In Sweet Charity, Shirley MacLaine plays Charity, the original hooker with a heart of gold. Well, that's not entirely true; Sweet Charity is a remake of the Italian film The Nights of Cabiria, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film of 1957. In any case, the hooker with a heart of gold archetype is embodied by the protagonist in this story.While the Italian film is depressing beyond belief—Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the movie and have seen it many times—the musical is slightly different. There are many dramatic, depressing musicals, and this isn't one of them. It's fun and colorful with uplifting songs, a lighter title, and a generally sunny disposition. I won't spoil anything, but if you're looking for a downer, try Oliver instead.Shirley MacLaine is darling! I know, it seems like I'm always talking about how cute she is, but she is particularly adorable and charming as Charity. Shirley got her start as a dancer, and in this movie, she's able to really show off her skills (and her legs). It's a Bob Fosse musical, so if you've never seen his choreography before, prepare yourself for a very different type of dancing. Dancers will stand perfectly still for several beats, breaking the stillness by a single shoulder shrug or finger flick. It's a very controlled, intense, stylized kind of dancing, one that uses a Hollywood camera to its advantage. The dance numbers are beautifully directed and framed in each shot. Usually, you'll either love Bob Fosse or hate him, so it might be a determining factor in your enjoyment of the film.It's difficult to pull off the heart of gold hooker role convincingly. In my opinion, Giulietta Masina conveys the "seedy hooker" aspect of the character a little better in the original version, but it's also a darker, sadder film, so that makes sense. In Sweet Charity, Shirley MacLaine chews gum and sports a heart tattoo on her shoulder, but that's about it. Still, she nails the hopeful, utter faith in human nature aspect, which delights audiences and draws them into her story.When I first watched the movie, I wasn't really too impressed with the songs. Now that I'm older and have written three musicals myself, I actually like Cy Coleman's and Dorothy Fields' creations better. For me, part of what makes an effective musical song is if the melody conveys the words of the song, even if the words are hidden. In "Big Spender", the famous song all the streetwalkers sing to a potential customer, the melody captures the boredom they feel, as well as the frustration simmering underneath. You can really feel it's a song that's been sung a hundred times a night. In "If They Could See Me Now", another famous song that Shirley MacLaine sings with a top hat and cane, it actually sounds like it's being sung on her tiptoes, while she's excited and afraid if she shouts it'll echo off the walls. And finally, one of my favorites, "There's Gotta be Something Better Than This": you can truly feel the frustration boiling over as the girls finally declare they've had enough of their terrible lives. To see what I mean, watch the YouTube clip of the song, and if you like it, rent the movie!

Charity Hope Valentine (Shirley MacLaine) works as a taxi dancer along with her friends, Nickie (Chita Rivera) and Helene (Paula Kelly). She longs for love, but has bad luck with men, being robbed and pushed off Bow Bridge in Central Park by one ex-boyfriend. She has another humiliating encounter with Vittorio Vitale (Ricardo Montalban), a movie star.Is this better than Fellini's "Nights of Cabiria"? Nope. But it is also a different enough film that it may not be fair to compare them directly. Especially the change from prostitute to dancer (which makes sense in the world of Bob Fosse). Is Giulietta Masina better tan Shirley MacLaine? Yep. But then again, MacLaine is given a lot more to do.I suppose this film has many fans, but for me the muse of Fosse is Minnelli, not MacLaine. They both have their strong points, but Liza Minnelli is truly one of the greats of the 20th century (and beyond).

Gwen Verdon, where are you? Shirley MacLaine is good (but not great) as the replacement for Gwen in this mixed-bag of a film adaptation directed by Bob Fosse. It's too bland. Charity is a hooker in the Broadway version, but here she is a "taxi dancer" who occasionally goes in for the "long haul" with regulars like "Charlie". The scenes are G-rated so a great opportunity with Latin Lover Ricardo Montalban is lost. Shirley plays "Charity Hope Valentine" the girl with the proverbial heart of gold. She appears wide-eyed-and innocent in spite of her sordid profession. Her long-lost "love", Oscar Linquist, is played by John McMartin. He's an insurance actuary, an incredibly boring and strange man who claims to "love her for what she is" but gets cold feet on the way to the marriage license bureau. (The "Charlie" red heart tattoo on her shoulder sure doesn't help.) John's lack-luster performance rivals that of Van Johnson's in "Brigadoon". It "cools down" the movie, especially the last 20 minutes. The ending stinks also. After the "flower children" wish her a cheery "Good Morning" she skips down the lane, on her merry way, after staying out all night on the footbridge where she used to meet her sweetheart. It's way too long. (157 min.) The musical production numbers are quite good because they are directed by the genius Bob Fosse. "Hey Big Spender" is the stand out. Sammy Davis Jr. appears in a great cameo as a singing and dancing "soul man hippie" preacher. However, there is too much dialog in-between all the music. Universal considered this a "bomb" as it lost money at the box office. Even Stubby Kaye (as the dance hall owner) couldn't save this one.

To transfer the Broadway musical of "Sweet Charity" to the screen is a difficult task because this strange period of American history is automatically going to date itself. A lot happened in America (especially New York City) between 1966 (when this opened on Broadway) and 1969 (when the film was released), so the result is an almost completely different feeling. The leading heroine is a cheery dance hall hostess (if there is such a thing), her friends at the dance hall are all tough broads with a typically cynical attitude (hiding hearts of gold) and the men in her life have treated her with much disrespect. At the very beginning, her current lover grabs her money-filled handbag and tosses her off the bow bridge in Central Park. She is so naive, she thinks he ran off to get help. Charity's pals quickly set her straight. Will her next lover(s) treat her better? Not if the fickle finger of fate steps in! That sparking redhead Shirley MacLaine gives one of her most identifiable performances in the role originated on the stage by Gwen Verdon, who generously coached MacLaine for the film, directed by Verdon's husband, Bob Fosse. MacLaine's sassy pals are the talented Paula Kelly and Chita Rivera (still on Broadway as I write this in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"), while lovable Stubby Kaye originally appears not-so-lovable as the dance hall manager who barks at the girls to get their keesters on stage. MacLaine's suitors include Ricardo Montalban as an Italian movie star who subs her for his date when his highly dramatic girlfriend runs out on him, and original Broadway cast member John McMartin as the shy bookkeeper who becomes the first man ever to tell Charity that he loves her.Cy Coleman's splashy musical score is transfered almost complete with Dorothy Fields' saucy lyrics. The most famous is of course "Big Spender", a number that indicates that these dance hall girls will do more than just dance, if the offer (and $) are right. MacLaine, Rivera and Kelly brighten up the screen with their anthem of hope, "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This", while MacLaine's big solo, "If My Friends Could See Me Now!" is as triumphant for her as Barbra Streisand's "Don't Rain on My Parade" was in "Funny Girl". And speaking of parades, there's a big fantasy moment with "I'm a Brass Band" where MacLaine is joined by (in her mind, a la "Chicago") a marching band as she parades down Wall Street. Sammy Davis Jr. takes over briefly for a spoof of street religions ("Rhythm of Life"), and Fosse's choreographic genius is never more noticeable as in the "Rich Man's Frug", a fun look at the underground nightclub scene of the late '60's. Deborah Cotton and Ben Vereen are the stand-out dancers in this camp treasure.Ultimately, this is a movie musical that depends entirely on its leading lady, and MacLaine is thrilling as the eternal optimist (there are those existing in New York, believe it or not...) who won't give up on finding love even if she does come out a bit battered.