Applause (1973 TV Movie) User Reviews

A Little More Care Might Have Been Taken with this one...

[Isaac5855 · 6/10 · 16 April 2007]

APPLAUSE, the Broadway musical based on the classic ALL ABOUT EVE, was hastily filmed for television in 1973. The show first appeared on Broadway in 1970 and won Lauren Bacall a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical. The story definitely lacks the bite of the original, obviously because it's a musical, but it's still the same story of Broadway star Margo Channing (Bacall) taking a star-struck fan (Penny Fuller) under her wing who pays her back by trying to take over her life. This production seems to have been thrown together in sort of a hap-hazard fashion and Bacall and company deserve better. The score by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse (BYE BYE BIRDIE) includes "But Alive", "The Best Night of My Life", "Backstage Babble", "One of a Kind", and the classic title tune. Bacall works hard at making Margo likable as does Larry Hagman as Bill Sampson, Margo's much younger boyfriend. A curio to be sure, but worth a look if you can find it.

Not Much Movie Charisma, but Plenty for the Stage

[joe-pearce-1 · 7/10 · 25 July 2018]

This may not be really good, but it is fascinating to see if only for a 'legendary' performance, that being of Lauren Bacall as Margo Channing. I never found Bacall the least bit sexy in film, and although she came along some in the late 1940s and 1950s, I always thought she was a near-A star with a B- talent. I recall the discerning but often nasty critic John Simon once stating that there were certain stars, Bacall being one of them, who were simply naturally 'big' personalities and were able to demonstrate that much better on the stage than on the screen. Well, she does that here, and in spades. You cannot watch Bacall in KEY LARGO or TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT and get any idea that she has a personality and 'largeness' of aspect so totally on exhibit in this film. That being said, several reviewers here have somewhat denigrated this TV performance of hers, but they should remember that it is a THEATER performance basically filmed for the small screen. (Bette Davis, in ALL ABOUT EVE, gave a THEATER performance on the screen and got away with it, but she always gave THEATER performances on the screen, somewhat in the manner that Eleanor Parker and Faye Dunaway also did, and they all got away with it, sometimes gloriously well.) As for the rest of the TV show, it is quite updated to include not only some language that would have been verboten on the screen in 1950, but also in changing the Thelma Ritter role to that of a gay man, having an entire scene take place in a gay club, and changing the critic played by George Sanders to a show producer played by Robert Mandan. The producer isn't nearly as nasty and caustic (and funny) as is the Sanders character, but he is in the same position as is the critic to help Eve's upcoming career, and in the end, he gets that particular girl (poor guy), while Margo goes off to the domestic life with a good, but not grainy enough (in comparison to Gary Merrill) Larry Hagman. The songs for this show were so-so at best, but quite effective in putting over why people dedicate their lives to the theater (actually, this is done better than in the movie) and also why Margo has done so. And as iconic as Davis may have been in the movie, she is a big part of a great ensemble, whereas in the musical, Margo is 80% of the show. Whatever the outcome, and it is pretty good, this viewing just moved me to think of all the great stage performances that have not been preserved - like Andrews in MY FAIR LADY, Merman in GYPSY, Alfred Drake in just about everything he did, March and Eldridge in LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, etc., etc. Anyway, even as only a historical curiosity, this is well worth viewing.

All about Bacall

[F Gwynplaine MacIntyre · 6/10 · 6 November 2004]

'Applause' was a Broadway musical based on the cult movie 'All About Eve', but it differs significantly from that film. After Lauren Bacall starred as Margo Channing in 'Applause' on Broadway, she repeated her starring role in the West End production of that show in London. In one of the most ironic casting choices in history, Bacall was replaced in the Broadway cast by Anne Baxter. In the film 'All About Eve', Baxter had played Eve Harrington, the would-be actress who schemed to take over Margo Channing's life. In the cast of 'Applause', Baxter finally got that chance.

'All About Eve' and 'Applause' were indirectly based on a true incident in the career of European actress Elisabeth Bergner. Screenwriter Joseph L Mankiewicz borrowed the name 'Eve Harrington' from the Preston Sturges film 'The Lady Eve', in which a scheming woman named Harrington uses 'Eve' as her criminal alias.

I was peripherally involved in the London production of 'Applause', as a minor staffer in the producer's office. In 1973, I hadn't yet seen the film 'All About Eve', and I couldn't understand why there was so much fuss over this movie. One of the songs in 'Applause' is called 'Fasten Your Seat Belts (It's going to be a bumpy night)', but the song is performed at a party and has nothing to do with air travel. I didn't understand at the time that this song was inspired by a famous line in the original film.

'All About Eve' begins with a ceremony for the Sarah Siddons Award. This was (at the time) a fictional award named for a real stage actress; following the film's success, there is now a genuine Sarah Siddons Award. For the Broadway and London stage productions of 'Applause' (and this TV version), the trophy was changed to the Tony Award, with permission from the American Theatre Wing (who give out the real Tony Awards). In the opening scene of the stage musical, there was an awkward tech cue as we hear the thoughts of famed actress Margo Channing (Bacall) in pre-recorded voice-over. This was done much more easily in the TV version. Bacall waves a Tony Award overhead, wearing a sleeveless gown that gives us a full view of her shaved armpits. The camera shifts into slo-mo, to make sure we don't miss those armpits. She then goes to a party where the guests engage in peculiar scat-singing. ('Ba-ba-bee-ba!')

'Applause' is notable for having a script by Broadway veterans Betty Comden and Adolph Green but songs by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse, the team best known for the score of 'Bye Bye Birdie'. Comden and Green usually wrote the lyrics for their scripts; for 'Applause', they were brought into the project after Adams and Strouse had written a score.

What is it about gay men and aging actresses? For reasons that elude me, the movie 'All About Eve' is some sort of gay rite of passage. The musicals of Comden and Green contain large amounts of material that's gay-friendly, but not explicitly so. 'Applause' is the exception. With its background of Broadway musicals, the gay aspects of the New York theatre get far more than a look-in here. In the original film, Margo Channing's dresser was an older woman; in 'Applause', this character is a handsome young man named Duane Fox. She invites him to escort her to an after-theatre party. When Duane demurs that he's got a date, Bacall theatrically tosses her long tawny hair and says 'Bring him along!'.

The most bizarre scene in this TV special occurs when gayboy Duane brings Margo to his favourite bar in Greenwich Village, where lots of good-looking young men want to meet this aging actress. (Not another woman is in sight; I guess none of these guys can get a girlfriend.) Bacall performs a musical number in front of a wall of multi-coloured neon lights, each light forming a letter of the alphabet. These letters appear to be randomly scattered across the wall, but if you follow them in a knight's tour they spell out "GAY POWER", with one extra letter as a decoy. As Margo leaves, a young man named Danny shouts: 'I love her!'

A far more enjoyable number is the title song, performed by would-be actors who work as waiters and waitresses at Joe Allen's. (In the 1970s, this was a real restaurant in the Broadway theatre district, noted for its distinctive red and white tablecloths.) For Bacall's pleasure, all the boys and girls at Joe Allen's perform an elaborate dance number referencing other Broadway musicals, ranging from 'Oklahoma!' to 'Oh Calcutta!'.

There's some contrived dialogue here that wasn't in the movie. When Karen Richards feels guilt for draining the gas tank of Margo's car, she imagines she hears comments about this. ("You're a gas!" "T'anks!") More enjoyable is a scene that wasn't in 'All About Eve', with Karen and her husband Buzz (named 'Lloyd' in the movie) attending a party. All the guests wear signs on their backs, with each sign bearing the name of a famous person. Since no guest can read his own sign, they must respond to clues from other guests to learn who they are.

'Applause' is a good (but not great) musical, adapted from a movie that worked better as a film. The best elements here are direct references to Broadway's theatre community that weren't in the film, such as the gypsy-robe scene and the gay subculture. But 'Applause' can never be revived except as a period piece, since it makes absolutely no mention of Aids. I'll rate this enjoyable TV version 6 points out of 10, and I wish someone would explain to me why gay men are so fascinated by aging actresses.

Wow, found old Reel to Reel Video in School files, WOW!!!

[cats1usa · 25 January 2003]

Why Broadway, and Hollywood and Tv Fight to keep some of these American Gems off DVD or Tape bewilders me. This is all but forgotten by even the best memoried Baby Boomers. Well, digging through old tapes, I found this "APPLAUSE" STARRING: Lauren Bacall, Larry Hagman, et al.

Now WHO would not pay to see "APPLAUSE" with it's ORIGINAL LEADING STAR? "APPLAUSE" is great, even after 30 years tucked away on a shelf. This find made my day. From the brilliant writing adaptation of "All About Eve", to the effervescent score. This Musical retelling of the Bette Davis classic is overpoweringly Superb. Lauren Bacall at her best! The production was done true to the original. That alone is worth seeing it again. Even on tv. But, in a theatre, on a big screen would be even better.

"What is it that we're working for?, Applause, Applause..." Love those classic Musicals, or hate them, I think you'd all LOVE APPLAUSE! Now, let's get it released on DVD. I'd sell my soul to see the ORIGINAL "HELLO,DOLLY!" with Carol Channing on DVD. Perhaps if Hollywood stayed true to the original work, Musicals would have lasted as an art medium. If you ever get a chance to see this GEM, DON'T Pass it up!

It's not perfect, but it's a lot of fun!

[Liza-19 · 9/10 · 2 May 2008]

I wanted to see this movie for years and finally found a copy this year. Well, the actual production left something to be desired. The sets seemed cramped, and the whole thing has kind of a thrown-together feeling to it, but that's easy enough to overlook. The musical was obviously a lot of fun to make and all of the actors seem to really be enjoying themselves.

Lauren Bacall shows her usual dramatic star-power, but (Tony Award or no Tony Award) the woman really can't sing. Fortunately, for her part at least, it really doesn't matter. She's a strong enough actress that she can put emotion behind the lyrics and it doesn't really matter if it matches the melody or not. Larry Hagman plays Bill - but he seems almost wasted, having very little to do until the end. Penny Fuller was a fairly good Eve, but she was definitely no Anne Baxter. Still, I doubt Anne Baxter could have sung as well as Fuller did. Her last number was very impressive.

The real surprise to me was English actress Debbie Bowen completely stopping the show with the title song "Applause." She nailed it. I never even knew she could sing, and she nearly steals the entire show with just that one number. Very impressive talent, too bad she seems to have disappeared from the entertainment world. She was the one to watch in this movie.

The rest of the supporting cast is mostly forgettable. The plot line is pretty faithful to "All About Eve" although the script does seem to nicey it up a little too much. Why did they get rid of one of the best characters in the movie - Addison DeWitt? George Sanders won the Oscar for that role, it was probably the most intelligent character in the whole story. For a long time the audience is kept sympathizing with Eve and hating Margo, which is not the way the story is supposed to go at all. The end is rather abrupt and doesn't really come across as satisfying. But the music alone is a great, great asset to this. It's worth watching if you can find it.

It's all about the three faces of the lady Eve....

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 19 August 2014]

While the Broadway musical this television special is based upon may be dated, the themes aren't. It's the story of a woman and her career, the presence of somebody who threatens both her career and her happiness, and how she rises above the usual temptations of how to survive while keeping your claws intact. "She" is Margo Channing (the fantastic Lauren Bacall, repeating her Tony Award Winning role), a Broadway diva extraordinare, at the height of her career, but on the threshold of middle age. Insecurities bring on jealousy and fear, especially when a young upstart (Penny Fuller) shows up, pretends to be her best friend, and betrays her simply to boost her own career as a rising actress and Broadway legend in the making.

It is obvious that a young Margo Channing would never have done the things that Eve does here to rise from starlet to star. Margo may be tough and even bitchy at times, but she obviously has scruples. She was once a sexy screen siren and has moved into the theater simply for the love of the stage. Now she has two loves-the theater and a producer (Larry Hagman, taking over the role originated by Len Cariou), and isn't willing to let that go. As Margo learns the truth about Eve, she faces some important life lessons that might actually make her grateful to Eve for being that little push she needed to face the reality of aging gracefully.

Bette Davis originated the role of Margo and also played a similar role as film actress Margaret Elliott in "The Star", and uttered the immortal screen line, "Fasten Your Seatbelts, It's Going to Be a Bumpy Night!". That becomes a big production number for the musical which was only just one of several dated musical numbers. One of them ("But Alive!") is set in a gay bar, and ends up in the television version which is pretty daring considering this was only four years after the Stonewall riots. I was in a production of this musical in the early 80's for my High School drama club, and they simply transfered the number to the Joe Allen's setting where the gypsies hung out. Here, the setting is extremely obvious with "Gay Power" highlighted on a huge sign in the background and very obvious gay men singing lyrics like "Chickie Chickie Ow! Ow Ow Ow!".

One of the main reasons why this doesn't rate a higher rating is that the cheap video tape makes it look even more dated than it was on stage. If it wasn't for the stars being so incredible (Ms. Bacall tears "Welcome to the Theater!" to pieces), this would rank a 5 (**1/2). Attempts to update the book have not proved successful in getting a revival back on Broadway (although it was revived at the New York City Center for an Encores concert) while the same year's "Company" has been revived successfully several times even though the original production had a very early 70's sound as well. If you are lucky enough to find a copy of this, you can enjoy it, as long as you are aware that it works best as a fascinating ghost story.

Ok but not Broadway

[joclmct · 8/10 · 27 June 2023]

Applause was a fun, sharp, sophisticated & very successful Broadway musical. What we are reviewing here is the tv version which is less successful. Some shows don't translate well to television. Applause is one of them. To have seen it in person & felt the joy of a live performance & then have to compare it to this version is slightly sad. It's still a tight show & Bacall is magnificent. (in spite of the nasty queen's insulting review here. He apparently has no taste. Just a viscous tongue & poor eyesight) But it's all we have & if we can stretch our imagination, we can still see how thrilling it must have been on Broadway. It won several Tony awards including Best Musical & Best actress for Bacall which it deserved. We have no other version left for us other than a cast album and so I am grateful for this flawed time capsule video version. Flawed? Yes but still, I love it.

Lauren Bacall's first Tony role on film

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 5 September 2021]

"Applause" was made as a TV movie in 1973 from the Broadway musical of the same title that ran for 896 performances from 1970 to 1972. The adaptation included most of the original Broadway cast, but Larry Hagman replaced Len Cariou in the role of Bill Sampson. The show and film are a musical version of the 1950 film, "All About Eve," that had an all-star cast and won six Academy Awards. It's a familiar plot which has been adapted a few times in other films over the decades.

The Broadway show won four Tony awards out of 11 nominations, including best musical, best direction of a musical, best choreography and best leading actress in a musical. It was Lauren Bacall's first of two Tony awards as best actress on Broadway. Although all of the cast are good, Bacall is the main reason to see this show, if one can find it. I saw it on DVD that was taped from its TV showing. The copy quality is very poor and the character images are not clear and crisp.

While Bacall and others of the cast can carry a tune, they are not professional singers. Ergo, this play and film don't have the punch and power of the great musicals that have featured professional singers or their voices. The music and dance numbers are good, and the choreography is very good. But, again, this film has the feel of a stage production and the star quality of performers doesn't match that of the great musicals that were made into movies.

The WORST performance ever recorded by a lead actress.

[jaddeo · 1/10 · 28 July 2010]

This is absolutely the worst musical adaptation EVER with the most inadequate, atrocious, inept performance ever recorded by a major star. Lauren Bacall is soooooooooooooooooooooo bad in this it is not to be believed. She can't sing or act. I've seen better acting in my high school productions by almost everyone. That being said her performance is so bad that it must not be missed. Truly a howl - I have parties where I show this on TV and my friends and I sit there screeching with laughter and disbelief. One must see this to believe the travesty that APPLAUSE truly is. Bacall is like a drag queen doing bad drag. When she tries to croak the horrible tune "HURRAY BACK" it sounds like she is saying "HAIRY BACK". This adaptation has bought me endless hours of pleasure and laughter for all the wrong reasons. How Bacall ever won a Tony for this is beyond belief. I heard a story that Ethel Merman was sitting in the audience of this (or maybe WOMAN OF THE YEAR) and the minute Bacall opened her mouth to try to sing she screamed out "JESUS Christ" Don't know if this story is true or not but it is a great tale. Why Lucille Ball is derided in MAME and Lauren Bacall is praised in this totally bewilders me. While Lucy is no great MAME she is monumentally better than Bacall could ever hope to be and LUCY can ACT! Rent this, by this and get your hands on it - it is an unintentional comedic masterpiece!!!

This Kaliediscope of feeling reels around inside my brain!

[miketv-1 · 7 April 2002]

I always wondered what this show was like.The musical version of "ALL ABOUT EVE" I have heard the Original Broadway cast album and was excited to see on the IMDB that there was a video version taped in 1973. I recently found a copy of it. I can now understand why this is never seen. The quality of the sets is like a cheap soap opera, the actors project as if they are acting to the last row of a huge arena. Lauren Bacall has never seemed so insincere. The "choreography" is sloppy, the Greenwich Village gay bar number is a blast, men throwing Lauren around while she sings, and trying to make it look like she is a dancer. At times I am reminded of Mae West in "SEXTETTE" The lip-syncing is obvious. But I love this show I wish they would put this on DVD with DTS sound and hours of extras. But this will most likely be shown no-where and never released on home video. The production was probably taped in a few days and it shows. I am sure the stage production was a lot better. But this is the only version of this musical around. It is a great record of the show if you can imagine the better production it must have been. The songs are stuck in my head. The dramatic lovers quarrels with Lauren and Larry Hagman are unbelievable. The ending is very strange with Margo (Lauren) giving up her career as an actress so she can be a real woman for her man. But that is all part of the fun. The "APPLAUSE" number is a real hoot with the cutesy "gypsies" doing parodies of "Cabaret," "Fiddler," West Side Story," "Hello Dolly," "Oklahoma-Oh Calcutta." among others. Highly recommended!