Charlie’s Afterlife
Here’s where the Goodbye Charlie story gets really interesting. A play that was panned by all seven of the daily newspaper critics upon its Broadway debut and had a short Broadway run… went on to have a long, happy, financially rewarding life. Just not on Broadway. Seen clearly as the star vehicle it is, Goodbye Charlie made the stock tour, summer theatre, regional and amateur rounds in theatres all over the world well into the 1980s. Try to find a theatre that was around back then that didn’t do it! The play continues to be done—far less frequently—in the 21st century.
Some notable Charlies and Georges through the years are listed below in chronological order, starting in 1960 almost immediately after the Broadway closing. The role of Charlie seems to be particularly accommodating to a wide variety of stage personalities.
Once again, raves for the star.
On Stage
1960 – Lilo
1960 – Betty Garrett & Larry Parks (Indianapolis)
1960—Eve Arden (Oakdale, Ivoryton)
1961—Jane Kean
1962—Mindy Carson (Palm Tree Playhouse, Sarasota)
1965—Veronica Lake (Miami)
Tammy Grimes liked the show enough to do it at least twice!
1968—Tammy Grimes & Hal Linden (North Shore)
1968—Martha Raye (Kenley Players, Pheasant Run Playhouse)
1969—Fannie Flagg (Keyport, NJ)
Martha Raye and George Wood.
1970—Tammy Grimes (Pheasant Run)
1972 – JoAnne Worley (San Diego)
1973—Sheila MacRae (Hayloft Dinner Theatre, Lubbock)
1976—Sally Ann Howes (Stage West)
1976—Lucie Arnaz (Miami)
1970s—Ruta Lee (Barn Dinner Theatre)
1980—Carroll Baker (Drury Lane, Chicago)
1983—Morgan Fairchild & James Farentino (Kenley Players Akron, with the play cut to a cast of 3!)
Morgan Fairchild and James Farentino.
By the late 1970s, newspaper reviews for Charlie were something like “Goodbye Charlie Still Found Lacking.” By the 1980s, the newspaper reviews had headlines like “Goodbye Charlie Presents Badly Dated Sexist Attitude” or “Goodbye Charlie Says ‘Hello’ to the 80s, Still Earns Drubbing.”
On Film
As previously reported, the screen rights to the play were sold before the show opened on Broadway, for $150,000 plus a share of the profits. It’s worth noting that though Axelrod, by this time, had penned both Breakfast at Tiffany’s and The Manchurian Candidate, he is not the author of the Charlie screenplay.
I.A.L. Diamond made the first pass at it, writing and revising a first draft screenplay in August and September 1960, to star Axelrod muse Marilyn Monroe and to be directed by George Cukor. Bacall’s ex-boyfriend Frank Sinatra was first choice for George, with James Garner also mentioned. In November 1963, it was reported that Carol Lynley had been signed by Zanuck for the title role. Monroe turned the role down, despite her long successful relationship with Axelrod.
Zanuck then offered the directing job to Billy Wilder, who turned him down. Finally, Vincente Minnelli, away from MGM for the first time since the 1940s, directed Goodbye Charlie (1964) at Fox starring Debbie Reynolds, Tony Curtis, Pat Boone, and Walter Matthau. Ultimately, the screenplay was written by Harry Kurnitz (A Shot in the Dark, Once More with Feeling, How to Steal a Million).
The film received the same type of reviews the play did, with Reynolds particularly miscast as Charlie. The expansion of the play (adding the Boone and Matthau characters) doesn’t add much. It’s one of the weakest entries in the filmographies of all the major players concerned. But it does have a spunky title song by Andre and Dory Previn.
More Recently
There are two other video incarnations of Goodbye Charlie that are less well known. The first is a 1985 TV sitcom pilot that transposes the action to the present day. It stars a post-Three’s Company Suzanne Somers as Charlie, with John Davidson as George. Curious? Watch it here.
Goodbye Charlie is the basis for the Blake Edwards film Switch (1991) with Jimmy Smits and Ellen Barkin, and it was neither a commercial nor an artistic success.
So, is Goodbye Charlie a subtle satire on American matriarchy? a titillating comedy with farcical elements? or a battle of the sexes with a touch of the supernatural? It can be all these things and more. It’s a workable vehicle with a protean premise that can be tailored to the stars you have on hand.
Personally, I’d like to examine earlier drafts of Axelrod’s script, particularly the rehearsal draft from before Pittsburgh, if only to form an opinion of the “shocking” language and “vulgarity” he included. All of his Broadway plays and screenwriting push the boundaries of the time.
The script as published now is almost totally bereft of swearing or colorful turns of phrase. A careful look at the Philadelphia and NYC reviews reveals that they barely mention vulgarity at all. There’s no question the show was toned down, perhaps to its detriment. Further, the script shows signs of being cut like mad – it’s short. Just 58 pages of text, as opposed to his Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? which is 70 pages in the same format. Axelrod the director clearly knew if he couldn’t make it better, make it brief. It’s in two acts instead of that era’s more typical three. The play is also lopsided: the opening scene has four characters we never see again. Ultimately, Goodbye Charlie is a three-character play: Charlie, George, and Rusty.
Today, Goodbye Charlie could still be fun with the right stars, but it would need a careful and loving touch-up from a playwright with deep comprehension of how our society’s understanding of gender has evolved. There’s an opportunity there for some insightful writing without losing the play’s unique blend of romance, fantasy, and comedy.
Shows for Someday #3 is a melodramatic Ira Levin potboiler! See you soon, dear reader.