Superb example of 1960s romantic farces, Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis shine.
I had not been a big fan of Natalie Wood but have become interested in her since meeting young Natalie who reminds me very much of the actress. So I have been seeing some of her old movies here and there. This one has been released on DVD and it is a very nice one.Tony Curtis stars as Bob Weston, the most sleazy writer for the magazine "STOP" that prides itself in sleazy reporting. He has done an article on 23-year-old single therapist, Natalie Wood as Helen Gurley Brown, who wrote the book "Sex and the Single Girl." The article went on to ridicule the young therapist by saying a young, single virgin could not be a very credible sex therapist. Quickly she found her appointments being canceled because of the article.
But Bob Weston has an even grander plan, he will romance the young doctor and get enough inside information to write an even harder-hitting expose'.
Bob's neighbor and friend is ladies hosiery manufacturer and sales manager Henry Fonda as Frank Broderick. Frank's wife is Lauren Bacall as Sylvia.
As soon as Bob realizes that Helen knows who he is and will not let him even in the same room, he hatches a plan, he will pretend to be his neighbor, Frank, and ask for help with relationship issues between himself and his wife. But Frank and Sylvia know nothing about this.
The interplay between Curtis and Wood is great, and many very funny situations result. When Helen eventually finds out what is really going on she decides to skip out to Fiji with an admiring co-worker, but Bob, Frank, and Sylvia all end up in a madcap chase scene on the Los Angeles freeway system, that also involves a cab driver, an ice cream vendor, and a motorcycle cop. It is madcap, and it is funny.
Nothing in the story is plausible but it doesn't have to be. It is just a funny story with funny characters. A classic from the 1960s.
score /10
TxMike 23 June 2009
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2085400/35475
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