1968 ‘Magnetic’ Classic Was a No. 1 Hit 58 Years Ago Today

Barbra Streisand can do it all: attract every award under the sun, hit high notes from the back of a speeding tugboat, and make several months pregnant look glamorous in a wedding dress. 

A prime example of her versatility came in 1968, when she made her “magnetic,” “marvelous,” and “magnificent” big-screen debut in William Wyler’s Funny Girl.

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A classic musical, Funny Girltells the story of Ziefield Follies star Fanny Brice, whose meteoric rise to fame in the early 1900s coincided with a turbulent relationship with con-man Nick Arnstein. Brice’s real-life narrative, which had already brought down the house on Broadway, was the source material for a smash hit that would become one of the greatest musicals of all time.

Released in September 1968, the film camped out at No. 1 on the box-office charts for weeks and weeks. A top performer for its release year, it also ranked as the top-grossing film of 1969 in the U.S. with $11,096,561, per IMDb. It was so good that, friends, months later in March1969, the dang thing returned to No. 1 in its 19th week of release, per Variety.

The film, directed by William Wyler (Roman Holiday, Ben-Hur) and written by Isobel Lennart (Meet Me in Las Vegas), was nominated for eight Academy Awards, with its leading star winning Best Actress in 1969. The soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy. And the stage musical, which also starred Streisand, received eight nominations at the 18th Tony Awards.

In 2024, Streisand sat down with Criterion to reflect on her time playing Fanny Brice on the big screen. The interview is wide-ranging, with the Star Is Born actress taking audiences behind the scenes. In addition to sharing that her dog, Sadie, was on the train with her lifelong best friend, she dropped the following interesting tidbit.

“Did you notice the number on the tugboats?” she asks about the film’s iconic boat scene, in which she wears a bright orange dress and carries a bouquet of flowers. “I didn’t until I saw it in the dailies. It’s 24, my lucky number, since I was born on the 24th. Can you imagine?”

Catch that lucky scene and rest of Funny Girl on Prime Video.

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