1968 film version of the
Neil Simon Broadway musical. Stars
Shirley MacLaine as Ms.
Charity Hope Valentine, and features
Ricardo Montalban,
Sammy Davis, Jr.,
Stubby Kaye, and
Chita Rivera.
Charity is a sympathetic, but tragically flawed character: neurotic liar, longing for traditional
romance while she throws herself away on any joe who shows interest. While all the musical numbers are brilliantly choreographed, some seem to drag on a bit too long, and emotional engagement is lacking (most notably during
Big Spender). I saw the VHS videotape version; the laserdisc release is supposed to have the alternate "happy ending" scenes in addition to the official tragic cut.