Ann-Margret was a massive star, and she sang the title song to the musical movie ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ Her personality and stage presence are captured vividly in the movie’s opening and closing sequences.
Ann-Margret is wearing a flesh-colored dress with her dazzling red hair. Her smile and energy are infectious as she delivers the song with great vocal precision. It is just her in front of a blue screen exuding star power!
The opening rendition sounds whinier and child-like because Ann-Margret is a young teen smitten with Conrad Birdie, a rock and roll star. The closing version of the song presents Ann-Margret in a more mature role after growing up through the movie. Her mature tone is much more pleasant to listen to, but both versions are catchy!
Co-stars Dick Van Dyke and Paul Lynde were in the original Broadway stage version of the musical, but Ann-Margret was not involved. The song ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ was also not included in the stage version. It was written for the movie version only.
This movie musical made her a true star. It was also Dick Van Dyke’s first film role. However, the stage musical is entirely different from the movie. Van Dyke’s role in the film was significantly reduced to which he commented, ‘That’s show business!’
Ann-Margret’s performance led to her being cast alongside Elvis Presley for the movie ‘Viva Las Vegas.’ She rocketed to stardom after playing the role of Kim MacAfee in 1963’s ‘Birdie.’
Ironically, the musical and movie were inspired by Elvis Presley getting drafted into the Army. However, he refused to star in ‘Birdie’ since it was a parody of his own career. Ann-Margret was initially billed as a female version of Elvis because of her sultry, vibrant voice. Her career and star power span decades, and this film is one of her biggest moments.
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