THE PAJAMA GAME [1957 / 2021] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] Based on the Hit Broadway show. Featuring the choreography of Bob Fose!
Labor and management at the Sleeptite Pajama Factory are not sleeping much lately: A proposed 7½ cent hourly wage increase is why and a strike may result. But negotiations here involve snappy stars, terrific tunes and dynamic dances as Doris Day, John Raitt and a Broadway-seasoned cast play ‘THE PAJAMA GAME.’
Songs by the Damn Yankees duo of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross and choreography by Bob Fosse generate lots of “Steam Heat,” all whipped together delightfully under the direction of two musical masters of stage and screen, George Abbott and Stanley Donen. Besides “Steam Heat” and showcasing the quirky brilliance of dancer Carol Haney, catch “Hey There,” “I am Not at All in Love,” “Hernandos Hideaway,” “Once-a-Year Day” and other all-time-great numbers. For peerless entertainment, negotiate no further. Nothing is quite the same as ‘THE PAJAMA GAME.’
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1957 Boxoffice Magazine Awards: Win: Boxoffice Blue Ribbon Award for Best Picture of the Month (September) for the Whole Family for George Abbott and Stanley Donen. 1958 Laurel Awards: Nominated: Golden Laurel Award for Top Musical [4th place]. Nominated: Golden Laurel Award for Top Male Musical Performance for John Raitt. 1958 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Written American Musical for George Abbott and Richard Bissell.
FILM FACT No.2: As recounted in 2016 by Janis Paige, the studio desired to use as many members of the Broadway cast as possible. But one of the leads had to be a movie star. She said that the male lead, played by John Raitt, was originally offered to Frank Sinatra and had he accepted the role, Janis Paige said, she would have played the part that was given to Doris Day. In this film, the calendar behind Sid Sorokin's desk, while he sings "Hey There" shows July, 1954.
Cast: Doris Day, John Raitt, Carol Haney, Eddie Foy Jr., Reta Shaw, Barbara Nichols, Thelma Pelish, Jack Straw, Ralph Dunn, Owen Martin, Jackie Kelk, Ralph W. Chambers, Mary Stanton, Buzz Miller, Kenneth LeRoy, Buddy Bryan (uncredited), Florine Carlan (uncredited), Fred Curt (uncredited), Drusilla Davis (uncredited), Harvey Evans (uncredited), William A. Forester (uncredited), Franklyn Fox (uncredited), Otis Griffith (uncredited), Jack Henderson (uncredited), Michael Jeffers (uncredited), Kathy Marlowe (uncredited), Howard Parker (uncredited), Frank Radcliffe (uncredited), Dolores Starr (uncredited), Larri Thomas Fred Villani (uncredited), Ralph Volkie (uncredited) and Marc Wilder (uncredited)
Directors: George Abbott and Stanley Donen
Producers: Frederick Brisson, George Abbott, Harold Prince, Robert E. Griffith and Stanley Donen
Screenplay: George Abbott (screenplay/book) and Richard Bissell (screenplay/book/novel)
Composers: Howard Jackson (uncredited) and Ray Heindorf (uncredited)
Costumes: Jean Eckart and William Eckart
Choreography: Bob Fosse
Cinematography: Harry A. Stradling, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (WarnerColor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English:
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 100 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Warner Bros. / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE PAJAMA GAME’ [1957] revolves around labour-management tensions at the Sleeptite Pajama Factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where union members are pushing for a 7½ cent per hour raise while management is steadfastly ignoring them. The opening scene almost implies the Sleeptite Pajama factory is a sweat shop, with a dour interior and the workers rapidly singing a song about not wasting time.
‘THE PAJAMA GAME’ originated on the stage and much of the original cast appears in the film, with the most notable exception being Miss Doris Day taking on Janis Paige’s role. You can feel that play-to the-rafters stage performer energy throughout the film. Those tunes with sparkle are an eclectic bunch, like the slinky “Hernando’s Hideaway,” the precision of “Steam Heat,” and the dreamily wistful “Hey There,” which is good enough for two renditions, but especially the one with John Raitt and Miss Doris Day.
Brand-new and hunky factory superintendent Sid Sorokin [John Raitt] arrives just as workers are becoming more vocal about the wage increase. Sid Sorokin and the head of the employees' grievance committee, “Babe” Williams [Doris Day], first glimpsed as a long, cool woman in a blue smock, become smitten. The labour dispute comes between them until Sid’s ingenuity paves the way for a compromise. That’s the story, but it’s in the telling that the tale comes to life. And this yarn is spun with verve and style, highlighted by a superb score and inventive, energetic dance numbers.
‘THE PAJAMA GAME’ is a romantic comedy, but it’s also about the need to pay workers fair wages and still a relevant topic it seems today. Those two elements might not feel so odd on-stage but they come off like oil and water on the screen. The fact that a 7 1/2 cent raise is actually going to change their lives fundamentally is shocking, particularly since this is 1957.
An energetic, tuneful, but ultimately thin adaptation of the long-running Broadway hit. ‘THE PAJAMA GAME’ features a host of memorable songs and a sparkling performance by the always adorable Miss Doris Day who of course, sticks to vocals, and performs with her customary verve and richness. Whether belting full throttle or caressing the lyrics of the lilting “Hey There,” Miss Doris Day makes every song her own, and infuses the headstrong “Babe” Williams with a hefty dose of her personality of her character in the film. John Raitt, another Broadway import in his only film appearance, shows his leading man potential, and nicely blends his robust baritone with Miss Doris Day's mellifluous alto. Although at times slightly stiff and theatrical, John Raitt exudes confidence and an understated machismo, and it's a shame Hollywood never developed his film career.
‘THE PAJAMA GAME’ is a much overlooked and underappreciated pièce de résistance of a musical that contains one of Day’s most captivating performances and along with 11 songs, quite a few of them show-stoppers…and much more. The setting of ‘THE PAJAMA GAME’ scene and creating its rich, vivid look is the handiwork of art director Malcolm Bert. Though ‘THE PAJAMA GAME’ spawned three breakout songs, none were hits for Doris Day and the popular versions had been recorded by others while the show was still on Broadway, long before the film went into production.
THE PAJAMA GAME MUSIC TRACK LIST
THE PAJAMA GAME (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Sung by Ensemble]
RACING WITH THE CLOCK (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Sung by Ensemble]
I’M NOT AT ALL IN LOVE (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Sung by Doris Day]
I’LL NEVER BE JEALOUS AGAIN (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Sung and Danced by Eddie Foy Jr. and Reta Shaw]
HEY THERE (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Sung by John Raitt]
ONCE-A-YEAR-DAY (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Performed by Doris Day, John Raitt and Ensemble]
SMALL TALK (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Performed by Doris Day, John Raitt and Ensemble]
THERE WAS ONCE A MAN (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Performed by Doris Day, John Raitt and Ensemble]
RACING WITH THE CLOCK (reprise) (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Performed by Ensemble]
HEY THERE (reprise) (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Sung by Doris Day]
HERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Sung and Danced by Carol Haney, with John Raitt and Ensemble]
7½ CENTS (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Sung by Jack Straw, Doris Day and Ensemble]
A NEW TOWN IS A BLUE TOWN (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Sung by John Raitt]
STEAM HEAT (Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) [Sung and danced by Carol Haney and dancers]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Archive Collection presents us the film ‘THE PAJAMA GAME’ with an awesome 1080p image with a very impressive 1.85:1 original theatrical aspect ratio. Sometimes have in the past had problematic colour images with WarnerColor, but here it looks sensational here with solid, consistent hues, and combined with the astonishing sharpness of the image, especially with the glamour close-ups of Miss Doris Day manage to show some of her freckles beneath the cosmetics, and the image is really impressive. Contrast is spot-on, and especially over the inferior DVD image quality will continually amaze you and will please the legion of fans of the wonderful Miss Doris Day, especially this classic musical from the Hollywood's Golden Age. There are no image anomalies like dust, dirt, reel cues, or debris to distract from your viewing experience. So top marks towards Warner Archive Collection for giving this film a five star image presentation.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Archive Collection brings us the film ‘THE PAJAMA GAME’ with one standard 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and you will be mightily impressed with the full-bodied fidelity offered on this disc. The brassy Warner Bros. orchestra is in full flow here, and the dialogue, lyrics, and sound effects that includes some hefty bass rumbles the room when the freight train passes. Atmospherics like rain and the din of factory machinery are distinct but never overwhelming, and all the dialogue is clear and easy to comprehend. There are no problems with age-related hiss, crackle, pops, or flutter. So all in all, Warner Archive Collection has done an amazing upgraded with this audio track.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Deleted Song: “The Man Who Invented Love” [1957] [480i] [1.37:1] [3:02] Richard Adler wrote “The Man Who Invented Love” expressly for the film version of ‘THE PAJAMA GAME,’ it was filmed but was subsequently dropped after it was shot in favour of a reprise of “Hey There” with Doris Day instead, and was recently uncovered in the Warner bros. vault. So it’s your once-a-year day as they happily present Doris Day in a never-before-seen performance of “The Man Who Invented Love.”
Theatrical Trailer [1957] [1080p] [1.85:1] [3:17] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘THE PAJAMA GAME.’ The film's trailer proclaims the inclusion of many original Broadway cast members.
Finally, Jean-Luc Godard memorably hailed George Abbott and Stanley Donen’s exhilarating 1957 musical film ‘THE PAJAMA GAME’ as “the first left-wing operetta.” The film, an adaptation of the hit 1954 Broadway show, and the Bob Fosse choreography of the worker solidarity made during the decade when union membership in the USA was at its peak, takes on particular poignancy when seen in today’ era. I loved ‘THE PAJAMA GAME’ when I first saw the film when I was very young. Miss Doris Day is still delightful and the actors sell the lively score, but the story concentrates too heavily on secondary characters and craves more emotion. Warner Archive Collection re-release in the wake of Miss Doris Day’s death certainly gives us an opportunity to revisit this wonderful Hollywood musical. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
