History YMMV / ByeByeBirdie

%%* TastesLikeDiabetes

** Ann-Margret playing a character who fawns over an Elvis Presley {{Expy}} in the film version, considering that she would later meet and act alongside the real deal in ''Viva Las Vegas''.

* {{Narm}}: Any time Kim claims to be a grown woman becomes this in the 1995 TV special, which cast 27-year old Chynna Phillips in the role -- despite her being ''12'' years older than what the script lists as 15-year old Kim's age.

* WeirdAlEffect:
** Hollins University, an all-women's college in Roanoke, VA, has the particular tradition of singing the girls' verse of "We Love You Conrad" as an expression of affection ("We love you [Hollins/seniors/insert thing to be celebrated here], oh yes we do, we love you [X], and we'll be true! When you're not with us, we're blue! Oh, [X], we love you!"). A not-insignificant portion of the student body aren't aware that it's from this musical.
** For that matter, there's probably a not-insignificant group of people who have only heard the tune repurposed as a Music/TheBeatles [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPQ8P2QZvKg fan song.]]
** The parody of "Telephone Hour" from ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' is likely better known than the original these days. Ditto ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''' take on "Kids."

** In the movie, Ann-Margret playing a character who fawns over an Elvis Presley {{Expy}}, considering that she would later meet and act alongside the real deal in ''Viva Las Vegas''.

* WTHCastingAgency: Writing about the 1963 film in his memoirs, Charles Strouse noted: "Blond Janet Leigh, as Caucasian as you can get, could neither sing, dance, nor speak with a Latina accent. So, of course, she'd been cast in the role of Rosie Alvarez, a singing, dancing, [[SpicyLatina Hispanic spitfire]] because... well, because."

* JerkassWoobie: Conrad may have been an arrogant and shady rock star, however it's still very bittersweet when his manager Albert sends him away on a train out of his life for good, to which he even begs Albert "Don't leave me!" (presumably to go enlist on schedule), especially when he gave Albert a "lifetime contract" for bailing him out. Plus, Albert hardly even seems to care for his well being at that point, despite the fact that he's obviously terrified of going into war.

* EarWorm: "We Love You Conrad", as transcribed in the page quote. The movie adds an alt version sung by the guys: "We hate you Conrad, oh yes we do / There's no-one that we hate more than you / Your singing makes us say "P.U." / Oh Conrad, we hate you."

** From the 1995 TV movie:
** Why in the world did they cast Jason Alexander as Albert Peterson (a role originated by Dick Van Dyke) when he's nowhere near as charming? Tellingly, he expected to land the role of Kim's father instead.

* WTHCastingAgency: From the 1995 TV movie:

* JerkassWoobie: Conrad may have been an arrogant and shady rock star, it's still very bittersweet when his manager Albert sends him away on a train out of his life for good, to which he even begs Albert "Don't leave me!" (presumably to go enlist on schedule), especially when he gave Albert a "lifetime contract" for bailing him out.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: When Creator/{{NBC}} hired Harvey Fierstein to update the script for their telecast, he updated some details of Albert's, Rosie's, and Birdie's backstories, to try and make it seem less sexist. Instead of just a secretary romantically involved with her boss, Rosie became Birdie's music teacher, who helped him get discovered by suggesting he record a song Albert wrote.

** Creator/{{ABC}} and Creator/{{NBC}} have gone from trying to compete with Ed Sullivan (whose program aired on Creator/{{CBS}}) to updating a musical about the excitement of appearing on his show.

* {{Narm}}: Any time Kim claims to be a grown woman becomes this in the 1995 TV special, which cast 27-year old Chynna Phillips in the role -- despite her being five years older than Susan Watson and Ann-Margaret were when they played Kim, and ''12'' years older than what the script lists as 15-year old Kim's age.

* WTHCastingAgency: Why in the world did they cast Jason Alexander as Albert Peterson (a role originated by Dick Van Dyke) in the 1995 TV Movie, when he's nowhere near as charming?!

** The parody of "Telephone Hour" from ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' is likely better known than the original these days.

** Granted, one should take into account that this is a ''teenage girl'' singing this, the age group that ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' appeals to. The song actually shows to demonstrate how much she only ''thinks'' she's a woman.

* JerkassWoobie: Conrad may have been an arrogant and shady rock star, it's still very bittersweet when his manager Albert sends him away on a train out of his life for goos (presumably to go enlist on schedule), especially when he gave Albert a "lifetime contract" for bailing him out.

** Ann-Margret playing a character who fawns over an Elvis Presley {{Expy}}, considering that she would later meet and act alongside the real deal in ''Viva Las Vegas''.

** For that matter, there's probably a not-insignificant group of people who have only heard the tune as repurposed as a Music/TheBeatles [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPQ8P2QZvKg fan song.]]

* HilariousInHindsight: Creator/{{ABC}} and Creator/{{NBC}} have gone from trying to compete with Ed Sullivan (whose program aired on Creator/{{CBS}}) to updating a musical about the excitement of appearing on his show.

* ValuesDissonance: Though Albert's mother is not a particularly sympathetic character, her casual racism towards (the Hispanic) Rosie--''PlayedForLaughs'', even--can be jarring to modern audiences. Modern scripts for the play include alternative lines that soften her dialogue a tad.

** Granted, one should take into account that this is a ''teenage girl'' singing this, the age group that Literature/{{Twilight}} appeals to. The song actually shows to demonstrate how much she only ''thinks'' she's a woman.
* TheWeirdAlEffect: Hollins University, an all-women's college in Roanoke, VA, has the particular tradition of singing the girls' verse of "We Love You Conrad" as an expression of affection ("We love you [Hollins/seniors/insert thing to be celebrated here], oh yes we do, we love you [X], and we'll be true! When you're not with us, we're blue! Oh, [X], we love you!"). A not-insignificant portion of the student body aren't aware that it's from this musical.
** For that matter, there's probably a not-insignificant group of people who have only heard the tune as a Music/TheBeatles [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPQ8P2QZvKg fan song.]]

* TastesLikeDiabetes

** Does the movie's {{retool}}ed script ruin the musical, or does the movie feel entertaining enough in its own right? While NBC's musicals usually undo the most drastic changes their respective movie adaptations did, the network's ''Bye Bye Birdie'' does follow the film's suit of relocating Birdie's ''Ed Sullivan'' performance from the halfway point, to near the end.

** After Creator/{{NBC}} [[https://www.twitter.com/jlo/status/806687527960604672 teased]] their own version of ''Bye Bye Birdie'', viewers of said teaser seem divided between people who don't mind another screen version, and people who wish NBC picked a musical that doesn't already have [[AdaptationOverdosed two screen adaptations]]. After the channel's production of ''Film/{{Hairspray}}'' scored the lowest ratings yet of any musical televised live on a network during TheNewTens, concerns arose over whether or not NBC needs to find a story more familiar than ''Bye Bye Birdie'' in order to WinBackTheCrowd, and whether or not the star power of such cast members as Music/JenniferLopez could attract enough viewers. The former party might have gotten their way, when NBC announced that they would push back ''Bye Bye Birdie'' a year, and put on ''Theatre/JesusChristSuperstar'' a few months before it.

** After Creator/{{NBC}} [[https://www.twitter.com/jlo/status/806687527960604672 teased]] their own version of ''Bye Bye Birdie'', viewers of said teaser seem divided between people who don't mind another screen version, and people who wish NBC picked a musical that doesn't already have [[AdaptationOverdosed two screen adaptations]]. After the channel's production of ''Film/{{Hairspray}}'' scored the lowest ratings yet of any musical televised live on a network during TheNewTens, concerns arose over whether or not NBC needs to find a story more familiar than ''Bye Bye Birdie'' in order to WinBackTheCrowd, and whether or not the star power of such cast members as Music/JenniferLopez could attract enough viewers. The network seemed to rule out the former possibility in March 2017, when they hired ''Hairspray'''s live television director, Alex Rudzinski, and choreographer, Jerry Mitchell, to direct ''Bye Bye Birdie''.

** Does the movie's {{retool}}ed script ruin the musical, or does the movie feel entertaining enough in its own right? While NBC's musicals usually undo the most drastic changes their respective movie adaptations did, the network's ''Bye Bye Birdie'' does follow the film's suit of relocating Birdie's ''Ed Sullivan'' performance from the end of Act I, to near the end of the story.

** Does the movie's {{retool}}ed script ruin the musical, or does the movie feel entertaining enough in its own right? While NBC's musicals usually undo the most drastic changes their respective movie adaptations did, and the network's ''Bye Bye Birdie'' does follow the film's suit of relocating Birdie's ''Ed Sullivan'' performance from the end of Act I, to near the end of the story.

** Does the movie's {{retool}}ed script ruin the musical, or does the movie feel entertaining enough in its own right?
** The 1995 TV special followed the play more closely, but some viewers still found reason to like it less than the movie, such as calling its new songs {{Padding}}.

* EarWorm:
** "We love you Conrad, oh yes we do / We love you Conrad, and we'll be true / When you're not near us, we're blue / Oh Conrad we love you."
** And the alt version sung by the guys: "We hate you Conrad, oh yes we do / There's no-one that we hate more than you / Your singing makes us say "P.U." / Oh Conrad, we hate you."

** After Creator/{{NBC}} [[https://www.twitter.com/jlo/status/806687527960604672 teased]] their own version of ''Bye Bye Birdie'', viewers of said teaser seem divided between people who don't mind another screen version (especially if it'll follow the play more closely than the movie did), and people who wish NBC picked a musical that doesn't already have [[AdaptationOverdosed two screen adaptations]]. After the channel's production of ''Film/{{Hairspray}}'' scored the lowest ratings yet of any musical televised live on a network during TheNewTens, concerns arose over whether or not NBC needs to find a story more familiar than ''Bye Bye Birdie'' in order to WinBackTheCrowd, and whether or not the star power of such cast members as Music/JenniferLopez could attract enough viewers. The network seemed to rule out the former possibility in March 2017, when they hired ''Hairspray'''s live television director, Alex Rudzinski, and choreographer, Jerry Mitchell, to direct ''Bye Bye Birdie''.