Gypsy(1993 film)

Gypsyis a 1993 Americanmade-for-televisionbiographicalmusicalcomedy-drama filmdirected byEmile Ardolino.The teleplay byArthur Laurentsis an adaptation of hisbookof the 1959 stage musicalGypsy,which was based on the 1957 autobiographyGypsy: A MemoirbyGypsy Rose Lee.

Gypsy
Promotional poster
Genre	Biography Comedy Drama Musical
Based on	Gypsy: A Musical Fable 1959 stage musical by Arthur Laurents
Screenplay by	Arthur Laurents
Directed by	Emile Ardolino
Starring	Bette Midler Peter Riegert Cynthia Gibb
Music by	Jule Styne(Score) Stephen Sondheim(Lyrics)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Bonnie Bruckheimer Robert Halmi Sr. Neil Meron Craig Zadan
Producers	Emile Ardolino Cindy Gilmore Bob Weber
Production locations	Orpheum Theater Palace Theater State Theatre
Cinematography	Ralf Bode
Editors	William H. Reynolds L. James Langlois
Running time	153 minutes
Production companies	Storyline Entertainment All Girl Productions RHI Entertainment
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	December 12, 1993(1993-12-12)

Gypsy Rose Lee's son,Erik Lee Preminger,was instrumental in getting the film in production and was the main source for research. He had tried to get the musical filmed withBette Midler,who had always wanted to play Rose,in the principal role 10 years earlier, but it required the approval of five entities to obtain the rights. One of the obstacles had beenArthur Laurentshimself, who wrote the book for the musical based on Lee's memoirs. He had hated the 1962 film version and was initially opposed to a remake."Not for all the money in the world will we let them make another film version ofGypsy,"he had said.

The film was originally broadcast byCBSon December 12, 1993, and then released in theaters in foreign markets. It has been released on home video multiple times.

Director Ardolino died ofAIDSthree weeks before the film was broadcast.

Plot

Determined to make her young, blonde, and beautiful daughter, June, avaudevilleheadliner, willful, resourceful, domineeringstage motherRose Hovickwill stop at nothing to achieve her goal. She drags June and her shy, awkward, and decidedly less-talented older sister, Louise, around the country in an effort to get them noticed, and with the assistance of agent Herbie Sommers, she manages to secure them bookings on the prestigiousOrpheum Circuit.

Years pass, and the girls no longer are young enough to pull off the childlikepersonaetheir mother insists they continue to project. June rebels, and elopes with Tulsa, one of the dancers who backs the act. Devastated by what she considers an act of betrayal, Rose pours all her energies into making a success of Louise, despite the young woman's obvious lack of singing and dancing skills. Not helping matters is the increasing popularity ofsound films,which leads to a decline in the demand for stage entertainment. With bookings scarce, mother and daughter find themselves inWichita, Kansas,where the owner of a third-rateburlesquehouse offers Louise a job.

When one of the strippers is arrested for soliciting, Louise unwillingly becomes her replacement. At first, her voice is shaky, and her moves tentative at best, but as audiences respond to her, she begins to gain confidence in herself. She blossoms as an entertainer billed as Gypsy Rose Lee, and eventually reaches a point where she tires of her mother's constant interference in both her life and wildly successful career. Louise confronts Rose and demands she leave her alone. Finally, aware that she has spent her life enslaved by a desperate need to be noticed, an angry, bitter, and bewildered Rose stumbles onto the empty stage of the deserted theater and experiences a moment of truth that leads to an emotional breakdown followed by a reconciliation with Louise.

Cast

• Bette MidlerasRose Hovick
• Cynthia GibbasLouise Hovick
  • Elisabeth Mossas Baby Louise Hovick
• Peter Riegertas Herbie Sommers
• Jennifer Rae Beck asJune Hovick
  • Lacey Chabertas Baby June Hovick
• Edward Asneras Pop Charles Thompson
• Linda Hartas Miss Mazeppa
• Anna McNeely as Miss Electra
• Christine Ebersoleas Tessie Tura
• Michael Jeteras Mr. Goldstone
• Andrea Martinas Miss Cratchitt
• Jeffrey Broadhurst as Tulsa
• Tony Shalhoubas Uncle Jocko
• Keene Curtisas Mr. Kringelien
• Spencer Liff as Clarence
• Rachel Sweetas Agnes/Amanda
• Peter Lockyeras Yonkers
• Michael Moore as L.A.
• Patrick Boyd as Kansas
• Terry Lindholm as Flagstaff
• Gypsy Rose Lee(archive footage) as herself

Musical numbers

1. "Let Me Entertain You" - Baby June, Baby Louise
2. "Some People" - Rose
3. "Small World" - Rose and Herbie
4. "Baby June and Her Newsboys" - Baby June, Baby Louise, Chorus
5. "Mr. Goldstone" - Rose, Herbie, Chorus
6. "Little Lamb" - Louise
7. "You'll Never Get Away from Me" - Rose, Herbie
8. "Dainty June and Her Farmboys" - June, Louise, Chorus
9. "If Momma Was Married" - June, Louise
10. "All I Need is the Girl" - Tulsa
11. "Everything's Coming Up Roses" - Rose
12. "Together, Wherever We Go" - Rose, Herbie, Louise
13. "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" - Tessie Tura, Miss Mazeppa, Miss Electra
14. "Small World" (reprise) - Rose
15. "Let Me Entertain You" - Louise
16. "Rose's Turn" - Rose

Soundtrack

Main article:Gypsy (soundtrack)

The film features ascore with musicbyJule Styneand lyrics byStephen Sondheim,and reuses the original orchestrations bySid RaminandRobert Ginzler.The musical numbers were choreographed byJerome Robbins,who directed and choreographed the originalBroadwayproduction.Bob Mackiedesigned the costumes.

Critical reception

Jule Styne said "I'm so excited. I just watched a tape of the movie and I cried. It is the most outstanding singing and acting performance I've seen on the screen within memory."

Dorothy Rabinowitzwrote "Ms. Midler the toughest and brassiest Mama Rose ever... Most everything comes up roses here all right."

Jennifer Stevenson wrote "Probably the best movie of the television year..."

Barbara Jaeger wrote "Midler deserves both an Emmy and a Grammy."

"Midler was sensational as Mama Rose in the recent TV version ofGypsy,"wroteThe Buffalo News.

The Chicago Sun-Timeswrote "Midler has the perfect blend of energy and maturity to portray vaudeville's ultimate stage mother. But the guiding force behind the new, sparklingGypsycomes from the perceptive and reverent direction of Oscar winner Emile Ardolino, who artfully preserves the spirit of a stage play within the confines of television. "In another article, the publication wrote "Bette Midler's star turn in CBS'Gypsynot only brought the TV musical back from the dead, but it also helped the network win another ratings season. "

Nielsen ratings

The film received an 18.6/28 householdrating/share,ranking 4th out of 90 programs that week, and was watched by 26.2 million viewers.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
1994	American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Motion Picture for Commercial Television	William Reynolds	Nominated
	Artios Awards	Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week	David Rubin,Stuart Howard, and Amy Schecter	Nominated
	Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials	Emile Ardolino	Nominated
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television		Nominated
		Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Bette Midler	Won
		Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Cynthia Gibb	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Made for Television Movie	Robert Halmi,Craig Zadan,Neil Meron, Bonnie Bruckheimer,Emile Ardolino, and Cindy Gilmore	Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special	Bette Midler	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or a Special	Emile Ardolino	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special	Jackson De Govia, John R. Jensen, and K. C. Fox	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Special	Ralf D. Bode	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special	Bob Mackie	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Single Camera Production	William Reynolds	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special	Carol Meikle, Hazel Catmull, and Gloria Montemayor	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Miniseries or a Special	Hallie D'Amore,Christy Ann Newquist, and Eugenia Weston	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Direction	Michael Rafter	Won
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Editing for a Miniseries or a Special	Greg Schorer, J. Michael Hooser, Bob Costanza, Mike Dickeson, Gary Macheel, Richard S. Steele, Mark Steele, Rick Crampton, David C. Eichhorn, Rusty Tinsley, Stuart Calderon, Gary Shinkle, Scott Grusin, Chris Ledesma, Sally Boldt, Jill Schachne, Tim Chilton, Sharon Michaels, Joseph Malone, Joe Bennett, and Tim Terusa	Nominated
		Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Miniseries or a Special	Larry Stensvold, Robert Schaper, Garrie Bolger, and David M. Ronne	Nominated
	Television Critics Association Awards	Program of the Year		Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement in Specials		Nominated

Home video

It was released onvideotapeandlaserdiscbyRHI Entertainmentin 1994 and on DVD byPioneer Entertainmentin 2000 andLionsgate Home Entertainmentin 2005. In recent years, the film has also been released to several digital download and streaming outlets such as Amazon and iTunes. On March 12, 2013, after several years of unavailability, Mill Creek Entertainment reissued the film on DVD in a double-feature set with the 2001 television remake ofSouth Pacific.

See also

• Gypsy,1962 film

External links

• Gypsy(1993)atIMDb
• GypsyatAllMovie(1993)
• Gypsyat theTCM Movie Database
• GypsyatRotten Tomatoes(1993)