Summary
Taxi dancer Charity continues to have faith in the human race despite apparently endless disappointments at its hands, and hope that she will finally meet the nice young man to romance her away from her sleazy life. Maybe, just maybe, handsome Oscar will be the one to do it.
Cast
Shirley MacLaine
Charity
John McMartin
Oscar
Chita Rivera
Nickie
Paula Kelly
Helene
Ricardo Montalban
Vittorio
Sammy Davis Jr.
Big Daddy
Stubby Kaye
Herman
Barbara Bouchet
Ursula
Suzanne Charny
Dancer
Alan Hewitt
Nicholsby
Dante DiPaolo
Charlie
Bud Vest
Dancer
Ben Vereen
Dancer
Lee Roy Reams
Dancer
Al Lanti
Dancer
John Wheeler
Dancer
Leon Bing
Model
Leon Alton
Dancer (uncredited)
Toni Basil
Dancer (uncredited)
Larry Billman
Dancer (uncredited)
Herman Boden
Dancer (uncredited)
Donald Bradburn
Dancer (uncredited)
Chelsea Brown
Dancer (uncredited)
Ray Chabeau
Dancer (uncredited)
Cheryl Christiansen
Dancer (uncredited)
Linda Clifford
Dancer (uncredited)
Bryan Da Silva
Dancer (uncredited)
Marguerite DeLain
Dancer (uncredited)
Kathryn Doby
Dancer (uncredited)
Jimmy Fields
Dancer (uncredited)
Lynn Fields
Dancer (uncredited)
Ellen Halpin
Dancer (uncredited)
Carlton Johnson
Dancer (uncredited)
Kirk Kirksey
Dancer (uncredited)
Richard Korthaze
Dancer (uncredited)
Lance LeGault
Dancer (uncredited)
Trish Mahoney
Dancer (uncredited)
Ted Monson
Dancer (uncredited)
April Nevins
Dancer (uncredited)
Walter Painter
Dancer (uncredited)
Louise Quick
Dancer (uncredited)
Frank Radcliffe
Dancer (uncredited)
Sandy Rovetta
Dancer (uncredited)
Charlene Ryan
Dancer (uncredited)
Dom Salinaro
Dancer (uncredited)
Georgina Spelvin
Dancer (uncredited)
Patrick Spohn
Dancer (uncredited)
Jerry Trent
Dancer (uncredited)
Tifni Twitchell
Dancer (uncredited)
Renata Vaselle
Dancer (uncredited)
Lorene Yarnell Jansson
Dancer (uncredited)
Adele Yoshioka
Dancer (uncredited)
Richard Angarola
Maitre d' (uncredited)
Henry Beckman
Policeman (uncredited)
Jack Berle
Onlooker at Park (uncredited)
Charles Brewer
Young Man on Bridge (uncredited)
Lonnie Burr
Willie (uncredited)
Jeff Burton
Policeman (uncredited)
Ceil Cabot
Married Woman (uncredited)
Dee Carroll
Woman on Tandem (uncredited)
Noble 'Kid' Chissell
Onlooker at Park (uncredited)
Kathleen Cody
Flower Girl (uncredited)
Bud Cort
Flower Child (uncredited)
John Craig
Patron at Dance Hall (uncredited)
Alfred Dennis
Waiter at 'Chile Hacienda' (uncredited)
George DeNormand
Onlooker at Park (uncredited)
John Frayer
Patron at Dance Hall (uncredited)
Dave Gold
Panhandler (uncredited)
Chuck Harrod
Singer (uncredited)
Sharon Harvey
Young Woman on Bridge (uncredited)
Tom Hatten
Man in Tandem (uncredited)
Francine Henderson
Onlooker at Park (uncredited)
Buddy Joe Hooker
Baseball Player (uncredited)
Nolan Leary
Manfred (uncredited)
Diki Lerner
Man with Dog on Bridge (uncredited)
Buddy Lewis
Appliance Salesman (uncredited)
Marco López
Man in Park (uncredited)
Judith Lowry
Old Lady on Park Bench (uncredited)
Jerry Mann
Singer (uncredited)
Joseph Mell
Man on Bridge (uncredited)
Jackie Mitchell
Model (uncredited)
Alma Platt
Lady with Hat on Bridge (uncredited)
Maudie Prickett
Nurse on Bridge (uncredited)
Leoda Richards
Onlooker at Park (uncredited)
Carroll Roebke
Model (uncredited)
Crew
Director
Bob Fosse
Lyricist
Dorothy Fields
Musical
Neil Simon
Original Story
Federico Fellini
Original Story
Tullio Pinelli
Original Story
Ennio Flaiano
Screenplay
Peter Stone
Reviews
Geronimo1967
April 21, 2024
7
"Charity" (Shirley MacLaine), "Nickie" (Chita Rivera) and "Helene" (Paula Kelly) are call-girls working in a grotty dance hall. "Charity" is an honest, maybe too honest, gal, but after years going round in circles she needs a decent man in her life. That might just happen when she meets "Oscar" (John McMartin) but he doesn't know what she really does to make a living. It isn't quite in a bank. Should she tell him and risk him walking away? The story itself here is no great shakes, but the performances are really entertaining. MacLaine, Ricardo Montalban as the legendary actor "Vittorio" and the rhythmic Sammy Davis Jr. as "Big Daddy" all contribute to a tight ensemble delivering some of the best from musical theatre to the big screen. "Big Spender"; "If My Friends Could See Me Now"; "...Something Better Than This"; "The Rhythm of Life" - all cleverly written and scored by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields and sung by the folks we are watching. Now the production isn't the best. The editing is really quite bitty and director Bob Fosse still can't quite remember that cinema can flow in a continuous fashion that theatre cannot. It's not Neil Simon's best script adaptation either, indeed "Nights of Cabiria" might blush at the rather staccato nature of this tribute. It looks great and there's quite some chemistry between MacLaine and the suave and debonaire Montalban and by mid-way through, you just want poor old "Charity" to find her happiness. It's hard to see how it could be better and is well worth watch if you want to see charisma on screen in spades.
Media
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$8,000,000.00
Revenue:
$20,000,000.00
Keywords
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