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The Subject Was Streisand |
Feature/February 2006 |
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Barbra Streisand has been mentioned
or referenced in countless films and animated features, oftentimes as a
point for playful comedy. We remember perhaps the first on-screen homage
to Barbra as far back as 1967.
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A non-credited
actress
played a Streisand
look-alike
in "Valley of the Dolls" We wonder if Barbra was amused. |
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Classic References
February 1, 2006
In 1967, the movie version
of Jacqueline Susann's popular novel, "Valley of the Dolls" was
released. Near the end of the picture, Broadway star Neely O'Hara
(Patty Duke) becomes intoxicated and can not perform. An ambitious
understudy, who bears a striking resemblance to Barbra Streisand,
goes on instead. (Incidentally, Streisand pals Marvin Hamlisch and Richard
Dreyfuss had bit parts in the film as well).
"Valley of the Dolls" was the first time we
can remember seeing an obvious
Streisand reference in any
film. And what was even
more amazing at the time
was that Barbra had yet to
appear in a film herself.
She was already that famous.
In more recent years, two particular films have caught
the eye of many Streisand fans for their hilarious comic tributes to
Barbra. We spotlight these films as an homage to Barbra Streisand's
acknowledged place in American pop culture.
"Used People" - Marcia Gay Harden as the Ultimate Diva
 In the 1992 film
Used People, Marcia Gay Harden plays an eccentric mother
coping with the loss of her son by playing diva dress-up. Each
scene finds Marcia's character Norma decked out as the spitting
image of any number of her favorite movie stars, among them Anne
Bancroft, Audrey Hepburn, Fay Dunaway, Marilyn Monroe, and of
course our favorite, Barbra Streisand.
The story line of this
delightful romantic comedy has absolutely nothing to do with
Barbra, and Barbra's name is never even mentioned. But Marcia Gay Harden's spot-on impersonation is uproarious. And kudos to the
costume people, too.
Used People
also stars Shirley MacLaine, Marcello Mastroianni, Kathy Bates
and Jessica Tandy. It is available on video.
"In & Out" - Kevin Kline as the Ultimate Fan
 In
In & Out, Kevin Kline portrays a man struggling to accept
his sexual identity as he prepares for his wedding. He's a fan
of Barbra Streisand, a huge fan in fact, something that does not
go unnoticed when his pals offer to watch Funny Girl with
him during his bachelor party.
The Barbra jokes are fast and
furious in this hilarious comedy. At one point, as Kline
prepares to walk down the aisle, he gets into a heated debate
with his fiancé about why Barbra made the movie Funny Lady
("she was under contract," he proclaims with the knowledge of an
expert). The fiancé, played by Joan Cusack, has a few choice
words of her own about Barbra, generating the film's
biggest sustained laugh. Barbra Streisand was such a pivotal
element to this story that much of the film's dialogue has
become classic rhetoric among Barbra's real fans. In & Out
is available on DVD
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