the new superintendant. The classic hit "Hernando's Hideaway," "Steam Heat" where Carol Haney shines with Buzz Miller and Kenneth LeRoy and the showstopping "There Once Was a Man" with Day and Raitt tearing up the screen with energy and topflight singing.

After this, I was surprised that John Raitt didn't have a movie career. He was handsome and had a nice presence on the screen. Doris Day was perfect as Babe and I wonder why she wasn't the first choice all along.

The other characters, all hold over from the stage production were first rate. Barbara Nichols as Poopsie, Reta Shaw as Mabel, Eddie Foy, Jr. as Hines and Thelma Pelish as Mae were in rare form.

The song that was written especially for this movie version, "The Man Who Invented Love," was axed so that Doris could sing the reprise of "Hey There" (probably for historial purposes). This was unwise, for "...Invented Love" is a great ballad and was beautifully sung and performed by Miss Day and would have added much to to picture. I'm pleased that Day performed "Hey There" for posterity, this was a wise decision. But Doris, the leading lady, was without her own ballad, an element which has always been a staple for the star of any musical. The deleted song would have added only a couple of minutes to the length of the film.

Bob Fosse's choreography was exciting and different and Stanley Donen and George Abbott's direction, deft.

"The Pajama Game" is one of the BEST musicals Hollywood has ever produced. You shouldn't miss this one.

Rating:
Summary: "PAJAMA" A ONCE A YEAR TREAT!!
Review: "The Pajama Game" is a meticulous rendering of the Broadway smash hit of the mid 1950's. Co-directed by Stanley Donen and George Abbott, it assembles most of the original Broadway cast, adds Doris Day, in a sizzling performance, and the result is just about as good as it can get.

Doris Day returned to musicals after a brief hiatus in which she starred in Hitchcock's classic, "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and MGM's thriller, "Julie". She also returned to the Warners lot, after a three year absence, to create one of her finest musical portrayals. As Babe Williams, head of the Grievance Committee at a pajama factory. she is tough and determined but also very, very feminine and sexy. When she meets John Raitt, father of singer Bonnie, she falls head over heels in love, and it's easy to understand why. This was Raitt's only on-screen musical lead, depite a dazzling stage career that spanned more than forty years. In another time and place he'd have repeated that success on the screen. Fortunately this film remains as a lasting reminder of how good he is.

Doris Day, playing the role created by Janis Paige on stage, is incredible. Whether singing the exuberant "I'm Not At All in Love", or stopping the show with Raitt while duetting "There Once Was A Man", she is truly a dazzler. It makes one wish that she had lent her talents to the screen version of "South Pacific" in 1958. She'd have made Nellie the legendary screen heroine she should have been and is not, due to the somewhat pallid performance of Mitzi Gaynor. Day is especially poignant singing a reprise of the show's big hit, "Hey There". The number was recorded live, which was highly unusual since most musical numbers are pre-recorded.

Bob Fosse stages the musical numbers with style and the supporting players including Carol Haney, Reta Shaw and Eddie Foy, Jr., are wonderful. Harry Stradling photographs the lovely sets with his customary brilliance.

"The Pajama Game" should be required viewing, once a year, by all afficianados of musical theatre. It's a near perfect presentation of a lively and loving romp, from an era gone by but that deserves to be remembered.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent film adaptation!
Review: "The Pajama Game" is an exuberant musical...a real gem. Doris Day is wonderful as Babe. She's gutsy yet tender when she needs to be. The star belts out the songs. And what songs they are: "I'm Not At All In Love," "There Once Was a Man," "Hey, There," among others. Mention should be made as well of John Raitt in his first and only starring role, and Carol Haney, who reprised her role from the Broadway show. Haney actually performs the two most famous numbers, "Hernando's Hideaway" and "Steam Heat." Bob Fosse did the choreography, and it's a joy to watch. Rent or buy this one. It's great!

Rating:
Summary: "PAJAMA" A ONCE A YEAR TREAT!!
Review: "The Pajama Game" is a meticulous rendering of the Broadway smash hit of the mid 1950's. Co-directed by Stanley Donen and George Abbott, it assembles most of the original Broadway cast, adds Doris Day, in a sizzling performance, and the result is just about as good as it can get.

Doris Day returned to musicals after a brief hiatus in which she starred in Hitchcock's classic, "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and MGM's thriller, "Julie". She also returned to the Warners lot, after a three year absence, to create one of her finest musical portrayals. As Babe Williams, head of the Grievance Committee at a pajama factory. she is tough and determined but also very, very feminine and sexy. When she meets John Raitt, father of singer Bonnie, she falls head over heels in love, and it's easy to understand why. This was Raitt's only on-screen musical lead, depite a dazzling stage career that spanned more than forty years. In another time and place he'd have repeated that success on the screen. Fortunately this film remains as a lasting reminder of how good he is.

Doris Day, playing the role created by Janis Paige on stage, is incredible. Whether singing the exuberant "I'm Not At All in Love", or stopping the show with Raitt while duetting "There Once Was A Man", she is truly a dazzler. It makes one wish that she had lent her talents to the screen version of "South Pacific" in 1958. She'd have made Nellie the legendary screen heroine she should have been and is not, due to the somewhat pallid performance of Mitzi Gaynor. Day is especially poignant singing a reprise of the show's big hit, "Hey There". The number was recorded live, which was highly unusual since most musical numbers are pre-recorded.

Bob Fosse stages the musical numbers with style and the supporting players including Carol Haney, Reta Shaw and Eddie Foy, Jr., are wonderful. Harry Stradling photographs the lovely sets with his customary brilliance.

"The Pajama Game" should be required viewing, once a year, by all afficianados of musical theatre. It's a near perfect presentation of a lively and loving romp, from an era gone by but that deserves to be remembered.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific Musical!
Review: "The Pajama Game" is a terrific musical and I'm sorry more people don't know about it. The movie was so successfully "opened up" from its Broadway origins that it's hard to believe it actually once was a stage play. Credit Midwestern location shooting, fluid direction and camera work, and Bob Fosse's incredible choreography. His "Once a Year Day" production number is a standout, as he gets the cast to dance on a lumpy grass hillside doing steps that would be difficult for most troupes to perform on the flat wooden boards of 42nd Street.

The central conflict in the work is between "Babe" the union representative (Doris Day) and the new superintendant (John Raitt, Bonnie's father, a well-known Broadway actor at this time but almost unknown to film). Secondary leads/comic relief are provided by Eddie Foy Jr. and the incomparable Carol Haney (who was also a marvelous specialty dancer and died tragically young in the Sixties). Best-known hits from the show are probably "Hey There," and "Hernando's Hideway," which is performed almost entirely by matchlight--or at least that's the illusion it gives.

Studio-wise, this Warner Bros. confection is truly the kind of flick they don't make anymore, yet somehow "The Pajama Game," despite its struggle over a seven-and-a-half-cent raise, remains fresh to me. Possibly that's because the show is so exuberant and the tunes so universal in popularity ("Hernando's Hideaway," for example, is a tango), that this movie is much more watchable than more "sophisticated" films from the late 1950s. For D.Day fans, this is a must, as it is for lovers of musicals; I think people who like good movies in general will probably be pleased if they take a chance on this sterling production.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent film adaptation!
Review: "The Pajama Game" is an exuberant musical...a real gem. Doris Day is wonderful as Babe. She's gutsy yet tender when she needs to be. The star belts out the songs. And what songs they are: "I'm Not At All In Love," "There Once Was a Man," "Hey, There," among others. Mention should be made as well of John Raitt in his first and only starring role, and Carol Haney, who reprised her role from the Broadway show. Haney actually performs the two most famous numbers, "Hernando's Hideaway" and "Steam Heat." Bob Fosse did the choreography, and it's a joy to watch. Rent or buy this one. It's great!

Rating:
Summary: Pajama review
Review: Although I've waited many years for the underrated musical to go to VHS and then DVD, I have to admit that I've been somewhat disappointed. On VHS the Picture quality is very good, with sharp colors and contrast, the sound quality is also very good. My big dissappointment is on the CD. The picture quality is excellent, a step up, but the sound quality is poor. Some songs come across so low in volume that you have to adjust the sound to maximium while other songs can blast you out of the room. Listening to this CD is like trying to watch Cable at night when the program volume is set for an intimate room and commercials have their volume set for and a room the size of Madison Square Garden. THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT ON A CD FOR A MUSICAL! On a scale of 1-5 I rate the VHS a 4 but the CD a 2. Shame on you Warner Bros. for such inferior CD quality.

Rating:
Summary: Doris is the reason to watch
Review: Despite having most the players from the Tony-winning Broadway musical intact, the reason to watch the movie-version of "The Pajama Game" is Doris Day. With her no-nonsense bob and freckly-sunniness, she lights up this stale plot about trouble within a pajama factory. Bob Fosse helped with the dance numbers, but his distinct talents are in evidence on only one number("Steam Heat", which is great but looks a little out of place in these old-fashioned surroundings). Movie doesn't pop or sizzle, it could use more movement and jazzy interaction, but when it does contain these elements, it feels very fresh and featherweight. And, as always, Doris makes the most of it. B-

Rating:
Summary: PLEASANT TUNES, BORING LOVE MATCH
Review: Doris Day played herslf again but Raitt, as good as his voice was then, was never a leading man.Simple, folksy musical that played down to the audiences of that era. Bob Fosse was the real attraction of the film.

Rating:
Summary: Overlooked Doris Day Musical Classic of the 50's now on DVD!
Review: Doris Day replaced Janice Paige as Babe Williams the only non-Tony winning Broadway cast member to make the Warner Brothers film version of "The Pajama Game". Even Bob Fosse came along to ensure the films choregraph numbers were kept top knotch.

This award winning cast included the best of Broadway of 1956; John Raitt (only movie), Eddie Foy Jr., Reta Shaw and the dance talents of Carol Haney.

The toe tapping music, the Bob Fosse dance numbers, the color rich photograhed scenes and Doris Day's singing help make this a show stopping fun filled 90 minutes of musical magic.

The DVD has a widescreen color rich digital transfer. This is a period classic but can you remember; company picnics?, paying $1.00 for all the beer you can drink?, or a 7 1/2 cent raise?

In summary: The SleepTite Pajama Factory is about to have a Union strike for a 7 1/2 cent raise. Naturally management resists so the Union group plan a slow down strike. The floor manager (Raitt) falls in love with Union member (Day) and the fun begins with the wonderfully predictable happy ending.

"The Pajama Game" is one of the best sleeper musicals with Doris Day leading the incredible cast through their paces. Enjoy!!!!