i shall be a ditch-digger who once had a wonderful day

I have too much time on my hands today. I just ate soup and toast, and planned Math and Socials for tomorrow, and also watched another musical! I loved it. I've been re-watching the penultimate scene over and over again, because I love it so much. It made me smile between my hacking coughs.

8. Hello, Dolly! (1969) - Barbara Streisand, Walter Matthau. This one is actually not a musical about a musical, surprisingly enough. The plot is a bit confusing: there's this awesome lady named Dolly Levi, who can do all sorts of things, and she has THE BEST WARDROBE OF ALL TIME. Seriously. I looked for pictures to include here for you to gaze upon, but they were all in black and white. Sad face. Anyway, she is somehow involved in the life of this crotchety gentleman, Walter Matthau, while simultaneously being in love with him (secretly). She helps his niece elope with the niece's boyfriend, and then also helps his two store clerks escape to New York and fall in love with pretty milliners, and then at the end the two of them fall in love. How they get from A (dislike) to B (marriage) is unclear, but nevertheless, that is what happens.
     What I liked was the lack of misogyny, and her incredible wardrobe, and how pretty she is, and her lovely voice, and the "Hello, Dolly!" song with Louis Armstrong! I re-watched that scene about five times because it's so wonderful and happy. Louis Armstrong sings his part with the most giant smile on his face, it is physically impossible for you to watch it without smiling.
     What I did not like was how the plot wasn't very strong (how did they fall in love? Oh, they just did? Oh, okay.), and how apparently Walter Matthau hated Barbara Streisand so much that he REFUSED to kiss her at the end, so it was just a tricky camera angle that made it look like they were kissing! How could anyone hate Barbara Streisand?
    Regardless of those minor infractions, nobody is really a jerk in this one (how refreshing!), and her dresses are PHENOMENAL, and she is so lovely. Also, there were so many wonderfully cheeky parts, like when one old guy comes in in the middle of a song and says, "I'm sorry, son, I came in late" and he sings the part of the song he heard, and the crowd fills him in; and also when Barbara Streisand is singing good-bye to Walter Matthau, she starts out in this weird, dramatic, fabulous way, and then tells him to stop interrupting her after he gives her a strange look for singing in such a manner. And if for no other reason, you should watch it to see Barbara Streisand and Louis Armstrong smile at each other.