Sweet Charity, full title of which is Sweet Charity: The Adventures of a Girl Who Wanted to Be Loved, is a 1969 American musical film directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, written by Neil Simon, and with music by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields. It stars Shirley MacLaine and features John McMartin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Ricardo Montalban, Chita Rivera, Paula Kelly and Stubby Kaye. It is based on the 1966 stage musical of the same name – which Fosse had also directed and choreographed – which in turn is based on Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano and Tullio Pinelli's screenplay for Fellini's film Le Notti di Cabiria (Nights of Cabiria). However, where Fellini's black-and-white film concerns the romantic ups-and-downs of an ever-hopeful prostitute, the musical makes the central character a dancer-for-hire at a Times Square dance-hall.

The film is notable for its costumes by Edith Head and its dance sequences, notably "Rich Man's Frug".

ALSO INCLUDED:

Alternate ending
An alternate ending picks up after Oscar leaves Charity. Oscar starts to go crazy in his apartment and, feeling suffocated, goes for a walk in the park. He sees Charity on their bridge in Central Park and thinks she is going to jump. Racing to rescue her, he trips and falls in the water. Charity jumps in after him, but can't swim so Oscar rescues her. Oscar realizes Charity is the only breath of fresh air in his life, proposes again, and she accepts. Fosse thought the ending was too corny, but filmed it in apprehension that the studio would demand a happy ending. In the end, though, they agreed with Fosse and kept the original ending from the stage version. (Unfortunately, the alternate ending is not the best quality, but I thought it would be enjoyable for those who are fans of the original film).

Cast:

Shirley MacLaine as Charity Hope Valentine
John McMartin as Oscar Lindquist
Ricardo Montalban as Vittorio Vitale
Chita Rivera as Nickie
Paula Kelly as Helene
Stubby Kaye as Herman
Barbara Bouchet as Ursula
Sammy Davis, Jr. as Big Daddy Brubeck
Ben Vereen as "Rich Man's Frug" dancer

Musical numbers:

"My Personal Property"
"(Hey,) Big Spender"
"The Pompeii Club"
"Rich Man's Frug"
"If They Could See Me Now"
"The Hustle"
"There's Got to Be Something Better Than This"
"It's a Nice Face"
"The Rhythm of Life"
"Sweet Charity"
"I'm a Brass Band"
"I Love to Cry at Weddings"
"Where Am I Going?"

Enjoy!