Starring Yves Montand, Marilyn Monroe, Tony Randall, and Frankie Vaughan
Directed by George Cukor
Music and Lyrics by various
Grable wasn't the only Fox blonde who had trouble with her career in the 50's and early 60's. Monroe was one of the most beloved stars in the world and an icon of beauty and sexuality by 1960, but what she wanted was to be a respected actress. Her increasing frustrations were drowned in liquor, drugs, and troubled marriages. Monroe had just come from the wildly successful Some Like It Hot. Originally, her next movie was to have been The Misfits, written by her then-husband Arthur Miller, but Fox was so delighted with Hot that they held her to her contract and rushed her into something lighter. Montand, who appeared in a French version of Miller's The Crucible, replaced Gregory Peck when Miller came on to shift the focus to Monroe's character.
There were problems from the start. Monroe didn't want to do the movie and thought the script was awful, Montand didn't speak English well, and two strikes disrupted filming. With all that, how does the story of a French businessman who joins a revue making fun of him and falls for its leading lady look today? Let's begin with an opening prologue revealing the history of the billionaire Clement family and its current scion, Jean-Marc (Montand), and find out...
The Story: Clement's publicity man Alexander Kaufman (Randall) reports that an off-Broadway revue has a sketch that makes fun of his playboy lifestyle. Intrigued, he goes to the theater to see what it's all about. He's immediately smitten with leading lady Amanda Dell (Monroe) and accepts a role in the show when director Oliver Burton (David Burns) thinks he's an actor. Clement is jealous of Amanda's attention to the show's male lead Tony Danton (Vaughan) and hires Milton Berle, Bing Crosby, and Gene Kelly (themselves) to teach him how to really put over a performance. He even ends up backing the show when one of his employees tries to end the show by raising the rent on the theater. He still, however, has to tell Amanda the truth about who he is and why he's there...
The Song and Dance: If nothing else, Monroe has far more chemistry with Montand than bossy Barbara Streisand would have with him a decade later in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. They make a surprisingly lovely couple. In fact, poor English aside, he's rather charming as the French businessman who learns just how much fun and hard work show business can be. The soft DeLuxe Color and attractive costumes (including Monroe's infamous sweater dress in the opening number) adds a great deal to the fluffy story.
Favorite Number: We're introduced to Amanda in the Cole Porter standard "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." Monroe slides around poles in that short sweater dress and not much else as men in tank tops pant around her. Vaughan's introductory number is a slightly re-written "Give Me the Simple Life." He also sings about how Monroe has those "Crazy Eyes" that do wild things to him.
He and Monroe sing about how "Specialization" can make one a major success in show business. This is the weird number with Monroe strutting around in a wide sequined gown and an embarrassed Clement coming out in his fancy tuxedo to crow like a rooster. Bing Crosby teaches Clement how to be "Incurably Romantic." We then get Clement wooing Amanda with it, only to be supplanted by Danton. The title song is heard three times, over the credits with Monroe and the chorus, as part of the show with Monroe and Vaughan, and towards the end with Monroe and Montand.
Trivia: In addition to Peck, Yul Brunner, Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, and Charlton Heston were all offered the role that eventually went to Montand.
Remake of the 1937 backstage musical On the Avenue.
What I Don't Like: Monroe has a point about the script. While she and Montand are charming together, the movie around them is silly, dull, overlong fluff. Of the numbers, only "Daddy" works out well. Most of them are filmed on dark, mostly empty stages. Milton Berle does have a few funny moments teaching Montand how to handle a joke, but Kelly and Crosby have far less to do and are barely seen. Randall could have more to do, too. You can tell Jack Cole is once again in charge of the choreography. Some of the numbers are bizarre to the point of being ridiculous, notably the rather goofy "Specialization."
The Big Finale: It's too bad this would be Monroe's last musical and her second-to-last movie. I wish she'd ended her musical career (and Montand had begun his) on a better note. Only for the most devoted fans of either of the leads.
Home Media: DVD and Blu-Ray are currently fairly expensive. If you must see this, you may be better off streaming it.
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