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Success in that newfangled television business prompted Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz to bring their slapstick chemistry to the big screen, courtesy of a 28-foot monster of a trailer home. The Long, Long Trailer is one of those domestic nightmare movies, in which an ordinary couple has their existence upended by a new contraption:in this case, a lemon-yellow motor home. They make the mistake of towing said behemoth to Colorado, a honeymoon journey fraught with tilted axles and Lucy's ill-advised collection of large souvenir rocks. One disaster follows another, with the action rarely rising above the level of a sitcom (MGM's top director of musicals, Vincente Minnelli, is overqualified here). One notable exception:the climactic sequence, a funny-nervous crawl up an 8,000-foot mountain pass. The film was a box-office hit, proving that moviegoers would go to theaters to see a TV star's hair in its natural red color. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (69)

Better than the series
Because fans stayed away from this film in droves, Lucy and Desi never made another movie together. Too bad, because the film is far superior to the series. Credit should go to veteran director Vincente Minelli and his sure hand in balancing the material. Against all odds: Ball's slapstick is drained of usual shrillness, Desi's star is allowed to shine, situation is raised above personality, and peripheral crowd scenes are heightened to hilarious commentary on busybody middle America. In fact, this is one of few 50's movies to capture spirit of a rising middle class: the buoyant optimism, the credit card dependency, the aping of upper class tastes. All is accomplished, nevertheless, with an underlying sweetness that might not be expected from two overaged stars then in the process of subduing the tigers of TV land. Moreover, the choice of a trailer gimmick for the comedy setting was an inspired one. A true little gem and document of its time.

Marvelous!
First, I'd like to clear something up. The reviewer who said Lucy and Desi never made another movie together after this, is wrong. The made one more film, which was 1957's Forever Darling.

In this 1954 comedy, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz light up the screen as newlyweds Tacy and Nicky Collini. Tacy's dream house is a mobile home, although Nicky would rather have a real house. Before their wedding, they decide to purchase a 28-foot long trailer and as soon as they say "I Do," the happy couple hits the road on a cross-country honeymoon. But there are some bumps up ahead.

Lucy and Desi were truly a fantastic duo and it shows in the Long, Long Trailer. This was a wonderful, laugh-out-loud comedy that all fans of I Love Lucy will love!

One of the Best Movies Ever!!
When you need a genuinely good laugh, slip "The Long, Long Trailer" into your VCR. It's sort of an extension of "I Love Lucy" except the characters are Nicky & Tacy Callini instead of Ricky & Lucy Ricardo and it's filmed in glorious AnscoColor instead of boring black and white. This hilarious movie is given the full MGM treatment, with the studio's premiere director at the time, Vincente Minnelli, directing. Starring as well are some of Hollywood's greatest character actors, particularly the fabulous Marjorie Main. Also featured are some beautiful scenes of Yosemite National Park and the mountains of California. And that yellow 1953 Mercury Monterey convertible is one of my personal favorites of the film. Another amusing highlight is hearing Lucy and Desi sing "Breezing Along With the Breeze", accompanied by the lush, 100-piece MGM symphony orchestra. This is one classy motion picture! "The Long, Long Trailer" was one of 1954's top box office hits and was MGM's most successful comedy in the studio's then 30-year history. That's quite impressive considering people could stay home and watch Lucy and Desi for free on television. So DO get this video. You'll watch it- and laugh- over and over again. In fact, I'm gonna go watch it right now. HEY, Warner Home Video -- hurry up with the DVD version of this 1954 MGM sensation. (Warner owns the entire pre-1986 MGM library.)

The trailer called "Nightmare"

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Format: Color
Studio: Warner Studios

Cast:

Lucille Ball ...
Desi Arnaz ... Nicholas 'Nicky' Collini
Marjorie Main ... Mrs. Hittaway
Keenan Wynn ... Policeman
Gladys Hurlbut ... Mrs. Bolton
Moroni Olsen ... Mr. Tewitt
Bert Freed ... Foreman
Madge Blake ... Aunt Anastacia
Walter Baldwin ... Uncle Edgar
Oliver Blake ... Mr. Sudloy
Perry Sheehan ... Bridesmaid
Edgar Dearing ... Trailer Park Manager
Robert Anderson ... Carl Barrett

Frank Gerstle ... Gas Station Attendant
Charles Herbert ... Little Boy
Donald Kerr ... Flagstone Station Attendant
Jack Kruschen ... Mechanic
Norman Leavitt ... Driver
Alan Lee ... Mr. Elliott
Peter Leeds ... Garage Manager
Karl Lukas ... Inspector
Howard McNear ... Joe Hittaway
Bert Moorhouse ... Car Salesman
Christopher Olsen ... Tommy
Emory Parnell ... Policeman
Phil Rich ... Mr. Dudley
Fay Roope ... Judge
Dennis Ross ... Jody
Herb Vigran ... Trailer Salesman

Emmett Vogan ... Mr. Bolton
Wilson Wood ... Garage Owner
Howard Wright ... Uncle Bill
Dallas Boyd ... Minister
John Call ... Shorty
Richard Alexander ... Bald Shopper in Bungalette Trailer
Ruth Lee ... Mrs. Tewitt
Ruth McDevitt ... Mrs. Vagabond
Ida Moore ... Candy Store Clerk
Dorothy Neumann ... Aunt Ellen
Janet Sackett ... Kay
Judy Sackett ... Dotty
Edna Skinner ... Maude Barrett
Sarah Spencer ... Tacy's Girl Friend
Connie Van ... Grace
Ruth Warren ... Mrs. Dudley
Geraldine Carr ... Tacy's Girl Friend
Juney Ellis ... Waitress

If you are one of the millions who loved Lucy, you'll love the Long, Long Trailer!

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were one of the great comedy teams, and The Long, Long Trailer was one of their most successful films.

Before their marriage Tacy Bolton and Nicky Collini decide (well, Tacy decides and Nicky goes along, reluctantly) to buy a trailer so that she can follow him and make a home for him while he travels to construction sites. Unfortunately, he has never pulled a long trailer and it proves almost too much for him, not to mention that it is a "budget buster."

This is a typical situation comedy of the type that Lucy and Desi did so well. A laugh a minute is guaranteed!

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Lucy and Desi at their best!
This is one of my favorite films of all time. If you have the chance to see it, make sure you do! Gotta love that 8,000 foot mountain! I love Lucy....and I always will! ... Read more

Amazon.com

When a slightly cross-eyed Siamese cat named D.C. (Darn Cat) turns upwith a wristwatch around hisneck instead of a collar, it could be just the clue the FBI needs tocrack a series of bank robberies in this lightweight comedy fromDisney.The watch belongs to a bank teller whohas been taken hostage.Dean Jones stars as the good-hearted FBI agentassigned to the case.Unfortunately, he is highly allergic to, you guessedit, cats.Hayley Mills is D.C.'s doting owner who hatches a hair-brainedscheme to follow D.C.'s every move until he returns to the crooks' hideoutwhere he got the wristwatch.After a lot of sneezing, slapstick, and comedic intrigue, the bank robbers are foiled, the hostage is safe, and everyone ishappy. An impressive supporting cast of Frank Gorshin, Elsa Lanchester,Roddy McDowall, and Ed Wynn add to the zaniness. Released in 1965 (and remade in 1997), it is understandably dated, but the performances are funnonetheless.Hayley Mills is delightful as the determined and unflappablewannabe sleuth, and Dean Jones proves he is adept at physical comedy. This is a movie of little consequence, just a clean, fun diversion that thewhole family can watch. The theme song is sung by Bobby Darin. --Peggy Maltby-Etra ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Mill's Best Film Ever!
While out prowling one night DC,a siamese cat whose name stands for 'darn cat,' happens upon two kidnappers & their hostage, a bank teller by the name of Maragret Miller. While the hostage is up cooking for the two DC comes in, taking off her wrist watch & scratching the 'help' on the back, slips it on the back, & puts the cat out, hoping that somebody will find it.

When DC returns home, his owner Patti (Hayley Mills) finds the watch on DC's neck & with her wild imagination comes up with a near correct theory. Her sister Ingrid (Dorthey Provine) disaproves with the whole thing & leaves for work the next morning with one note of instruction, Patti is not to notify the police about the watch.

Instead of telling the police Patti notifies the FBI, & agent Kelso (Dean Joanes) is assigned to the job of following the cat. The movie was followed 32 years later with a fairly good remake starring Christina Ricci & Doug E Doug.

"That Darn Cat" is a Disney gem!
Young teenager Patti Randall (Hayley Mills) discovers that the Randall cat, D.C. which stands for Darn Cat, comes home one night wearing a wrist-watch around his neck. Scratched behind the watch are the letters 'H', 'E', and part of an 'L'. Patti's imagination runs away with her and she figures out that the letters were supposed to spell out the word "HELP"! Patti thinks that the watch belongs to a kidnapped teller, Margaret Miller (Grayson Hall). And she is correct! Ms. Miller had been kidnapped by two bank robbers Dan (Neville Brand) and Sammy (Frank Gorshin) and fearing for her life, had put the wristwatch on D.C. Luckily, Patti, ignoring her sister Ingrid's (Dorothy Provine) commands on not to call the police, instead calls the FBI and gets help from Agent Zeke Kelso (Dean Jones). From there starts a zany adventure in which Zeke Kelso has to follow D.C. to the crooks while fighting off nosy neighbors, jealous boyfriends, and D.C.'s disappearing maneuvers.

Based on the book "Undercover Cat" written by the Gordons, "That Darn Cat" is a Disney gem! For those who have read the book must be warned though that this movie is very different from the book, yet still hilarious and exciting! One of the best things about this movie though is that superb cast of stars! Everyone is perfect for their parts, from Hayley Mills the full-of-life Randall girl, Ingrid the serious sister, Dean Jones the allergic FBI agent, Roddy McDowall the short-tempered neighbor, Elsa Lanchester the nosy neighbor, her husband played by William Demarest, Tom Lowell as Canoe the jealous boyfriend, Ed Wynn the very nervous watch jeweler, and Richard Eastham as the FBI Supervisor. And of course we can't forget D.C. who is actually a very good actor! The title song is fun to listen to, very jazzy and sung by Bobby Darin.

If you still haven't seen this movie, I really recommend that you do! For other great Disney Hayley Mill's movies, I suggest you watch "The Parent Trap", "Pollyana", "The Moon Spinners", and "Summer Magic".

Cats Rule & Dogs SUCK!
The best movie of all time! My favorite part is when the cat tricks that bulldog ((...) that dog was so stupid!). So the cat climbs up the tree and knocks the hummingbird feeder off and it falls in the corner of the yard. The bulldog wakes up and runs over to the spot and starts jumping up and down barking. That (...) dog did not even notice the cat slinking up and start eating his food. Then he finally notices the cat and chases him. The cat jumps on top of a loose board, causing the other end to come up. Just as the dog gets there the board hits him HARD on the face. And he's all whimpering 'n' stuff and the cat runs away! Then the dog sticks his sorry face up and he says, "That Darn Cat!" I could not stop laughing through the whole movie! THIS IS DEFINATLY A MOVIE FOR CAT LOVERS (NOT DOG LOVERS!). HOPE YOU THINK SO TOO!*

Classic Cat!
This movie is a crowd pleaser to this day! I show it as a special reward to my 2nd grade classes each year, and it is wonderful to see that a good, old-fashioned family film is enjoyable after 40+ years! They love the slapstick humor, and they like to complain about the nosy neighbor. Disney at its finest!

A Darn Good Movie
Get this movie if you have kids. They'll love it. You'll love it. Only positive messages here. ... Read more

Amazon.com

James Stewart reunites with his Harvey director, Henry Koster, in this 1962 comedy, which is charming enough even though it doesn't seem quite up to the level of talent involved. (The screenwriter is the legendary Nunnally Johnson--writer and director of The Three Faces of Eve, among many other titles--and the music is by Henry Mancini.) But it is pleasant, summery entertainment with Stewart and his screen wife, Maureen O'Hara, taking their urban family to a crumbling, seaside house for a vacation. The film was calculated to pull in older fans with Stewart as well as draw in a younger crowd that would enjoy the fairly extensive beach scenes with pop-star Fabian. Stewart is deft with the easy jokes about bad plumbing and such, and golden in several nice moments where he gets to play an attentive dad to his kids. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Very funny movie.
This is an enjoyable movie, with some very funny scenes and lines. One of my favorite lines takes place in the scene when Jimmy Stewart's shy daughter is at a dance, being the wallflower, and none of the boys ask her to dance. He asks Fabian to ask his daughter to dance (for a $5.00 fee). While they are dancing, Maureen O'Hara (his wife in the movie) asks "How did you find that boy?" and Jimmy Stewart answers "I yelled out 'Joe' to a group of boys. There is always at least one Joe in a group!"

Very Funny!
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation and Harvey are two of the funniest Jimmy Stewart movies. Vacation is especially fun because of the relationship between Maureen O'Hara and Jimmy. You will not be disappointed with this movie.

cute movie!!!
My wife loves the scene in this movie when Lauri Peters and Fabian sing "cream puff,shortcake" at the pizza place.Lauri is so cute trying to hide her braces.

Wonderful Jimmy Stewart at his comedic best!
I am still amazed at the number of people who haven't seen this movie! Mr. Stewart even narrates, here and there, throughout the story, this wonderful tale of his summer vacation with his family at a rented beach house, along with the family maid. There is a running gag throughout the picture about the plumbing and the maid misunderstands the English language, and Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs try very hard to understand their adorable teen-age daughter (Lauri Peters) who falls in love with an adorable boy (played by none other than Fabian!), who shows up at the local dance and then there's a son who prefers to watch westerns on TV all day and night. There's a sexpot neighbor that lives in a nearby beach house who attempts to read War and Peace, and later the Hobb's daughters show up with the misbehaving grandchildren and want nothing to do with "Boompa", otherwise known as Mr.Hobbs! Don't miss the scene when Jimmy Stewart bird-watches with his son-in-in-law's boss and learns "the proper walk". The chemistry between Maureen O'Hara and James Stewart is so wonderful, it's no wonder they were so successful in several films together! She is so convincing as the jealous wife, especially when Jimmy innocently tries to help his son-in-law's boss's wife (Marie Wilson) while she is in the shower and runs into trouble........don't miss it, you'll laugh all the way through this marvelous movie. Let's hope Twentieth Century Fox soon gives us a widescreen DVD version with extras, like an interview with Maureen O'Hara & Lauri Peters!

Very cute family movie
You can enjoy this with the kids and everyone. Good clean funny entertainment, that will make you laugh and remember a more innocent time. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A great comedic discovery.....
Not too many people have heard of the 1967 film "The Flim Flam Man," and that's too bad for them. I have owned this lovely valentine of a movie for several years, and have always appreciated its comedic/dramatic allure. Everything clicks perfectly in this old fashioned film, from its authentic locations (this movie was filmed in small town Kentucky) to a wonderful musical score by Jerry Goldsmith.

I love George C. Scott's rip-snorting performance as a train-hopping con-man whose legend precedes him. He literally stumbles upon a military AWOL drifter in Michael Sarrazin, and the unlikely pair join forces to make a little cash. Camping in abandoned railroad cars, hiking cross country and stealing a car or two, this colorful pair eventually has the county police hot on their tails. Along the way, Sarrazin falls in love with the mayor's daughter, Slim Pickens loses his paycheck (great scene) and Scott samples a bit of the local moonshine.

"The Flim Flam Man" is aided by a cast of extraordinary character actors, including Harry Morgan, Jack Albertson, Strother Martin, Albert Salmi and Pickens. Morgan, as the local sheriff, is especially funny in a grand slapstick role. But director Irvin Kershner has done an excellent job in balancing comedy, drama and romance with skilled ease. It's the quieter moments in "The Flim Flam Man" that I truly admire, such as the scene when Scott reminisces about the purple-eyed girl he once loved in Missouri, or when Sarrazin discusses his dreams of the future with Sue Lyon.

This is such a charming movie, that each time I watch it I'm sad to see it end. "The Film Flam Man" transports us to a dreamy Southern land, colorful and optimistic, train whistles in the background, vibrant town squares, campfires beneath railroad bridges, bustling general stores. While this film was made in 1967, the small town ambiance of "The Flim Flam Man" harkens back to a time 30-40 years prior. It's a romantic recreation, in some ways a tender tribute to a past way of life. I always find the final image, of the abandoned bicycle resting at the railroad crossing, to be haunting, with Scott's character having disappeared to rustic parts unknown. I would love to join him on his journey.

For those anacquainted, "The Flim Flam Man" is a great discovery.

Forget Patton - give me Mordecai!
As loveable rogue Mordecai Jones, George C. Scott endures bad community theatre make-up and inhales acres of gorgeous Southern scenery in this picaresque crowd-pleaser about a veteran con-man and his reluctant apprentice (Michael Sarrazin). Three years shy of the career-defining "Patton," Scott clearly relished the chance to let his hair down amid "Flim-Flam Man's" feel-good flood of chicanery, slapstick and car chases (this one has a couple of beauts). Sarrazin, a good actor who unfortunately never found his big break-out role, is fine as Curley, an Army deserter whose talent for larceny is undermined by a stubborn streak of honesty. Flaxen-haired beauty Sue Lyon, who epitomized, in the Sixties, the image of the girl you wished lived next door, is wholesomely alluring as Sarazzin's love interest. Rounding out the cast is a dizzying assemblage of fun character actors - Harry Morgan, Strother Martin, Alice Ghostley, Slim Pickens, Jack Albertson, Albert Salmi - whose presence makes for a lively game of "Name That Second Banana."

An unassuming curio from the same year (1967) as the iconoclastic "Bonnie and Clyde," "The Flim-Flam Man" is good-looking, well-acted, imaginatively directed (by Irvin Kershner, who later skippered "The Empire Strikes Back"), and wildly successful at its sole purpose: to entertain. Hollywood used to excel at this brand of lightsome fare. Today, hopelessly vulgarized and dumbed-down, and hell-bent on dragging the audience down to its level, Tinseltown wouldn't know where to begin to make a flick like this. That's everybody's loss.

DVD Please
This movie is truly a classic. Very touching and funny is George C. Scott as Mordecai "the flim flam man". This could be classified as a road picture as Scott and Michael Sarrison an army deserter during the Vietnam War, go from town to town pulling scams on hicks who are also trying to get something for nothing. Henry Morgan is very funny as the sheriff chasing them. Where is the DVD for this movie. Sue Lyon who was a hottie in the 1960's plays the love interest of Sarrison, and daughter of Henry Morgan. Morgan starts out chasing a moonshiner named Dootle whom he thinks made his last escape by using an "anphobibias" vehicle. To not like this movie means you are humorless, there is a great car chase even by todays standards.

George C.'s favorite
A light comedy with some meaningful undertones. It was also one of George C. Scott's favorite roles. Filmed in beautiful central Kentucky in the early fall of 1966, this movie is somewhat dated in it's meanderings, but its value focus is as pertinent today as then. A can't miss for any George C. Scott fan.

A Serious Actor Does Comedy--Very Well, Thank You!
Most of us probably think of George C. Scott and think "Patton." In this movie he plays a character about as far removed from General George as you can get. Mordecai Jones is a con artist with a mission: to teach people (by "flim-flamming" them) not to give in to "greed and fourteen-karat ignorance." Jason "Curly" Treadaway, a farmboy who has deserted the Army after breaking the jaw of a mouthy Yankee sergeant, comes to his aid when he's thrown off a train. Since both are broke, Mordecai suggests that Curly shill for him long enough to accumulate a small stake. From this springs a partnership in which Curly, to his dismay, discovers he has a real gift for dishonest dealings. Tormented by conscience and shattered illusions, he still originates a plan to escape when the pair are finally run down and arrested--and then comes up with an even more audacious one to get Jones out, because, as he tells the girl he's fallen in love with, "he's my *partner*, and that means somethin'."

This movie lacks the slapstick that often characterizes comedy; there's a wild car chase (Jones and Curly in a convertible Mordecai has "borrowed," pursued by the local sheriff, turning their chariot into a "ramblin' wreck" and destroying a considerable portion of the town of Clayton in the process), but most of the film concentrates on Mordecai's schemes--everything from three-card monte and punchboards through the Pigeon Drop to an elaborate masquerade in which he manages to swap a truckload of moonshine for a mound of assorted merchandise. The supporting cast is especially good, with Harry Morgan shining as Sheriff Slade and Albert Salmi delightful as his young chief deputy, Meshaw. And while not for the morally ambivalent, it manages to bring up some important ethical issues. As Mordecai tells Curly, "You can't cheat a honest man!" With no sex or profanity to speak of, it could well serve as the launching point for some telling discussions with your kids about right and wrong, loyalty, and what honesty really is. ... Read more

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Maybe it doesn't quite live up to its sterling reputation, and maybe the leading man and director were slightly miscast. But who cares? Roman Holiday is the film that brought Audrey Hepburn to prominence, and the world movie audience went weak at the knees. The endlessly charming Hepburn had her first starring role in this sweet romance, playing a European princess on an official tour through Rome. Frustrated by her lack of connection to the real world, she slips away from her protective handlers and goes on a spree, aided by a tough-guy news reporter (Gregory Peck). Director William Wyler, more at home with such heavy-going, Oscar-winning classics as The Best Years of Our Lives and Ben- Hur, doesn't always keep the champagne bubbles afloat, and the Peck role would have fit Cary Grant like a silk glove. But the film is great fun, the location shooting is irresistible, and Hepburn embodies an image of chic style that would rule for the rest of the fifties. No coincidence: she won an Oscar, and so did veteran costume designer Edith Head. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (104)

Classic Audrey Hepburn... with an Interesting "Backstory"
This is by far one of my favorite Audrey Hepburn movies. In "Roman Holiday," Audrey plays a reluctant princess who escapes from her repressive royal life to have a one-day adventure in Rome... with Gregory Peck. This is a classic 1950s fairy tale romantic comedy.

It's hard to believe that "Roman Holiday" was Audrey's first major film, because she's fabulous in it! She has a certain grace and charm that is unequaled. The Academy clearly agreed... Audrey won the Best Actress Oscar for her role as Princess Ann.

What most people don't know is that the script was an original creation by the famous screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo. Trumbo had already been blacklisted for refusing to answer HUAC's questions regarding his possible Communist affiliations. Trumbo was sentenced to a year in prison, and he spent his last few months of freedom working diligently on the "Roman Holiday" script. He was able to sell the script (for much lower than his usual price) by putting a friend's name on it. The money he earned from "Roman Holiday" took care of his family's needs while he was in jail.

"Roman Holiday" is a fun, family-friendly romantic comedy. I highly recommend it!

Simply wonderful
What a wonderful movie! What a great romantic fantasy!
It is one of my all-time favorites, one of the films I could watch several times, without getting bored.

I don't think that the plot is important here, but the way the actors performed and the place where the story is set.
In Rome, a European princess manages to escape the rigid and boring life and have and unforgettable experience, living for one day as a normal person. She does all the things that she was not allowed to do before, such as cutting her hair, eating ice-cream, strolling down the streets and why not, falling in love with an ordinary man.

This is the role that brought Audrey Hepburn an Oscar and made her a well-known star.
It is the natural and ingenuous performance that makes her such a charming and unforgettable character, a graceful presence on the screen.

Her companion is Gregory Peck who has also a great performance and makes the film even more delightful. He plays the part of a young and charming journalist, looking for news that might increase sales of his newspaper and bring some money in his pocket.

The DVD includes also a section with a kind of "making of": interviews of the people who participated at the shooting, memories, etc. This is even more interesting, as you will have the chance to listen to the people who were involved in this project, and the stories behind the scene. You will also see that time did not alter too many of Audrey Hepburn's features and even at an older age she still looks refined and elegant.

I have one complain about this movie: 118 minutes seemed to be not enough for such a romantic story. I believe that everyone of us would like to dream about what is like to be lost in the "eternal city" for one day and enjoy the simple things of life.

Light, feel-good romance in Rome
Since my family is going to Italy this summer, my father had us watch Roman holiday because of the setting and all of the landmarks shown in the movie. It was my first Audrey Hepburn film, and it definately will not be my last. In this ligh hearted tale, a princess of a European country becomes fed up with her duties and sneaks out to enjoy a day in Rome, where she soon meets, and falls in love with, an american reporter. This movie is incredibly charming and very romantic, with one of the saddest endings that doesn't seem all that sad. I would recommend it to everyone, regardless of age or movie preference.

It's always open season on princesses
ROMAN HOLIDAY should appeal to everyone who loves a good romance, and this one is a great one. The rest us of will be well content with the splendor of Rome and the chance to see the remarkable Audrey Hepburn in her debut movie. In other words, ROMAN HOLIDAY has something for every palate.
The plot? Princess Ann (we're never quite sure which country she's princess of) is enduring a grueling tour of European nations. Weary to death of the royal treatment, one night Ann escapes into the Roman night. Unfortunately for her she had a while earlier been given an injection to help her sleep. The drug takes effect while she's out and about, and reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) discovers her asleep on a street bench. Believing she's inebriated, and being a gentleman, he tries to deliver her safely to her home. That plan fails and, being a gentleman, Bradley arranges for the young stranger (he doesn't learn she's the missing princess until the next scene) to sleep on the sofa in his small, one-room apartment.
Cary Grant was originally offered the part of Joe Bradley and he turned it down. One of the dvd's specials tells us he refused the role because he didn't want to play second fiddle to an ingenue. Maybe so. It's tempting to decide, on the basis of this scene, that Peck was woefully miscast. Ann, nearly asleep on her feet, asks Bradley "Will you help me undress?" A natural enough request coming from royalty, I guess. Bradley fumbles around with her neck scarf, unties it, hands it to her and says "You can handle the rest."
Peck plays the scene for a smile. Grant would have made it one of the highlights of the movie. After savoring the opportunity for the audience's delight he would have removed the tie and given the camera a quick peek, as if to say "Listen here, I know this is a cliched, silly situation. But doesn't this look like fun. Don't we make a handsome couple?" Grant was a supple pagan god who drank more than once from the well of hedonism, and he was always careful to bring the audience along for the good times. Peck was an Old Testament prophet, a little too stern and stiff to give himself over to pleasure.
What Peck brings to the role is authority and a handsome arm for Hepburn to rest on. Grant would have distracted us, and ROMAN HOLIDAY is best when our attention is focused squarely on Audrey Hepburn. She delivers a tour de force performance, and you can understand the excitement she generated even after a half century.
The specials include the documentary "Remembering ROMAN HOLIDAY", which surprised me with all the people who were involved and dropped out of the production of the movie. "Edith Head: The Paramount Years" is a short biography of the famous and talented fashion designer. "Restoring ROMAN HOLIDAY" shows us a number of before and after shots - this is a VERY clean print. There is also a trio of theatrical trailers and a stills photo gallery.

Perhaps the most romantic movie ever made
This was Audrey Hepburn's debut in a starring role. She was 24-years-old and had appeared in two or three other movies but just in bit parts. Here she plays a reigning European princess visiting Rome who would like an escape from her daily regime of official duties, thus the title and theme of the movie, a Roman holiday.

Gregory Peck plays an American newspaper reporter living in the Eternal City. We first see him playing poker with his cronies, and losing. His relative "poverty" and Princess Ann's fabulous wealth and station present a formidable barrier to their ever finding true love and marital happiness. Part of the fun of the script is in seeing how this will play out and how their differences are resolved in the end. I will give you a small hint: very carefully!

The script comes from a story by Dalton Trumbo who is perhaps best known as the author of the anti-war novel, Johnny Got His Gun. Trumbo was one of the "Hollywood Ten" who were blacklisted from working in the industry during the excesses of the McCarthy era. He went to Mexico and continued working on film scripts but under assumed names or had his scripts presented by "fronts." In this case Ian McLellan Hunter fronted for Trumbo and won an Academy Award for the story. Later the Academy awarded Trumbo a posthumous Oscar for his work.

Long time Hollywood studio director William Wyler directed the film entirely on location in Rome. He has a formidable list of credits going well back into the silent film era including such outstanding films as Wuthering Heights (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), etc. His clear directorial style and his attention to detail work well here. The sets in Rome are charming, especially Peck's bachelor apartment. The bit players, especially Peck's landlord are excellent and the events are dreamy in just the way a romantic meeting in Rome ought to be. Wyler is especially effective in presenting Audrey Hepburn in the most flattering light and getting the audience to identify with her.

Gregory Peck's character should be a bit of an adventurous rake who finds that love is more important than money or fame, but it is impossible for Peck to play a morally compromised character, and so even as he appears to be using Princess Ann for his own ends, his behavior is always correct. I was somewhat amused to notice that at all times Peck appears wearing a tie! Eddie Albert plays Peck's friend, a photographer/artist. It is interesting to note how Hollywood's perception of the paparazzi has changed over the years. Here blood-sucking, intrusive greed does not exist. Instead we have noble self-sacrifice!

I have seen most of Miss Hepburn's movies and I can say that she was never more enchanting than she is here. She is gorgeous and cute at the same time, charming and impish, sweet, regal and very winning. In a sense she started at the top with this film, garnering her only Oscar as Best Actress in 1953; but as her fans know she never came down off that pedestal. Even playing poor Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1964), there was never any doubt about the quality of her style and character.

This is the most romantic film I have ever seen, perhaps partly because Miss Hepburn is so wonderful, but also because the script in a sense turns the usual woman's romantic fantasy upside down. Instead of the woman finding that the man she is in love with has fabulous wealth and position, it is the other way around!

The ending manages to be realistic yet romantic. There is a hint of something almost spiritual beyond what happens. So convincing are Hepburn and Peck that one can almost believe the story is true; and indeed I am sure that Trumbo lifted the essentials of the plot from some ancient tale.

I have a weakness for movies about unrequited love, or love that goes on forever, or love that is caught at some perfect moment and lives eternally in that moment. Roman Holiday is one of those near perfect movies that plays beautifully upon one of these themes. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

i loved it!
As someone who was in a production of "Teahouse of the August Moon", I loved this movie. Most directors do not suggest watching a movie of the play before starting rehearsal because most movies are worse than their plays. However, our director showed the film at one of our rehearsals and it gave a place to aspire to go. I recommend anyone to see this film and have fun with the subtle comedy and life lessons.

Timeless, comedy with a fantastic script
This movie will be funny for people watching it 1000 years from now. This is a classic comedy with a few "life lessons" as well. My husband who typically does not like anything made prior to 1960 laughs outloud at this film. We use lines from this movie as a code. For example: Glenn Ford's character says "Alright, I'm sorry, shall I kill myself?" Paul Ford's character replies "Don't minimize this." If that kind of dialogue tickles your funny bone then this is the film for you. "Socks up!"

DVD???
When will we see a DVD??? (in widescreen please) Loved the movie but watching it on fullscreen VHS does ruin things a bit. Hope Warner Brothers will see what a gem theyve got in this movie and release a DVD soon.

Fabulous Film
We just spent 4 years in Okinawa and it is a paradise on earth. The people are what make the island a great place to be. This film presents the wonderful aspects of the island and is hilarious in showing how the US Army tries to run the island after the war and the travails of one Capt. who tries to build what the Okinawans actually want. The author of the book (which is also excellent, and is different enough from the movie to warrant its purchase) was stationed on Okinawa and the story reflects an awareness of the island and the actions of the Army. This is a great movie that can be watched over and over. The movie is especially relevant given what is going on currently in Iraq - it makes you wonder if there will be similar stories from our building up of Iraq.

If you can't wait for DVD and/or If you missed it on TCM...
It's a lot to ask of yourself and your pocketbook, but if you absolutely *have* to watch this fantastic film in letterbox widescreen - then you might want to consider a Laserdisc.

It's terribly out of date and functionally a dead-end technology. But for the true fan of films like this - it's the only way to go for now.

This film and about a half a dozen like it are the only reason I scoured through a ton of eBay auctions trying to find a decent used LD which has the 'auto-flip' function and a remote.

That was four years ago and I *still* get tremendous joy being able to watch 'Teahouse' in a true digital widescreen format. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Remember watching this silly little comedy from your childhood? It may not have aged all that well, but is still goofy, good fun. Okay, so you can spot the stunt double, and Don Knotts's twitches are a little more obvious. Still, fans of his familiar routines will be comforted in knowing they can again watch their skinny underdog hero solve the ghost story while winning the prettiest girl in town. Knotts plays a trembling typesetter hoping to become a reporter by cracking the mystery of the local haunted house. To do so, he must spend a night there. Good-hearted, non-threatening, and completely gooey, this is the equivalent of light-weight cinematic junk food.-- Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (64)

FUN IN AN OLD, DARK HOUSE
My kids love this movie and they watch it on sleep-overs with their friends. Don Knotts plays Luther Hegg, a timid typesetter in a small town in the mid-west (Rachel, Kansas). The supporting actors are first rate: Skip Homeier, Dick Sargent, Ellen Corby etc. Joan Staley, who plays Alma, was the centerfold for PLAYBOY in 1958! Vivian Vance's ex hubby Phil Ober plays the murderer and the old women in the boarding house are hilarious. Reta Shaw is very funny as the head of the Psychic Society and Vic Muzzy's musical score is cornily creepy. When this picture was first released in theatres in l965, it was a huge hit in small towns across the U.S. and it is very representitive of 1960's small town Americana. Fun!

Incredibly fun and funny...now where's the DVD?
I first saw this Don Knotts comedy back in the late Sixties...and it stuck with me. (Especially the tune the organ plays.) The scenes of nervous, bungling, bug-eyed Don Knotts made me laugh out loud then -- and they still do now. So I was really pleased when this movie was finally released on video a few years ago. My only gripe now is that I wish it were out on DVD because I'm sure I'll wear out my video before too long!

Of course, I'm a big fan of the Andy Griffith Show. So that probably explains why I like this movie so much. Don Knotts was largely responsible for making that show the huge hit that it was. And, if you like his schtick on Griffith, you'll like this movie.

In fact, there are about a half dozen or more actors who appear in the movie -- most just briefly -- who also worked with Knotts on the Andy Griffth Show. Hal Smith, Ellen Corby, Hope Summers, Burt Mustin and Rita Shaw to name just five. So it was fun to pick out the familiar faces. The movie was even written by two of the Andy Griffith Show's most prolific writers!

Knotts has the nervous man character down so well that some scenes in the film are almost painful to watch (like when he's giving his speech -- "I've been called brave. What is brave? Let me clarify this" -- before the picnic crowd gathered in his honor), but I can't help myself. He's funny.

I won't go into the plot because so many others have already reviewed it. I just wanted to add my two cents (and Five Stars) to the other reviews.

The bottom line: this is a fun movie, great for the whole family. If you haven't seen it, please do so. Sure it's corny. Sure it looks dated. But it's not supposed to be Citizen Kane. It's just a great popcorn movie to share with friends and family.

wonderful, one of my all time favorites
i was primarily a don knotts fan due to his lovable role as barny phife on the andy griffeth show. when i saw this movie at the video rental store starring my favorite tv personality next to lucielle ball and the gang, i immdediatly rented it. that was when i was twelve, now fourteen i still enjoy this comedy and love the DVD version of this classic. it's enjoyable for people of all ages as i found out growing up with this wonderful movie. give it a try, i know you'll love it!!!!

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
A classic Don Knotts film of the highest degree. I love the surprise appearance of the actor that played Ottis the town drunk in Andy Griffin show playing a town drunk in the start of the film. Don Knotts plays a guy who wishes to be a real reporter more than anything. When he writers a story about the town murder house it will take all his strength to survive being the town laughing stalk and surviving the night of laughs alive.

Makers of This "Spooky" Comic Mystery Were Simply Clueless
Fresh from his highly popular and Emmy-winning stint as Barney Fife on TV's THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, and after moderate success starring in the earlier Warner Brothers film THE INCREDIBLE MR. LIMPET (1964), Don Knotts convinced execs at Universal Pictures that they could capitalize on his celebrity by starring him in a series of comedy flicks. The first of these was 1966's THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN, a sort of slapstick thriller that was tailored to Knotts' style of humor.

Knotts stars as Luther Heggs, an aspiring journalist who works in the typesetting room of a newspaper in the small town of Rachel, Kansas. A bumbling, nerdy milquetoast--for Knotts, what other role is there?--Heggs badgers the editor of his paper into letting him do a feature on the goings-on at a local long-abandoned house that is purportedly haunted. Rumor has it that the previous occupant and his wife were murdered, and most of the rubes in this Kansan town now believe the spirits of those unfortunate two still occupy the house during the wee hours of the night. Heggs' editor agrees to let the nerdy typesetter do the story, but only if he agrees to sleep in the house for a full night and use this experience as the foundation for the article. With a great degree of trepidation, Heggs accepts the editor's challenge, but really only because he wants to impress a girl he has a crush on. Although his bravery is only a front, Heggs does manage to uncover more about the strange doings at the house than anyone ever suspected.

For adult filmgoers, THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN offers little more than a modicum of entertainment or literary value, though the pre-teen crowd will likely find it to be thoroughly enjoyable. Part of the film's inability to capture the interest of a truly discerning audience is due to the performance of star Don Knotts. Knotts was nothing short of sublime as Deputy Barney Fife during the 5+ years that he was with THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, but he simply doesn't have the comedic range to carry an entire feature film. His rubbery facial expressions, gangly and awkward body movements, and adeptness at portraying ineptness can be downright hilarious--but only in small doses. On TV, Knotts' performance was buffered because his screen time was interspersed with that of co-star Griffith and other comedy actors of varying styles. But in a 90-minute movie where nearly every scene centers around Knotts, his one-note comedic style rapidly wears thin.

In spite of a few genuinely humorous moments, the overall script is fairly cliché and formulaic. In the scenes that take place in the haunted house, every trite bump-in-the-night gag is resurrected and used as a springboard for Knotts' bug-eyed and rubbery scared-of-the-dark routine. And the filler between non-spook segments is rather dull, too, consisting of mainly shopworn jabs at easy targets like small-town drunks, neighborhood gossips, henpecking wives and their henpecked husbands, spiritualism and the occult, and small-town life in general.

All of the primary characters in the film are little more than cardboard cut-outs with crystal-clear motivations and transparent personalities. It goes without saying--especially now, with 40 years of cinematic retrospection--that Knotts' Luther Heggs will be a bumbling nerd with a heart of gold. In step with the syrupy early-60s family-film formula, Heggs' love interest, Alma (Joan Staley), is the small-town beauty who seems not the least bit aware of her ravishing assests, and she acts like it's totally natural for her to be attracted to a homely, inept gent like Heggs. And newspaperman Ollie Weaver (Skip Homeier), Heggs' rival both professionally and personally, exudes that smarmy machismo typical of the muscle-bound jerk who is likely to spend his Sunday afternoons at the beach kicking sand into the faces of the proverbial 98-pound weaklings. Most of the peripheral characters are also perfunctory to the extreme, serving mainly as background props and contributing little, if anything, of significance to the actual plot.

To be fair, it must be pointed out that THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN is not without its share of assets. The greatest of these is Joan Staley, who plays Luther's love interest, Alma. A mere 8 years prior to appearing in this film, the comely Ms. Staley appeared in Playboy as the centerfold Playmate for November 1958. Not only pretty, Ms. Staley is also a fine actress and brings a bit of thespian respectability to this film. Also notable is the appearance of Dick Sargent in the role of Heggs' editor. Genre fans will recognize Sargent from his role as the "Second Darrin" on TV's BEWITCHED. And it's fun to watch for the other well-known comedy and character actors--actors such as Reta Shaw, Philip Ober, Charles Lane, Ellen Corby, James Millhollin, and Sandra Gould, among others--in minor supporting roles.

In 1948, Universal Pictures started what would become a long string of entertaining and successful horror-themed comedy films with the release of the excellent ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. But that winning streak ultimately ended in 1966 with THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN. It is a mediocre film that, in spite of a few laughs, ultimately fails. It can easily be argued that the reason for this failure is twofold: One, star Don Knotts has a limited comedic repertoire that is just not capable of sustaining a feature-length film; and two, in their attempt to create what they perceive as a family film, the filmmakers use an excess of cinematic and literary clichés that effectively dumbs down the script and thereby vitiates the charm of the comedy-horror hybrid.

Universal's DVD offers a nearly pristine anamorphic widescreen digital transfer of the film in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. However, with no extras other than the film's theatrical trailer, only hardcore fans of Don Knotts are likely to want to purchase this disc. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Frank Capra's 1938 populist spin on the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart play about a family of happy eccentrics is a great deal of fun, though it significantly rewrites the original work and doesn't represent Capra (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) at his best. Jean Arthur plays a member of the blissful Vanderhof household who falls in love with a rich man's son (James Stewart) and brings him into her nutty home. Lionel Barrymore, who played such a bad guy eight years later in Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, is the wonderful Grandpa Vanderhof, who addresses God during the dinner prayer as "sir" and speaks plainly and beautifully of why it's good to be alive. Capra took this opportunity to rail against big business and champion the common man, but the overall tone of the film--typical for the director's comedies--is buoyant and snappy. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Frank Capra + Moss Hart & George Kauffman = ??
A fine Frank Capra comedy featuring Jimmy Stewart at his most boyish and gangly, and Jean Arthur as the girl of his dreams. It's a comedy of mismatched lovers: Stewart plays the son of a cold-hearted business tycoon (Edward Arnold) who looks forward to the coming world war as a way to make a killing on the stock market. In the path of Dad's capitalistic machinations lies a family of carefree bohemian kooks, whose open, life-affirming attitude holds together the neighborhood where Arnold hopes to build his next munitions factory. And guess what? Surprise...!! Jean Arthur's character also just happens to be the object of his son's affections. Into this "Dharma & Greg"-like scenario, add Lionel Barrymore as her saintly, eccentric father, who was once a businessman but then dropped out and now spends his days smiling at life, following his passions, and encouraging others to do the same.

In all honesty, although the film is charming, it isn't Capra's best work -- adapted from a stage play by George Kauffman and Moss Hart, it shouts out its kookiness, and has the feel of an off-Broadway production gone awry. The scenes that are meant to show how wacky her family is often play out too broadly, with shouting and grand gestures and a flurry of chaotic action -- dancing, xylophone playing, cooking, painting, newspaper rustling, fireworks going off -- and all of it happening at once. It's too obvious and dramatically weak... Plus, Stewart really hasn't found his feet yet as a star actor. On the other hand, both Barrymore and Arnold give delightfully strong performances, and Jean Arthur is *always* easy on the eyes. Even when slightly muddled, Capra is still better than practically anything coming out comedywise from Hollywood today. A charming 'Thirties comedy.

Classic Capra Comedy!
The rich young son of an esteemed banker (Jimmy Stewart) falls in love with his secretary (Jean Arthur). His family disapproves, but graciously agree to meet with his girlfriend's family. Jean Arthur wishes to plan the meeting as an elegant dinner with her family's eccentricities somewhat constrained. When her boyfriend and his parents show up on the wrong day, all hell breaks loose. Jean Arthur's wise grandfather and patriarch of the family (Lionel Barrymore) helps sets things aright with his harmonica and a little sound advice. This hilarious classic pits an eccentric middle class family against their snobbish upper-crust potential in-laws. You'll roll on the floor laughing at Stewart's "scream" scene, the Russian ballet teacher, the jail-cell and courtroom sequence and more. One of Frank Capra's best!

Great film, Poor DVD
First of all, this film is great, and deserves to be owned by any classic movie fan. It has some of the greatest stars that have ever been on-screen, together! This is easily a favourite of mine, with Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore AND Frank Capra, you cant go wrong with watching this.

This film easily deserves the 5 stars, but I take one away because of this very disappointing release from Columbia on DVD. Many of Columbia's releases of classic movies on DVD have been poor ('Awful Truth' comes straight to mind) while others have great releases ('It Happened One Night' for an example).

I will start with the picture quality. It is full of scratching, throughout the film, and in all honesty, it does kind of look like a video. Still, saying this, it is actually watchable, but what a poor effort.

Now for the sound. Ok, this is the real problem. The sound is really quite bad. It is full of hissing, and becomes annoying. Its listenable, but oh, they could have done a lot better here.

The extras. Well, there isnt much to say really, is there? There are nothing for you on this disc.

This DVD is worth getting, but I only say this because of the film itself. What a poor release for such a wonderful film. Hopefully, Columbia will re-release this soon, with a better print, better sound, and some decent extras. If only this could have been more like their release of Capra's other classic, 'It Happened One Night'.

Dont avoid this DVD, but just dont expect much.

PLEASE NOTE: Since I am in England, I own the Region 2 release. It appears to be no different to this Region 1 release though.

very good movie
I'm playing a character in the play that this movie is based on, and so I watched this DVD to get a hint of what it could look like. First, the story is excellent! Do what you want in life; don't work your whole life doing something you hate! That is basically the Sycamore family's philosophy. But when the younger daughter in this household falls in love with the son of the wealthy Kirby family, trouble brews, landing the Kirbys and Sycamores both in jail! In the end, Kirby Sr. learns that maybe the Sycamores have something and gives the young couple his blessing, leaving everybody happy. The play is a little different from the movie, but with the addition of a simple harmonica, the movie is able to give the viewer a wonderful feeling in the end and reinforces the fact that everyone should do what makes him or her happy in life! I will say that the quality of the movie is not the greatest at times, but that's to be expected since it is an older movie. Other than that, it's great!

Warm & Wonderful
This is a gem of a movie. It's all madness & mayhem on the surface, and warm & cozy underneath. Like most of Frank Capra's movies, this is a morality play. The filmaker continues his favorite theme, downplaying the materalistic and embracing the things that really matter, love, both romantic & platonic, friends & family. This type of material might be a preachy bore in the hands of a person less skilled than Frank Capra, but he makes it work. Not only does it work, but the movie is hilarious. The cast is excellent, starring Lionel Barrymore, I would say at his best, but I never saw anything he was in where he wasn't great. Jimmy Stewart plays one of his nice guys here to the max & is terrific also. The rest of the cast is excellent as well. I especially loved the "mad Russian" played by Mischa Auer. Eddie Anderson steals every scene he's in whether he's speaking or not.
All in all, it's a fine ensemble cast, everyone is very good. Do yourself a favor, if you have an opportunity to see this, please do! ... Read more

Reviews (72)

Doris and Rock's best movie
Without a doubt, this film is the apex of the Rock and Doris screen collaboration. It's an absolute delight from the opening scenes until the credits roll. It's also a wonderful time machine of the 1950's, and even though I was born after this film was made, it always make me feel as if I experienced this decade first-hand. Doris Day had a charisma on screen that is indescribable and it's never been put to better use than here. You just want to hug her to bits, she's simply adorable and her character makes the film. Rock gives one of his best peformances and he was always better when Doris was around. They screen chemistry is fabulous, exceeded only by Tracy and Hepburn. It's obvious these were two people who liked each other and felt comfortable in each other's company. Thelma Ritter and Tony Randall give superb supporting performances.

Another wonderful thing about Pillow Talk is that it's still extremely funny. There are many scenes where you will laugh out loud. The entire interplay between Doris and Rock (when he's Rex Stetson) is hilarious and holds up beautifully. Another favorite scene is when Rock is confronted with his re-designed apartment, all at the hands of the scheming Doris.

They don't make 'em like this anymore. People of all ages should love this film. I watch it every few years and always find something new to admire or laugh about. A highly recommended and enjoyable movie. One word about the DVD version: I was disappointed in the quality, it's a little grainy. There are also not many extras, excepting the theatrical trailer.

A Comic Inspiration...To Me!
Of all the classic comedies that starred Doris Day and Rock Hudson, or the two stars with other co-stars, this remains my favorite.The legendary late Rock Hudson was at his peak in this romantic comedy, and who better to showcase his charms against, than quintessential girl-next-door, Doris Day. Hudson thrives on his ability to charm indeed, as a songwriter named Brad Allen. Brad is a love-em and leave-em kind of guy, who entertains a seemingly endless array of lovesick females at his well equipped bachelor pad. He also sings to them over the phone for hours on end, tying up the telephone party-line he shares with Jan Morrow, interior designer, enter a perturbed Doris Day. Every time Jan picks up the phone, she hears Brad sing "You're My Inspiration...", and always with a new girls' name attached to the end. Flabbergasted at his womanizing, she sends a phone company rep to have a word with Mr. Allen, only to find that she TOO has fallen for the tall dark and handsome playboy. .............. Jan tells her boyfriend of sorts played by the wonderful veteran comedy legend Tony Randall, about her dialing dilemma. Randall, as always, plays himself. He's neat, dapper and proper, as not only Jan's boyfriend, but Brad Allen's friend and boss as well. After extoling the virtues of Jan to Brad, and mentioning that she shares a party-line with "some nut", describing the singing phone routine, Brad is too curious to find out what Randall is so wild about. After Brad Allen finally glimpses Jan Morrow dancing at a club, and sees the other end of his party line is not the shrew he expected, he sets out for his sweetest conquest of all................ "Pillow Talk" is a timeless gem of classic comedy. Amazingly, it was considered quite risque in it's time. This only goes to show just how jaded the world and cinema has become since 1959. Rock Hudson was actually embarrassed, and nearly declined the role. We can speculate in retrospect why he felt that way, but no one could've been a better cad than Rock as Brad! The one and only Doris Day is sweet as sunshine, until the duped decorator delighfully disarms Mr. Allen's charms, leaving him, for the first time, really in love with someone other than himself. Thelma Ritter is amusing as Jan's perpetually hung-over housekeeper. It's a truly comic moment when Ritter counsels Brad over a few too many drinks on how to win Jan over, and Hudsons' head hits the table with a thud, while Ritter babbles on oblivous to her companions condition. Tony Randall is his classic prim self, and laugh out loud funny, as he storms into his own place to rescue Jan from the smug seducer huffing the line "At least you could have had the DECENCY...to bring your OWN champagne!" .............. There are too many wonderful moments in this film to cover them all. If you somehow haven't, it's far better for you to enjoy watching this long lost genre of the innocent, fun, fresh feel-good romantic comedy, and experience first hand, the pure delight it has to offer in abundance.

Wonderful comedy of 3 Hollywood Stars with amazing chemistry
I grew up knowing about Doris Day because my mother was/is a big fan of her comedies. When I first saw "Pillow Talk" I was a mere child (the film was made the same year I was born). Over the years I have watched it frequently, and now have it also on DVD. The film continues to entertain and delight me, even as my impressions have changed with time.

Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall had a wonderfully delightful chemistry amongst them! From the opening where Doris is humming "Pillow Talk" after the intro is completed, to the far-fetched but humourous end when Brad Allen (Rock) is trying to tell his friend Jonathan that he is going to be a father, the film is simply splendidly performed throughout! Credit must also be given to the script writers Stanley Shapiro & Maurice Richlin, director Michael Gordon & Producer Ross Hunter.

Even though I was born the year "Pillow Talk" was made, I didn't even know party lines existed until I visited a great-aunt in Northern Minnesota. I remember picking up the phone and hearing people talk. WHAT A DISCOVERY! It put the film in a new context for me when I saw it later (I am not sure if I had seen it before). I suspect that the younger generation might not understand even the notion of party lines in our age of cellular phones and internet. In this regard, the film takes us back to a less techonologically advanced time, but a time where life seemed somehow more relaxed.

I delight in seeing New York City, Central Park, and the American automobiles in the 1959 frame of context. One question that pops into my mind: did people in NYC really have such big apartments with a single woman living alone, and still affording a maid to come in each day??? Was the maid really paid enough to make a living from it? Did NYC really have that sort of "everyone knows everyone" feel such as when Kelly the police officer congratulates Brad Allen as he carries Jan Morrow from her apartment to his? I doubt it, but the fantasy is lovely!

Rock Hudson did a really fun impression of a Texan rancher up in New York. Tony Randall was extremely funny as the self-deprecating multi-millionaire in love with Jan, and Doris simply glowed from beginning to end. The last few times I have watched it, which has been recently, I have been struck by the sexual frankness it explored. Brad the playboy, always luring in the beautiful women, Jan the wonderfully moral interior decorator, who shakes her tush in a very sexy manner at a nightclub when Brad first spots her, and the budding romance that develops between the two when he becomes "Rex Stetson", a cowboy from Texas. "Rex" playing the moral companion who would do nothing to offend the proper Miss Morrow, while inside he is sizing her up and biting at the bit to ... well bite at her bits? When the gig is almost up, "Rex" innocently suggests that Jan join him for a weekend in Connecticut. While there was no actual sex occuring, it is made clear that it was about to happen when Jan figures out the ruse Brad Allen has played on her. Hollywood, perhaps afraid of the extent of this sexual frankness, has Miss Morrow crying at the diner where she and Jonathan stop for coffee, saying "I thought we were going to get married." Good girl image preserved!

Later, when Brad Allen conspires with Jan's boss to have her redecorate his apartment, the scene of the music beginning to play and the double bed automatically folding out with sheets in place left no doubt what sort of life Brad led prior to falling in love with Jan. He was a playboy through and through and measured success by the quantity of women he successfully "entertained" at home. Growing up believing that promiscuous sexuality was a by-product of the late 60's counter culture movement and "summer of love", it struck me how direct and unambigious this scene was. However, in a very moral and virginal way, Jan's virtues are protected until she hears that Brad wants to marry her and in fact, loves her very deeply.

I am particularly fond of stories where romance changes a person for the good. Being an adult and a male, however, I wonder if such a womanizing playboy could and would remain ever faithful to the woman he loves for all eternity and never feel the need to stray again. It is fun, however, to believe that love was the true redemptor and that Brad and Jan lived happily ever after. Isn't this the great promise of romance AND fairy tales.
In both genres, Pillow Talk succeeds beyond measure and I love it more each time I see it.

P.S. The music is great too. Love "Roly Poly", "Possess Me" and of course, the theme song!

funny!
This is truely one of the funnier Doris Day movies. I enjoy watching it. The first time I saw it was on tv and I just loved it. It's funny and it has a storyline that isn't tired and boring. I would reccomend this movie to anybody who likes musical comedies. The only thing I disliked a bout this movie was that Rock Hudson had to sing. He wasn't too great!

Pillow Talk
Rock Hudson and Doris Day always been one of my favorite classic couples of the 1950s films. Pillow Talk is one of my top titles for their team up. When an uptight decorator share a party line with a carefree playboy who would know that when they meet it would end up love at almost first sight. The late Tony Randall always seem to play the man stuck in the middle of the two in so many of their films that he's a terrfic straight man comic addition. ... Read more

Reviews (66)

Satire, Sex, The Cold War...And Rock & Roll!
This movie is an excellent time-capsule for the end of the late '50's/early'60's rock n' roll era. (It came out in 1963, just a few months before the Beatles hit our shores & changed everything forever.)

It's got everything:

An Elvis-like rock n' roll sex-machine on a motorcycle, check!

Cold War political satire, check!

A spoof of middle-class American values, check!

Young, gorgeous Ann-Marget, check & check again!

I was born too late to experience this time period & I haven't actually seen the Broadway original from 1960 with Chita Rivera in the Janet Leigh role. But this movie is a fast-paced, witty musical-comedy. I know the 1995 version sticks closer to the original story, but I think that version plays too much into the whole "nostalgia"-thing....an element that was NOT a part of any show actually made back then. That version was also slow & not very funny.

This version is great! A lot has been said about the music, but the comedy hasn't got much attention. The humor manages to be suggestive without being vulgar. It's kind of like reading an old issue of MAD Magazine, but this is acted out!

If you want laughs every second, great songs & great dancing, as well as a humorous glimpse as to what American attitudes were like back then, then this 1963 version is for you!

It's "Honestly Sincere!"

this is my favorite movie
this is my favorite movie of all time. i love the music. even the intro and ending with ann margret are awsome!!! the movie is so funny, the overly ed sullivan obsessive family has a sex idol staying at their house. then theres the perfect blue collar boyfriend with a bad hair cut i must say, that is soo jelous of conrad because he thinks kim likes conrad more then him. of course she doesn't its a movie but a boy can dream can't he? alberts mother is hilarious, no one could have been more perfect for the part same goes for kim's father.
i refuse to see the new version because i think the old one is so great that it would totally ruin the movie altogether. i think everyone should go out and rent it.

Disappointing
Although the movie has its moments, it pales in comparison to the television version starring Jason Alexander and Vanessa Williams (a version that was, at one time, avaialable on VHS). The problem with the Ann-Margret version is that the movie is a vehicle for Ann-Margret; unfortunately, the original story gets lost in the process. The television movie also features several new and outstanding tunes; both should be available on DVD!

Pretty lame
I notice that most people did not find the review from "moviesmusic" to be helpful, but in retrospect -- it was the most useful review there (had I only read it BEFORE purchasing this DVD). I love a good musical but I really found this one to be lame. Other than "Put on a Happy Face" and maybe "Kids" -- the songs were nothing special (or worse). I was amazed to see moviemusic's version of the Conrad Birdie song about being sincere because I too found that to be one of the most shockingly awful parts of the movie -- and "moviemusic" reviewer is not lying about the lyrics!

It's not the worst movie I ever saw and obviously some people like it but there are so many far better musicals out there and I found this one to be bad enough that I consider it a waste of money and time. I admit that I think my 4-year old girl might like it -- but she would probably like anything with music and colors -- however lame. My 13-year old son enjoyed watching the "I'm sincere" song with me and we (along with my husband) had a good laugh about how AWFUL it was! So, in that respect, the movie delivered some laughs.

If you love Ann-Margret I say get "Viva Las Vegas" instead and don't watch an "Elvis-like" character -- watch the real thing. The energy between Margret and Presley and their dance numbers in that movie are great -- and while that movie is a little corny too, I thoroughly enjoyed it (unlike Bye Bye Birdie).

Just to help you know my taste in musicals so you can see whether we are on the same page and whether you should heed my review -- Some musicals I have liked: The King and I; Camelot; Oklahoma; Tammy and the Bachelor; Sound of Music; Mary Poppins; Singin' in the Rain; White Christmas; An American in Paris; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Some Like it Hot; Jail House Rock (and several other Elvis musicals); My Fair Lady; All that Jazz; and more recently "Chicago." I did not particularly like "Damn Yankees" but didn't dislike it as much as Bye Bye Birdie. OK, well maybe you won't find this review useful either but at least I will have offered support to my apparent soulmate!

Even my kids love it!
I originally bought this movie because our school was going to put on the musical production of "Bye Bye Birdie".
As it turns out the play and the movie are quite different but each ever so enjoyable in their own way. We saw the movie first than the play and it all tied together so well whereas if you have just seen the play it seems to leave questions unanswered and doesn't seem to be "complete".
My family absolutely loves the movie! This movie is honestly my 5 year old little girl's favorite and she knows all of the words to the songs. On the other hand my mother thought it was a blah movie with lame acting--which I did as well when I first saw it.
I think that what changed my mind and why I now truly enjoy the movie now is the songs. There are songs in this movie I have heard all my life such as "Put on a Happy Face" but had no idea where they originated and they do compliment the movie perfectly. I do enjoy the acting of Ann Margaret, Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh and the rest of the actors as there are some true greats in this movie which make it worth watching just on that merit alone.
The entire movie is filled with humor, great songs, and well it is just plain wholesome fun! I love the movies from the 50's and 60's and "Bye Bye Birdie" is the epitome of what the era was reminiscent of.
It's definately worth seeing-maybe you'll love it or maybe you'll hate it but you'll never know if you don't try! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Charming movie
I've seen this movie quite a few times now over the years, and why not wright a little review of this wild and crazy classic. it actally isnt as silly as most of the jerry lewis films, this is serious at times, and has alote of fine actors in it.
Jerry Lewis plays (as almost always) a nice and friendly chap, but clumsy who just can't seem to do anything right.
In this movie he is working at a big store, a huge store. and everything goes wrong! almost anyway. alote of fun scenes. not just a couple. i laughed many times through the movie. this is a fun and crazy jerry comedy, i think its one of the best jerry lewis movies. (atleast of what ive seen so far)
oh, and by the way, check out that beatiful secretary "Shirley", oh mama! i wish she had played a bigger role! and don't you just love the movie title? check it out.

Physical Comedy At Its Finest!
This is the first movie Jerry Lewis appeared in after his masterpiece "The Nutty Professor." Freed from the chores of writing and directing this film, Jerry turns in one of his finest performances. Norman Phiffier (Jerry Lewis) lives his life according to the philosophy that honesty is the best policy. He is a dog walker and dog sitter in love with Barbara (the beautiful Jill St. John). He believes that she is just an elevator operator at Tuttle's Department Store but, in reality, she's the daughter of the store owner and heiress to the Tuttle fortune. Her mother Phoebe (Agnes Moorehead) disapproves of Norman and doesn't want her daughter to marry him. Determined to break up their romance, she instructs the store manager Mr. Quimby (Ray Walston) to hire Norman to work in Tuttle's Department Store and give him the worst possible jobs. He first assigns Norman to paint the tip of the flagpole hanging outside the ninth floor window. Norman tries to climb out on the pole and almost falls to his death. He comes up with the bright idea of putting a paint brush at the end of a fishing pole. To paint the bottom, he enters the office of the store's president John Tuttle (John McGiver). John is a henpecked husband whose wife really runs the store. Since John is busying himself by putting golf balls, Norman takes him to a machine that electronically measures how far you hit the golf ball. When Norman hits the ball it flies out the window, hits a traffic cop on the head, keeps bouncing around and knocking things over, and eventually lands back on the tee and explodes!

One of Norman's jobs is working in the women's shoe department. Mr. Quimby has hired a lady wrestler to come in and try on a pair of shoes much too small for her foot size. Norman tries to force the shoes on her feet and they end up getting knocked to the floor. She gets Norman in a headlock, picks him up and flings him over the counter. Looking closely, it's plain to see that it's Jerry and not a stunt double flying over the counter! After getting stomped on, Norman gets thrown into a huge rack of shoe boxes, which crash through the window and land on the same traffic cop who earlier got hit with the golf ball! In another scene, Norman is working in the men's clothing department on the morning that they're having a 50% off sale. As soon as the doors open, a crowd of stampeding women converge on the clothes, grabbing every article of clothing in sight. They even pull off most of Norman's clothes! There are many other departments Norman has to work in, all ending with disastrous results.

My favorite scene involves a rich woman, carrying her Chihuahua and accompanied by her manservant, who is bringing an old vacuum to the store to be repaired. Mrs. Tuttle appears with Mr. Quimby to observe the proceedings. Norman rewires the vacuum to increase its suction. The vacuum becomes so powerful that it starts moving on its own, sucking up everything in sight, including the old lady's dog and Mrs. Tuttle's wig! Norman is unable to switch off the vacuum or even unplug it, so the vacuum's bag keeps getting bigger and bigger, and eventually floats up to the ceiling! Norman ends up climbing a ladder and sticking a knife into the bag. The resulting explosion of dirt and debris is hilarious, as the Chihuahua plops back into the old lady's arms. Norman puts the dirty, dust covered wig back on Mrs. Tuttle, who promptly fires him. Mr. Tuttle, accompanied by his daughter Barbara, come to Norman's aid and Norman finally learns that Barbara is the Tuttle's daughter. Proud and determined to make it on his own, Norman quits and goes back to being a dog walker. The last scene involves Norman walking a large number of dogs. First Barbara, then her father, and finally her mother go by also walking many dogs and wearing jackets that say I'M SORRY. They all round a corner out of sight. The next thing you hear are the screeching of brakes and the sounds of cars crashing. The last shot is of the poor traffic cop, surrounded by wrecked cars and barking dogs. "Who's Minding The Store?" is, without a doubt, one of the funniest movies Jerry Lewis has ever done!

Hilarious but...3 stars for format
No need to review the film which is a comedy gem...just the format:
The film starts in widescreen, unusual for a video tape. And just when you're getting used to it, the opening credits end and it reverts back to fullscreen(!)
To add insult to injury, the end credits are not even included, the movie simply ends! So much for finding out who the actors were.......

C'mon Paramount...how about the full version on DVD?

THE BEST PART WAS WHEN JERRY WAS WITH THAT BIG SHEEPDOG
I GOT TO OPEN A PRESENT EARLY-AND IT WAS 3 JERRY LEWIS VIDEOS-WHOS MINDING THE STORE-ROCK A BYE BABY-THE NUTTY PROFESSER!

WHOS MINDING THE STORE IS ABOUT A DOGWALKER WHO ALSO DOG-SITS WHEN THE DOGS OWNERS ARE AWAY-BUT WHEN A MEAN WOMAN WHO OWNS A DEPARTMENT STORE FINDS OUT HER DAUGHTER IS GOING TO MARRY THIS LOSER SHE HIRES HIM TO WORK AT HER STORE AND GIVE HIM TOUGH JOBS-SHE EVEN HAS HIM FIRED!

I WOULD RECCOMEND THIS MOVIE TO ANY JERRY LEWIS FAN!

Who's Better than Jerry?
THIS MOVIE IS ONE OF JERRY'S GREATEST, GREAT SUPPORTING CAST & A GREAT GAG DIRECTOR, FRANK TASHLIN...NO COMEDY OF TODAY EVEN COMES CLOSE TO THIS ONE...ONE OF THE KING OF COMEDY'S GREATEST! ... Read more

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Clifton Webb brings the imperious fussiness that made him a prissy film noir icon in such films as Laura and The Dark Corner to the role of Lynn Belvedere, the self-proclaimed genius who takes a position nannying a trio of bratty boys. This professed child-hating bachelor proves to be a godsend for flustered parents Maureen O'Hara and Robert Young. Within days his unconventional mix of child psychology and strict discipline tames the three rambunctious boys--faced with an infant who insi