On A Clear Day You Can See Forever ROADSHOW Page One

Streisand / Movies

On A Clear Day You Can See Forever

Opened June 17, 1970

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The Lost Roadshow Edit (part one)

Barbra Streisand combined the kooky and classic sides of her personality perfectly when she played both Daisy and Melinda in “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever” for Paramount Pictures. Designed to be a sumptuous musical in the tradition of “Gigi” or “The Sound of Music,” ”Clear Day’ was prepared by Paramount as a “roadshow” release to movie theaters.


But then they changed their minds ....

“Vincente Minnelli has mounted an old-fashioned production which begins promisingly enough with a magical blend of charm and whimsy but soon collapses under the weight of a creaky libretto and a cardboard leading man.” 

... Donald J. Mayerson review, Cue Magazine

A “roadshow” film was a special way to present a movie that emphasized showmanship and an experience that was like attending a live theater show. The studios opened their roadshow movies in single theaters in major cities with advance ticket sales on reserved seats. A roadshow musical was often shown with an overture, an intermission, an Entre Acte and, finally, “walk out” music. Barbra’s first film, Funny Girl, followed that format in its original 1968 release. Movie theaters also sold handsome keepsake movie programs featuring photos and articles about the. Roadshow musicals that are still perennial favorites today include Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and Camelot.


Paramount intended to release On A Clear Day as a roadshow musical. However, the movie musical genre (with a few exceptions) was in trouble by 1970. Studios had spent millions on costly flops:  20th Century Fox lost money on Doctor Dolittle and Star!; Sweet Charity tanked for Universal; even Paramount’s production of Lerner and Loewe’s Paint Your Wagon was expensive and poorly received.  By March 1970, Paramount had decided to send out their films The Adventurers, The Molly Maguires and Darling Lili (with Julie Andrews) as general release films, which meant they would earn their money back quicker by playing in more movie theaters.


Something significant was also happening in the movie business while Clear Day was still being filmed. In April 1970, Jack Nicholson (cast as Tad Pringle, Daisy’s stepbrother in Clear Day) was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the counterculture film, Easy Rider. Barbra’s ex-husband, Elliott Gould was also nominated for his role in the couple-swapping sex comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. 1970 was also the year Patton, MASH, and Five Easy Pieces were released. American films were tackling modern topics and the old, big budget musicals weren’t selling as many tickets.


Paramount ultimately decided it wanted Clear Day delivered to movie theaters in general release at 129-minutes in length, abandoning the 143-minute roadshow cut.

ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER poster from the U.K.
Streisand on set with an umbrella.

To make On A Clear Day shorter, several musical numbers, subplots, and scenes were edited from the film. 


Judy Garland’s A Star is Born (1954) is an example of a roadshow film that was mercilessly edited for length and, years later, had (most of) its cut scenes restored. 


But Paramount has never attempted to restore Minnelli’s 143-minute cut of On A Clear Day. It’s feared the footage no longer exists.  One home video producer for Pioneer told this author that when they worked on the 1996 Clear Day laserdisc, an attempt was made to locate the footage at Paramount.  


Their search was fruitless.  


Also, producers tried to secure Jack Nicholson’s cut song for his 1994 AFI Life Achievement Award and could not locate that film. 


Unless the Minnelli estate or even Streisand herself has the 143-minute cut in their personal vaults (or at least some of the excised musical numbers) it is doubtful the footage will ever surface – On A Clear Day You Can See Forever was released over 50 years ago now.

On A Clear Day

The Roadshow

Based on Alan Jay Lerner’s “2nd Revised First Draft” screenplay (dated October, 1968), Barbra Archives has reconstructed the scenes which were cut from “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever.” Still photographs of the scenes from my collection, lobby cards and even audio recordings have helped fill in the blanks, too.  The scenes are presented in the order they would have appeared in the final film.


NOTE: In quotes from the script, “Ext.” stands for “Exterior” and “Int.” stands for “Interior.”

More Buds Below

The opening number — “Hurry, It's Lovely Up Here” — was written as a longer song, with additional lyrics not seen in the final film.

Alan Jay Lerner's screenplay kept Daisy's first screen appearance a mystery by only showing her hands. The final film does the same, however Streisand is revealed singing in the rose garden halfway through the song.

Hey, buttercup!
Buds are better up;
Where in case of nup-
Tials you’re handy.
Hurry! It’s lovely up here!

Hey, rhododend!
Courage little friend.
Ev’rything’ll end
Rhododandy.
Hurry! It’s lovely up here!

Tad

Pringle

Alan Jay Lerner added the role of Tad Pringle to the movie version of his play to appeal to younger movie-goers. Tad was written as a young, open-minded beatnik.


Producer Robert Evans cast Jack Nicholson as Tad.  Evans wrote in The Kid Stays In The Picture: “... I couldn't help but turn down everybody I had seen film on who was a contender for the part of Tad, Barbra Streisand's stepbrother in the flick ...” Nicholson—a casting suggestion that peaked Evans interest—was out of the country attending the Cannes Film Festival. Once he was tracked down and a meeting arranged, Evans offered Nicholson ten thousand dollars for the role, and Nicholson, according to Evans, negotiated until $12,500 was agreed upon.


After “Hurry, It’s Lovely Up Here,” Tad actually had the first scene in the movie. He is renting a room in Daisy’s apartment building. The plump Mrs. Frood shows him the rooftop where Daisy grows her flowers.  Tad explains to her how Daisy used to be his sister and even delivered the line, “Daisy and I were very happy, but [our parents] weren’t. The judge stopped the fight in the middle of the third year.” 


Tad then takes out a guitar and begins to play.  Looking at all the flowers, he says, “Daisy … you are something.”


There’s more Tad scenes that were cut from the film.  We’ll get to those later.  This first scene established that Tad’s interest in Daisy was more than step-brotherly. It also explained why he was always popping in — he lives in the building!


It’s possible this scene was never filmed — it seems as if some Tad's dialogue in this scene was used, instead, in his scene with Warren.

SCENES 24B-30 
(Trimmed and cut)

Under hypnosis, Daisy regresses to her 1814 incarnation of Melinda Winifred Waine Tentrees, who is standing trial for insurance claims on sunken ships insured by her husband. The dialogue here was trimmed.  Melinda’s attorney speaks, and Melinda offers an alibi when she is accused of being seen on the docks before the ship sailed:


“I was burning with fever until mid-December. So ill was I, that my doctor, Bradley Magee, of Harley Street, feared for my life.”

SCENE 36. INT. THE RECEPTION HALL, ROYAL PAVILLION BRIGHTON – (Cut Scene)

Melinda is looking around for Robert. She finally sees him and starts moving in his direction. The crowd is waiting to enter the dining room. Suddenly the crowd separates and the Regent comes through with Mrs. Fitzherbert on his arm. The men bow. The ladies curtsy. Melinda has led Percy close enough to Robert for him to see them.


ROBERT

(Seeing Percy)

Good evening, milord.


PERCY

Good evening, Tentrees. May I present Lady Moorepark. Melinda, Robert Tentrees.


ROBERT

(Looking at the two)

Really? Good evening, milady. I must say, I can see why some people find marriage so enchanting.


MELINDA

It is. And you could easily have the same.


The bell is rung. The doors are flung open and the crowd moves into the dining room.

SCENES 41-50. INT. THE PANTRY (Melinda & Winnie) – [Trimmed]

A few lines of dialogue that more clearly illustrated Melinda's ambition were trimmed from the scene between Melinda and Winnie in the pantry at Brighton. 


Marc asks Daisy/Melinda, “Where is your father?”  Melinda answers (in cockney), “‘Eaven only knows.” Marc presses her, “Who was your father?” And Melinda replies, “Oh, just someone in April.”


After Melinda informs Winnie she wants to marry Robert Tentrees, they have the following exchange:


WINNIE

Melinda, when will you ever learn any morality?


MELINDA

After I've got what I want, like everyone else.


Melinda’s monologue at the end of the scene, was trimmed as well.


MELINDA

Poor mum. You and all those glorious lifetimes you expect to 'ave. A church mouse in this life, a queen in the next. Well, maybe it's true and maybe it ain't. But to be on the safe side I want to be a queen this time.

Scene 66. INT. Marc's Office. (The “Pam” Subplot) – [Trimmed]

After Marc told Daisy to pronounce his last name “Sha-bow” instead of “Shabotte,” they had this exchange:


MARC

Did you ever hear the name Winnie Wainwhistle?


DAISY

(Startled — then suddenly defensive)

How did you find out about that?


MARC

You mentioned it. I take it you do know her.


DAISY

She was a friend of mine. You know, when I was a little girl.


MARC

I see.


DAISY (slightly ashamed)

An imaginary friend.


Also trimmed from the scene was Marc's first reference in the film to “Pam.” Lerner’s screenplay established a personal subplot for Marc involving his estranged wife “Pam” – she never appears on screen but is talked about by Marc.  An estranged wife also explains why Marc lives alone and why he is falling in love with a woman from 1814. (In the final film, Marc only mentions his wife once at the end, which seems a bit ... weird.)

Wait Till

We’re Sixty-Five

“Wait Till We're Sixty-five” was the first musical production number filmed and then cut from On A Clear Day. It was sung by Warren (Larry Blyden) and Daisy (Barbra Streisand), with help from Daisy's rooftop friends Millard Cross, Gus McShane, and Muriel Bunson.


The number was choreographed by Howard Jeffries, including a section in the middle of the song in which the whole gang used magnifying prisms that exaggerated their faces.


The lead-in dialogue to the song was left intact in the final film. Warren said to Daisy, “Look at this! Our whole future! Security unlimited. Just a few years work and we can relax for the rest of our lives.” 


Unfortunately, the entire song that followed was cut.


Barbra Archives has put together a video of the song using the actual song with rare photos (see below).

SCENE 69.— INT. Marc's Apartment  – (Trimmed)

The scene in which Marc speaks on the phone with Conrad about using “books about England” to verify Daisy's past lives had its dialogue trimmed and re-written in the final film.


First, the scene begins with the “Pam Subplot” – Marc dictates a letter to his wife. 


MARC

... Conrad and Louise both think you've gone to Europe for a little holiday. I haven't told either one, or anyone for that matter, that we are separated, but not because it would affect my professional reputation. Barbers can be bald, dentists can have false teeth, and all doctors die, so why can't psychiatrists have marital problems?


SCENE 73.— EXT. A STREET IN LONDON.

PELHAM & CO. — (Cut)

Scene 73, which was cut, was still set up in the final edit the same way .... Daisy (wearing her flowered dress) was hypnotized in Dr. Chabot’s office again. Chabot discovered that she died at age 28 in her past life. Daisy said, “I just hated to die at twenty-eight I just hope I don't have to do it again.” To which Marc replied, “It's better than twenty-two.” If you pay close attention to Marc's next question, his mouth movements do not match the question he is asking.  The final film cuts to the Orphanage scene at this point.


This is where Scene 73 has been cut out. 


Instead, Marc Chabot asks, “When did you start taking an interest in Robert’s business?”


CUT to a flashback in which Melinda arrives at a building in a horse drawn carriage. She gets out, and Sir Joseph Pelham materializes out of the fog.



MELINDA

    Ah. Sir Joseph. How fortunate. I have a message for you from Robert Tentrees.


    PELHAM

    Milady, I have just heard that two more ships that we insured are missing at sea. The only news about Robert Tentrees that would interest me would be to learn he was one of them.


    MELINDA

    Sir Joseph, if you wish to put an end to these tragedies, I suggest that from now on you listen to Robert Tentrees.


    PELHAM

    About what?


    MELINDA

He will not be in tomorrow, but he asked me to tell you this: under no circumstances insure the “Caroline” and the “Westerly”.


    PELHAM

    Why do you bring me messages from Robert Tentrees?


    MELINDA

    It is among the wifely duties, is it not?


    PELHAM

    (dumfounded) You are married to Robert Tentrees?


    MELINDA

    (sweetly) Tomorrow. Which is why he will not be in.



Following this cut scene, we are back in Marc Chabot’s office, and he asks Daisy/Melinda: “How did you ever climb from a kitchen maid's daughter to Lady Moorepark?” The film continued with a flashback to Daisy's days at the orphanage with Mrs. Brickstone and Mr. Pimpleton, the postman.


John Le Mesurier played the character Pelham, and, unfortunately I have never been able to find a photo of him in costume. This scene was filmed at Lewes Crescent, Kemp Town, U.K.

Streisand in cut scene from On A Clear Day.
Wide shot photo of Streisand's Clear Day carriage, filmed at Lewes Crescent
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