The Pajama Game

The Pajama Game, directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen, is a musical comedy about Sid, a new supervisor at a pajama factory who falls for Babe, the union representative caught between the workers' demand for a raise and factory management. The film is adapted from a novel by writer Richard Bissell drawn from his own life: Bissell had actually worked as a supervisor at a pajama factory in Iowa, and his grandfather had built the family fortune in the same industry. The film retains almost the entire Broadway cast, including John Raitt, Carol Haney, and Eddie Foy Jr.; the one major change was the female lead, recast from Broadway's Janis Paige to Doris Day. The film's "Steam Heat" number was choreographer Bob Fosse's first professional job, and became the first public example of the sharp, minimalist movement style that would later be known as the "Fosse style." Though the Broadway production won three Tony Awards, the film, despite retaining nearly the entire cast and choreography, underperformed unexpectedly at the box office. Who it's for: anyone curious about a classic Broadway musical adaptation born from a writer's own experience supervising a pajama factory, featuring an iconic dance number that launched Bob Fosse's career. Who it's not for: those wanting a musical that was a major box office hit, since the film underperformed despite retaining nearly the entire Broadway cast.