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Why is Dolly such an important person at the Harmonia Gardens?

posted 10 years ago by fugazzi49
5 replies | jump to latest

Perhaps it is explained in the Thorton Wilder original which I have not read. But I never quite understood the whole "Hello Dolly" number. The Harmonia Gardens is basically a stand-in for Delmonico's, the pinnacle of New York society restaurants. How is it that this matchmaker is such a celebrity there. It doesn't appear that she would have had the money, or would be part of the society who were it's patrons. I've always enjoyed the stage musical and the film, but it never seemed quite right that Dolly would be so big in a place like that. Maybe you have to just accept it uncritically for the sake of the show.

[–] murph24 10 years ago

You won't find any helpful information in the film's earlier incarnation, because in Thornton Wilder's "The Matchmaker" Dolly has never even been to Harmonia Gardens (until the play's second act). This was changed when Michael Stewart adapted the play and it became "Hello, Dolly!" - in the musical version, Dolly and her late husband Ephraim were one-time regulars at the restaurant, known by everyone and a favorite of the staff. Their status as regulars would indicate Ephraim either came from money or earned a generous salary.

The story has gone through numerous changes since it first appeared in the 19th century under the title "A Day Well Spent," which was essentially a one-act farce about a rich curmudgeon and his young ward. This became the Viennese play "Einen Jux will er sich machen," which in turn was adapted twice by Thornton Wilder ("The Merchant Of Yonkers" and later "The Matchmaker") and once by Tom Stoppard ("On The Razzle"). Dolly Levi was only a secondary character in "The Merchant of Yonkers" but became the story's catalyst in "The Matchmaker."

"Hello, Dolly!" is an adaptation of an adaptation of an adaptation. The characters and their situations have frequently been subject to change.

[–] fugazzi49 10 years ago

Thank you for your very erudite answer. With such a complex background, it's no wonder there are many odd things in Hello Dolly. I can't think of another musical where the female lead is a gold digger and still is at the end of the show. Though Horace seems somehow to fall for Dolly (a bit inexplicably) there's no indication that Dolly sees anything in him beyond his half million. Again, thanks.

[–] murph24 10 years ago

Well, one thing's for sure - Hello, Dolly! isn't a realistic piece of cinema. Movies, by their nature, are heightened realism, but Dolly! takes it to a completely different level. It's fluff - admittedly, fluff of the highest order - but it's still fluff.

Still, I don't think Dolly ONLY sees half-a-million dollars when she looks at Horace (although she doesn't see it as a drawback, either). To me, the Dolly-Horace pairing recalls a few other seemingly unlikely couples; Maria von Trapp wasn't quite sure why she was marrying a man 25 years her senior, but she sensed he was right for her - and she later admitted she came to truly love and depend on him. Sophia Loren's decision to marry Carlo Ponti raised a few eyebrows when it happened; he certainly wasn't perceived as an Adonis or a great "catch" for someone who numbered Cary Grant among her lovers, but to those who questioned her choice she could only say: "You don't see him through my eyes." Ernest Lehman was a smart screenwriter, and I think he made it clear Dolly wasn't looking for blinding passion from Horace; she'd already experienced that with Ephraim and felt it couldn't be duplicated. But there's no doubt she feels Horace is right for her & can give her the stability she's looking for. She even seems to enjoy his curmudgeonly facade - perhaps because she feels there's a person behind it who (like her) lost a spouse unexpectedly, was damaged as a result, but nonetheless wants to rejoin the "parade" of life and emotional commitment.

It may seem like I'm reading a lot into Hello, Dolly!, but I think Lehman put enough clues in the script to indicate why the title character had set her sights on Horace - and she wasn't just thinking about $$$.

[–] DryToast 10 years ago

Dolly Levi was only a secondary character in "The Merchant of Yonkers" but became the story's catalyst in "The Matchmaker."

This is a myth that is often repeated by people who don't know The Merchant of Yonkers, perhaps forgivable considering that we see it written everywhere, but it's not true. A side-by-side analysis of the scripts reveals that the roles are about the same size in each play, perhaps even a bit smaller in The Matchmaker. Even without such an analysis, it is clear from the presence of Jane Cowl (a major star of the day) in the role, and from her billing (alone above the title), that Dolly is the leading role in The Merchant of Venice. The revisions made to it when it was retitled The Matchmaker are actually quite minimal.

"You must sing him your prettiest songs, then perhaps he will want to marry you."

[–] murph24 10 years ago

This is a myth that is often repeated by people who don't know The Merchant of Yonkers, perhaps forgivable considering that we see it written everywhere, but it's not true.

Well, I'm glad you consider it "forgivable." Indeed, I'm not familiar with "The Merchant of Yonkers," and I took the information about the size of Dolly Levi's part from the Wikipedia page for "On The Razzle." It states: "The first 1938 version, entitled The Merchant of Yonkers, was faithful to the original material, but the second 1955 version, renamed The Matchmaker, expanded the previously secondary role of Dolly Gallagher Levi, who later became the heroine of the Jerry Herman musical hit, Hello, Dolly!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Razzle_%28play%29

Nonetheless, the point remains about the fluid nature of the story first penned by John Oxenford. Whether we're referring to that piece, or Johan Nestroy's "Einen Jux will er sich machen" ("He Will Go On A Spree") or Stoppard's "On The Razzle" adaptation, you won't find a central character like Dolly Levi who dominates the action the way she dominates Thornton Wilder's works or the later musical version.