If a Man Answers (4 stars)

If a Man Answers, from 1962, is a totally adorable romantic comedy starring real-life couple Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin.  Taking on supporting roles in this sweet little film are John Lund, Micheline Presle, and Cesar Romero.

Socialite Chantal Stacy (Sandra Dee) is out to get a husband, and photographer Eugene Wright (Bobby Darin) is her target.  Eugene, though, insists that he loves bachelorhood and that it is the ideal state for him.  Not to be put off by Eugene's "I'll never settle down" attitude, Chantal gets to work on the man's heart, and before long, Mr. "Marriage Isn't For Me" is standing before the preacher, saying "I do."

Though she and Eugene are married, Chantal feels a bit ignored, so upon the advice of her French mother (Micheline Presle), she sets out to train Eugene to be exactly what she wants him to be.  Using a dog-training manual, Chantal successfully turns her husband into an obedient, loving man.  Of course, no husband wants to be treated like a dog is treated; therefore, when Eugene discovers Chantal's methods, he rebels.  Determined to re-capture Eugene's attention, Chantal puts another of her mother's schemes into action, this time letting him think she is involved with another man.  Eugene isn't a fool, though, and, scheming himself, he turns the tables on Chantal, which leads to some very comical moments. Who wins the game of one-upsmanship will play out in the remainder of the film.

This really is an adorable film, and the chemistry between Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin is fabulous.  While my favorite of the Dee/Darin films is That Funny Feeling (reviewed HERE), If a Man Answers is definitely pure delight.  It's funny and sweet, and the supporting cast is wonderful.  John Lund portrays Chantal's dad, and the interaction between him and Micheline Presle (Chantal's mom) was fantastic.  I loved them about as much as Dee and Darin.  Cesar Romero is loads of fun in his role as well.  And topping it all off are Sandra Dee's gorgeous dresses!  Oh, I wish we gals still dressed like that on a daily basis!

This wonderful film is out on DVD, so it should be quite easy to track down.  Definitely try to catch it if you can; I feel sure you will enjoy every delightful, romantic minute.

Happy viewing!!

Pressure Point (4 stars)

Pressure Point, from 1962, is a hard-hitting racial/prison drama starring Sidney Poitier and Bobby Darin.  As often seemed to be the case, Mr. Poitier finds himself taking on a role in which his skin color is an issue.  Here in Pressure Point, he portrays a psychologist, and as the film begins, he reflects back to 1942, when he was practicing in a federal penetentiary.

A twenty-nine year old man (Bobby Darin), who has been sentenced to three years for sedition, is sent to the doctor because of erratic behavior and difficulty sleeping.  At the initial meeting of the two, the patient's lack of respect for the black doctor is obvious; though the doctor is irritated by the condescending atittude shown him, he is, nonetheless, determined to help the young man.

Feeling there is some deep-rooted reason for the man's aggression, the doctor questions him about his childhood, and a picture of an abusive father is brought forth.  Growing to manhood, the patient embraces the teachings of the Nazi party, giving him a hatred for blacks and Jews...a feeling that has only strengthened over time.  Believing that the purity of the white Christian stock is endangered by Negroes and Jews, he is an adamant believer in all things Nazi.

Will the doctor be able to help?  Will the patient let go of his bigotry and hatred?  These are the questions that play out in this hard-hitting drama.

Having only seen Bobby Darin in light romantic comedies, I was surprised to find how good he was in this kind of role.  I thought he was quite exceptional...really, in my mind, this was more Darin's show than Poitier's.  Yes, Mr. Poitier gave his usual wonderful performance, but I definitely feel Darin stole the show here.    It occurred to me that every Poitier film I've seen has him in a role where his skin color marks him for hatred and/or mocking.  I suppose that is to be expected given that he he made so many films in the late 50's and 60's; I wonder, though, if he ever grew weary of his characters always having to fight against the bigotry? I wonder if he would have enjoyed the chance to make a film where race wasn't an issue?   I suppose he did make films that were less "deep," but I just haven't seen any of those ones.

Unlike many of the racial dramas of that era, the cringe-inducing "n" word wasn't used one time in this film; instead, they used Negro over and over again.  Perhaps that word isn't used much nowadays, but I will certainly take it over the other "n" word.  Still, though, the man's hatred toward blacks and Jews is quite painful to watch.

While I don't believe Pressure Point is out on DVD, it is available in its entirety on YouTube.  HERE is the link if you'd like to watch this well-acted, hard-hitting film.

Happy viewing!!

That Funny Feeling (5 stars)

That Funny Feeling, from 1965, is a totally adorable romantic comedy starring Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin.  The third film that the real-life couple made together, That Funny Feeling made its TCM debut earlier this week, and I was positively thrilled to catch it (my very first viewing of this movie and, thus, my first 5-star discovery of 2012).  Easily, it ranks up there with Pillow Talk as a completely delightful romantic comedy and one of my absolute favorites.  I loved every single minute of this film and found myself smiling and laughing the whole way through.

Living as frugally as possible while she tries to get into show business, Joan Howell (Dee) shares a tiny apartment with a friend, while working as a maid on the side.  One of the apartments she cleans belongs to playboy Tom Milford (Darin), a man she has never seen before; shortly after the film begins, Joan is notifed that he is going to be out of town for ten days.

A bit later, a handsome businessman asks Joan for a date, and though the man asks Joan what she does for a living, she doesn't reveal to him that she is a maid, nor does she want him to know she lives in a tiny apartment; therefore, when he insists on seeing her home at the end of the evening, Joan comes up with the idea of calling Milford's apartment her own...after all, he's out of town, so what difference can it make?!  What a surprise to the businessman when he walks Joan to the door of his very own apartment, for he is none other than Tom Milford, whose business trip was cancelled.

At first shocked, Tom isn't quite sure what to do, but since he's convinced Joan is not a thief, he allows the charade to keep on playing out.  Joan settles in and makes the apartment more and more her own, while Tom tries to keep her from discovering that he is, in fact, Mr. Milford.

This film was an absolute delight!  Yes, it's predictable, as most romantic comedies are, but getting there was loads of fun.  Sandra Dee was a total joy to watch...so beautiful and sweet and innocent.  I was in love with her wardrobe, especially the bright green dress.

Bobby Darin was handsome and funny.  Together, I thought they were magical....great chemistry between them, which, of course, is to be expected since they were happily married at this point in their careers.

The supporting cast was alot of fun...especially Robert Strauss as a bartender.  Some of his facial expressions were hilarious.  Oh, and finally, Bobby Darin sings the theme song.

For me, That Funny Feeling is easily as wonderful a film as Pillow Talk, which is one of my favorite romantic comedies ever.  I think it's a definite must-see gem of a film, and since it's out on DVD, it should be fairly easy to track down.

Happy viewing!!

Come September (4 stars)

Come September, from 1961, is a romantic comedy starring Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida, with Sandra Dee, Bobby Darin, and Walter Slezak taking on supporting roles.  This totally adorable film is the one which began the Dee/Darin romance.  The two were married shortly after completion of Come September.

Rich American playboy, Robert Talbot (Rock Hudson), owns a villa in Italy; however, he only uses it for one month every year...in September.  The rest of the year, the villa is in the hands of his major domo, Maurice (Walter Slezak), who, unbeknownst to Talbot, has been turning it into a 5-star hotel...La Dolce Vista...for the eleven months of the year that the owner is gone.

This particular year, however, Robert returns to Italy in July instead of September, and his unannounced, unexpected visit causes much craziness, for a group of teenage girls and their chaperone are in residence.  Though Robert instructs Maurice to get the girls out immediately, since there are no vacancies in town, they have nowhere else to go.  Robert has no choice but to let them stay.

Robert has an Italian girlfriend, Lisa (Gina Lollobrigida), who, though on the verge of marrying another, hightails it over to Robert's villa the moment she learns he has returned to Italy.  Their rendezvous doesn't go as hoped, however; since the American schoolgirls are occupying so many rooms, Lisa is forced to bunk in with one of them, and it seems that every time she gets near Robert's bedroom door, the girls' chaperone is right there to make sure no inappropriate activity is taking place.  After said chaperone injures herself in a fall and requires hospitalization, Robert begins to see himself as the protector of the young ladies' virtue, especially when a group of teenage boys is suddenly underfoot and wanting to make time with the girls.

Sandra Dee portrays one of the girls, and Bobby Darin is one of the boys, and as their characters feel attraction for one another, Rock works hard to keep them apart, lest the boys cross the line of decent behavior.  However, as Rock counsels Sandra to be on guard against boys who are after only one thing, Gina begins to apply those words to Rock's and her relationship as well.

This movie is sweet and fun and a total delight.  My daughter and I recently enjoyed it for a "chick flick" movie night, and we smiled and laughed through the whole film. Rock is his usual gorgeous, fabulous, romantic comedy self.  We loved him.   Gina Lollobrigida is certainly no Doris Day, and I don't think she and Rock had anywhere near the same chemistry he shared with Doris; however, Gina is definitely beautiful, and with her being Italian, she worked  perfectly in this role. Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin were totally adorable, and seeing them, I was inspired to learn a bit more about them both.  What a shame that Darin died so young.  By the way, Darin does some singing in this movie.

Just have to say this...part of the counsel given to Sandra Dee's character was this:  "The bedroom is like a wedding gown...it's bad luck to let him see you in it before you're married."   In the sexually permissive society we live in nowadays, lines like that are laughable to us, but that's part of why I find the old movies so refreshing. 

If you are a Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Sandra Dee, or Bobby Darin  fan, I feel sure you will enjoy Come September.  The film is out on DVD, so it should be fairly easy to track down.  Also, it's available on Net Flix instant viewing. 

Happy viewing!!