Shirley MacLaine, the acclaimed star of "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," recently made a rare video appearance to commemorate a screening of the 1969 musical "Sweet Charity" at the Southampton Playhouse in Long Island. The 92-year-old actress, who played the lead role in the film, shared a lighthearted reflection on its box office performance.
"Wish I could be with you," MacLaine said in the video posted to the theater's Instagram account ahead of the Aug. 25 showing. "I would like to see ‘Sweet Charity’ again. And while you’re watching it, remember how hard we worked."
She then added with a playful stage whisper, "And between you and me, it didn’t do very well, so I hope you guys like it."
"Sweet Charity," which marked Bob Fosse's directorial debut, garnered only $4 million domestically against a $20 million budget, according to Turner Classic Movies. The film's financial underperformance is noted to have temporarily slowed the release of big-budget musicals in the industry.
This was not MacLaine's only public appearance this year. She was also present in December at the inaugural Dance Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles, where she received a lifetime achievement award.
MacLaine began her career in dance before transitioning to acting. She moved to New York as a teenager to pursue dance and was advised by her teachers that her expressive style might be better suited for acting. Her early work included the Broadway play "The Pajama Game," followed by her film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Trouble with Harry" in 1955. She later earned an Academy Award nomination for "Some Came Running" and won an Oscar for her role in "Terms of Endearment."