Funny Lady (1975)

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writers:

Arnold Schulman (story)
Jay Presson Allen (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 March 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

How Lucky Can You Get

Plot:

Story of singer Fanny Brice's stormy relationship with showman Billy Rose.

Plot Keywords:

1930s | Love | Sequel | Husband Wife Relationship | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 6 nominations

Cast

Barbra Streisand	...	Fanny Brice
James Caan	...	Billy Rose
Omar Sharif	...	Nicky Arnstein
Roddy McDowall	...	Bobby Moore
Ben Vereen	...	Bert Robbins
Carole Wells	...	Norma Butler
Larry Gates	...	Bernard Baruch
Eugene Troobnick	...	Ned (as Gene Troobnick)
Heidi O'Rourke	...	Eleanor Holm
Royce Wallace	...	Adèle
Lilyan Chauvin	...	Mademoiselle
Samantha C. Kirkeby	...	Fran (as Samantha Huffaker)
Matt Emery	...	Buck Bolton
Joshua Shelley	...	Painter
Cliff Norton	...	Set Manager
Corey Fischer	...	Conductor
Garrett Lewis	...	Production Singer
Byron Webster	...	Crazy Quilt Stage Director
Ken Sansom	...	Frederick Martin
Colleen Camp	...	Billy's Girl
Alana Stewart	...	Woman with Nick (as Alana Collins)
Jackie Stoloff	...	Mrs. Arnstein
Bert May	...	Assistant Set Manager
Bea Busch	...	Ned's Secretary
Maggie Malooly
Don Torres	...	Man at Wedding
Jodean Lawrence	...	Woman at Wedding (as Jodean Russo)
Larry Arnold	...	Billy's Night Club Maître d'
Shirley Kirkes	...	Billy's Night Club Singer
Jerry Trent	...	Tap Dancer
Toni Kaye	...	Tap Dancer
Gary Menteer	...	Tap Dancer
Raymond Guth	...	Buffalo Handler
Deborah Sherman	...	Billy's Secretary
Dick Winslow	...	Fritz
Dick DeBenedictis	...	Pianist (as Dick De Benedictis)
Louis Da Pron	...	Choreographer
Hank Stohl	...	Radio Director
Diane Wyatt	...	Baruch's Secretary
Tom Northam
Todd Durwood	...	Photographer
Paul Bryar	...	Ben, Cleaning man
Brett Hadley	...	Aquacade Assistant
Jack Frey	...	Aquacade Assistant
Jadeen Vaughn	...	Aquacade Assistant
Ben Freedman	...	Newspaper Vendor
Maralyn Thuma	...	Radio Singer
Phil Gray	...	Radio Singer
Frank L. Pine	...	Pilot
Bill Baldwin	...	Speaker
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ty Randolph	...	Chorus Girl (as Mindi Miller)
Ken Grant	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Ann Pennington	...	(uncredited)
Donald Wayne	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Herbert Ross

Writing credits
Arnold Schulman		(story)
Jay Presson Allen		(screenplay) and
Arnold Schulman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Ray Stark	....	producer

Original Music by
Fred Ebb
John Kander
Peter Matz

Cinematography by
James Wong Howe

Film Editing by
Marion Rothman
Maury Winetrobe

Casting by
Jennifer Shull

Production Design by
George Jenkins

Set Decoration by
Audrey A. Blasdel		(as Audrey Blasdel)
John Franco Jr.

Costume Design by
Ray Aghayan
Bob Mackie

Makeup Department
Don L. Cash	....	makeup artist (as Don Cash)
Ben Lane	....	makeup supervisor
Ray Pownall	....	hair stylist
Jim Gillespie	....	key makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Howard Pine	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dodie Fawley	....	second assistant director
Stuart Fleming	....	second assistant director (as Stu Fleming)
Jack Roe	....	assistant director

Art Department
David M. Haber	....	assistant art director (as David Haber)
Richard M. Rubin	....	property master

Sound Department
Richard Oswald	....	sound effects
Richard Portman	....	sound re-recordist
Jack Solomon	....	sound
Don MacDougall	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Curly Thirlwell	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Jerry Trent	....	dance foley (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Phil Cory	....	special effects
Charles E. Dolan	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Jerry Brutsche	....	stunt performer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Dick Johnson	....	camera operator
Robert Moore	....	key grip (as Bob Moore)
Bill Shaw	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Seth Banks	....	costumer: men
Shirlee Strahm	....	costumer: Mrs. Streisand
Edna Taylor	....	costumer: women

Editorial Department
Michael E. Polakow	....	assistant editor (as Michael Polakow)
David Ramirez	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Ray Charles	....	chorus supervisor
Marvin Hamlisch	....	additional music adaptor
Peter Matz	....	music arranger
Peter Matz	....	musical director
William Saracino	....	music editor
Betty Walberg	....	music arranger

Other crew
Frank Bueno	....	assistant to producer
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Regina Gross	....	publicist
Howard Jeffrey	....	associate choreographer
Marion Kane	....	oak park marionettes supervisor
Nora Kaye	....	assistant: Mr. Ross
Howard Pine	....	production administrator
Herbert Ross	....	stage director
Marshall Schlom	....	script supervisor
Lester Wilson	....	assistant choreographer

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Rastar Pictures
• Vista

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1980) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Columbia TriStar (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Arista Records  soundtrack
• Regency Production Company  production services
• Solters & Digney  publicity
• Tyler Camera Supplies  aerial pictures

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:AL

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The book "Barbra: The Second Decade" features stills from a number of scenes cut from the final film; these include: more/longer scenes with Ben Vereen and scenes of her as Fanny Brice's popular "Baby Snooks" radio character a dramatic scene with Brice and her very young daughter

Goofs:

Factual errors: Near the end of the movie, in a meeting between Brice and Rose, he mentions taking over the Ziegfeld Theatre. Rose took over the Ziegfeld Theatre after NBC dropped their lease long after Brice was dead. The discussion could not have taken place as portrayed in the film.

Quotes:

Billy Rose: [referring to having borrowed money from the mob to finance his show] They're gonna build me into the West Side Highway.
Fanny Brice: That's the only good news I've heard tonight.
Billy Rose: I'm not kidding.
Fanny Brice: Neither am I.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nanny: The Wedding (#5.22)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

So Long Honey Lamb

sequal bio

Directed by Herbert Ross, this sequel to Funny Lady begins where Fanny Brice takes up with Bill Rose, and she makes her comback. Although this film is a bit tedious, it still has my favorite Barbra doing her magic. One scene is very funny where she gets wet in the Aquacade of 1939, (my dad took me to that show in Cleveland, Ohio). She sings "I Gotta Cold In My Head'; another song at the end is "My Man", Fanny Brice's most famous number. Roddy MacDowell plays her assistant. Omar Shariff returns to give his endearing love as Nicki Arnstein. Great for all of Barbra's fans! 7/10