Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Bye Bye Birdie is a musical comedy film, adapted from the stage production of the same name. The screenplay was written by Michael Stewart and Irving Brecher, with music by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams. Directed by George Sidney, the movie version starred Dick Van Dyke, reprising his Broadway role as Albert Peterson, along with Maureen Stapleton as Mama Mae Peterson, Janet Leigh as Rosie DeLeon, Paul Lynde as Mr. MacAfee, Bobby Rydell as Hugo Peabody, and Ann-Margret as Kim MacAfee. The story was inspired by the phenomenon of popular singer Elvis Presley and his being drafted into the United States Army in 1957. Jesse Pearson plays the role of teen idol Conrad Birdie, whose character name is a wordplay on another pop singer of the era, Conway Twitty. Ed Sullivan appears as himself, host of the popular, long-running CBS TV variety show. The film is credited with making Ann-Margret a superstar during the mid-1960s, leading to her appearing with the real Elvis in Viva Las Vegas (1964).