Paint Your Wagon

After THE SOUND OF MUSIC's sweet success, Hollywood thought America wanted to see musicals. Hollywood was right, up to a point. America wanted to see good musicals, and PAINT YOUR WAGON just didn't measure up, failing to come anywhere close to recouping its $20 million price tag at the box office. The play's simple story was tossed out, as were several of Loewe's tunes, and Andre Previn was brought in to compose some new melodies for producer-screenwriter Lerner's lyrics. Marvin and Eastwood star as California prospectors during the Gold Rush of 1849-50. Eastwood is the calm, restrained one; Marvin is noisy and rambunctious. Marvin buys a wife, Seberg, from ...