This intelligently scripted yet deliriously funny romantic comedy
marked the first screen pairing of Doris Day and Rock Hudson, a winning
combination that enhanced the standing of both performers and allowed
them to command some of the highest salaries in Hollywood. Even
if you didn't know that Hudson was a closet homosexual, his scenes with
Day look highly suspect, yet the chemistry between the two actors is
just right, witty and tender, with just a subtle undercurrent of
sadomasochism. The film is to be noted for its imaginative use of
split-screen, which allowed the two principals to appear together on
screen in some highly suggestive scenes that might otherwise have been
excised by the censor.
Day and Hudson may have been given top-billing for this film but the
star is undoubtedly Thelma Ritter, who steals just about every scene
she appears in. The sequence in which she drinks Rock Hudson
under the table whilst giving him dubiously helpful advice on his love
life is the funniest the film has to offer. Did the screenwriters
know that their lead male actor was gay, or is it just pure coincidence
that Hudson's rival, Tony Randall, should try to convince Doris Day
that lover boy is not the marrying kind? Whatever, this charming
trio would be back for more romantic hi-jinks, dolling out the laughs
and the tears in the equally watchable Lover Come Back (1961) and Send Me No Flowers (1964).
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Film Synopsis
The only thing that Jan Morrow and Brad Allen have in common is that
they share a telephone line. This is a constant source of
annoyance to Jan who, trying to make a living as an interior designer,
is tired of overhearing Brad's attempts to seduce every eligible young
woman in New York over the phone. As well as being an inveterate
Don Juan, Brad is a successful songwriter, whose patron, Jonathan
Forbes, just happens to be one of Jan's clients. Jonathan is
madly in love with Jan, but she has no interest in him. She is
saving herself for the right man. As luck would have it, the
right man could well be Brad. As soon as Jan sets eyes on the
womanising songwriter, she knows that she is in love. Brad
decides to have some fun and, by adopting a Texan accent so that Jan
will not recognise his voice, he sets about making his next
conquest. Just how will Jan react when she discovers that her
beau idéal is in fact the loathsome worm who has been
monopolising her phone line?
Script: Stanley Shapiro, Maurice Richlin, Russell Rouse (story),
Clarence Greene (story)
Cinematographer: Arthur E. Arling
Music: Frank De Vol
Cast: Rock Hudson (Brad Allen),
Doris Day (Jan Morrow),
Tony Randall (Jonathan Forbes),
Thelma Ritter (Alma),
Nick Adams (Tony Walters),
Julia Meade (Marie),
Allen Jenkins (Harry),
Marcel Dalio (Pierot),
Lee Patrick (Mrs. Walters),
Mary McCarty (Nurse Resnick),
Alex Gerry (Dr. Maxwell),
Hayden Rorke (Mr. Conrad),
Valerie Allen (Eileen),
Jacqueline Beer (Yvette),
Arlen Stuart (Tilda),
Robert Williams (Mr. Graham),
Perry Blackwell (Perry),
Muriel Landers (Moose Taggett),
William Schallert (Hotel Clerk),
Karen Norris (Miss Dickenson)
Country: USA
Language: English / French
Support: Color
Runtime: 102 min
The best of British film comedies
British cinema excels in comedy, from the genius of Will Hay to the camp lunacy of the Carry Ons.
From its birth in 1895, cinema has been an essential part of French culture. Now it is one of the most dynamic, versatile and important of the arts in France.