Doris Day and Lucille Ball team up for the hilarious Have I Got A Story To Tell You (1960)

Doris Day and Lucille Ball are a perfect pair in the comedy, Have I Got A Story To Tell You. The story has our two gals as rival bookstore owners who are forced to team up to stop a major bookstore chain from pushing their small stores out of the picture. Doris plays Lucy Street, whose store is called The Happy Book Store. Lucy plays Ann Morgan, whose store is called Friends and Books. Their stores are located right across the street from one another and have been for over 10 years. Lucy and Ann are respectful of each other and even share coffee every now and then but for the most part remain rivals. That is until major chain Big City Books seeks to expand their chain by opening up a store right in their small town of Kanesville, Colorado. They send their best PR man, Jerry McQueen (played by Tony Curtis) to convince the ladies that this is the best option for their businesses and town. Lucy and Ann band together to declare war on Big City Books but Jerry with his smooth talking ways tries to convince them otherwise. Jerry ends up romancing both women who fall hard until they come to their senses. When Jerry fails at his job, the president of Big City Books, Mr. Langford (Claude Rains) comes to town to handle the deal himself. 

Lucy as Ann Morgan

This is a simple comedy that may be light on story but great on chemistry between Day and Ball. It's a treat to see these two women converse and engage in pratfalls and getting one up on romeo Tony Curtis. It has a breezy run time of only 90 minutes but there are great comic scenes. Including the opening scene where both Lucy and Ann arrive at work to their respective stores and kind of mirror each other. It's a funny scene that lets both actresses mimic each other wonderfully. And then the scenes where Tony Curtis tries to seduce both women are funny as well. Have I Got A Story To Tell You is worth a look.

Tony Curtis and Doris Day

Cast:
Doris Day.................Lucy Street
Lucille Ball................Ann Morgan
Tony Curtis...............Jerry McQueen
Mr. Langford............Claude Rains
Patsy Kelly...............Esther
Pamela Tiffin.............Jilly

Oh btw in case people start scratching their heads about this movie, this is another in my series of fantasy films I just thought of and posted. In short, it doesn't exist. Just a fun exercise for me to work my imagination! Hope you guys liked it.

Note for my 31 Stars in 31 Days schedule

Since my little event has each of the three stars pictured above scheduled 
for a certain day, it's a safe bet to say that I'll be watching 
The Great Race at some point and time

Just wanted to mention one little thing about my upcoming 31 Stars in 31 Days schedule. I'm still going to do it but just to be clear, it will be one day behind. I will watch the movie of the particular star the day of but won't write about it until the following day. So I can critique it properly. Say for instance Cary Grant is my star for Wednesday August 1st, I will watch a film of his that night then post about it on August 2nd. I will follow that pattern for the entire month. So my girl Carole Lombard, who is slated for August 31st, will be my final write-up on September 1st. Just wanted to let everyone know that in advance. 

My love of classic films is beyond measure

(in any language)

Monty

At The Beach: Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis

What a lovely couple!

All Good Things presents Cinematic World Tour 2012 Blogathon

Looks like Cary and Eva are all set...

Everybody has taken a vacation at one time or another. Traveling from your hometown to another state or even country. By car, train or plane, enjoying the sights and making new friends along the way. Of course there are always some hiccups along the way, such as lost luggage, snooty hotel clerks, flight delays, etc. But the overall experience makes up for all that. So I decided to do a blogathon based solely on that. Taking a page from TCM's recent Around the World with Oscar, I am inviting all my friends to plan a fantasy summer vacation using classic movies. Choose a particular destination, like New York or England, and write about movies that use those places as their location. Say you plan to visit Florida, would you stay at the hotel in Key Largo or Miami Beach (Some Like It Hot)? Or maybe Aunt Elizabeth could put you up at her nice home in Connecticut (Bringing Up Baby). Or visit the scenic Big Sur (The Sandpiper). Or travel abroad to England, France or Australia. You can choose as many places as you want, just depends on how much traveling you plan on doing. Load them up with plenty of pics and let us know where you stayed at, and what was on your itinerary. Be as creative as possible. And unlike most blogathons, which usually last a weekend or a week, this one will last all summer long. So your tickets will be open-ended. Beginning Memorial Day on Monday, May 28th and running through Labor Day on Monday, September 3rd. So you can post as many times over this summer. And I hope to have this as a recurring series each and every summer. I will be thinking of where I will take my vacation this year. I actually think we may get to visit New York for real with a friend, so I may add that destination to my cinematic post. And if we don't make the trip, then I will have the movies set in New York to rave about. Just leave a comment here on this post or email me if you wish to join in on the fun. Oh and have your passport and cameras ready! I will post more details before everyone starts taking their vacations. Giving you plenty of time to decide the places you want to visit. And I won't restrict it just to classic films. Some modern films and their locations are gladly welcomed!

Hopefully we won't be engaged in a 'Great Race' while traveling...

come to think of it, that might be fun



At The Beach: Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis

Janet and Tony snuggling at a beach somewhere.....

Movie Quote - OPERATION PETTICOAT

Lt. Nicholas Holden: When I was a kid, I was the victim of the most vicious propaganda. People told me that money wasn't everything and I believed it. Then I found out that the people that were telling me that money wasn't everything were the people who had a lot of money. Now there are two ways you can get money. You can steal it, or you can marry it.

RIP Tony Curtis (1925-2010)

One of my favorite actors, Tony Curtis has passed away at the age of 85. He had a cardiac arrest in his home on Wednesday night, according to his daughter Jamie Lee Curtis. He will be missed greatly. My favorite movies of his inlcude Some Like It Hot, Operation Petticoat, The Defiant Ones, The Great Race, Sex and the Single Girl, and The Rat Race. Extremely underrated as an actor because of his good looks and effortless appeal, Tony proved he can handle the dramatic roles as well as his comedy roles. Just check him out in The Defiant Ones and The Boston Strangler.

The Great Race (1965)

The Great Race was on TCM last night as part of their Natalie Wood tribute and this epic comedy is still tremendously funny. The story of a go for broke automobile race in 1908 between dashing good guy Sir Leslie (a charming Tony Curtis) and arch-rival Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon in a terrific performance). The race begins in New York and goes to Paris by way of Siberia. Along for the ride is Leslie's right hand man Hezekiah (played by Keenan Wynn) and Fate's sidekick Max (Peter Falk). Also on board is TCM's star of the month Natalie Wood as Maggie Dubois (who is my favorite Natalie role she ever did....funny, sexy and take charge). Lemmon also does double duty as a royal prince. The Great Race is one of my favorite films as it has a constant barrage of slapstick and pratfalls and anything else you could want in a comedy. It's very large in scale, comparable to It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World and it features several cameos inlcuding Vivian Vance, Dorothy Provine, Larry Storch, Denver Pyle, and Ross Martin. It also features a rousing and amusing film score, the Professor Fate theme is to die for. It's awesome seeing Curtis and Lemmon paired up again after their classic Some Like It Hot. And great to see Natalie Wood in an all out comedy. I truly believe that comedy was her best genre even though she was very good in dramas too. I just enjoy her more in comedies like The Great Race. And wonderfully directed by Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther).While the film runs well over 2 and a half hours, it never drags. It will keep you entertained the entire time. One of the best comedies ever made.
B+

Memorable Quotes:

Max: We gotta do something.
Professor Fate: Oh, don't worry. Before this iceberg melts and we drown like rats, we're going to do plenty.
Max: Yeah? What?
Professor Fate: We're gonna starve!
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Maggie DuBois: You mean amazing because I'm a woman.
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Professor Fate: The eternal struggle takes time, Max.

Notes:

This movie is loosely based on an actual 1908 New York-to-Paris race. "The Leslie Special", four of which were built for the movie, was a loose interpretation of the 1907 Thomas Flyer that won the real race.


In the film's press kit, Natalie Wood divulges that she took fencing lessons, sidesaddle lessons and practiced smoking cigars, but her biggest challenge was driving the Stanley Steamer. The steering was difficult ("like turning a tractor, I suspect", she says) and going into reverse was nearly impossible.


During the pie throwing scene there is a running gag that The Great Leslie remains clean while everyone else is covered in pie. Tony Curtis was required to change clothes several times when he was accidentally splattered with debris from a pie that had hit someone else.


The pies used during the pie throwing scene were real, containing fruit, custard, whipped cream and other ingredients. Following this scene the crew devoured more than 300 leftover pies.

Some Like It Hot - Running Wild

Don't Make Waves (1967) is frothy fun...60's style

This is one of those movies not too many people may know about. I saw it the other night on TCM and liked it. It's not the usual 60's style sex comedy with tons of laughs or really much deep thought. Actually it's kinda weird in certain scenes but it held my interest the entire time. Tony Curtis plays New Yorker Carlo Cofield, newly arrived in Southern California, who while stopping at the local beach, has one hell of a day. He runs into quirky artist Laura (played by Claudia Cardinale) who manages to send Carlo's car running downhill off the side of the road, crashing and burning. He loses all his belongings and once Laura finds out it was her fault, does the only sensible thing...she takes him home with her. Of course Laura has a sugar daddy...a married executive named Rod Prescott (played by Robert Webber) who takes offense to Carlo being there. Well Rod kicks Carlo out, who has to sleep on the beach overnight. The next day Carlo goes swimming in the beach and gets promptly knocked out by oncoming surfers. He is pulled from the water and given CPR by a lovely girl named Malibu, who also happens to be a sky diver...it could happen (love the name and she is played by Sharon Tate). Carlo immediately is smitten with her and puts in motion a plan to seduce her. All he is to do is avoid her boyfriend Harry, a hulk of a body-builder. In the meantime, Carlo finagles his way into Rod's office and secures a job through blackmail. If Rod doesn't agree, Carlo goes straight to his wife Diane (wonderfully played by Joanna Barnes). So Carlo is now in the business of selling pools, which is very lucrative in California. And has to deal with three beguiling women. Everyone ends up at Carlo's hillside house during a severe rainstorm and eventual mudslide. A lot happens in this movie doesn't it? Like I said it's not the greatest but it does have it's moments. And the cast is very easy on the eyes. Curtis is in tip top shape as he has several scenes sans his shirt. And he gets most of the best lines in this movie. He even has a scene with Tate jumping from a airplane doing a skydive. Well Carlo passes out because he looses his parachute and it's one of the funniest reactions you will ever see. The women all are stunning especially Cardinale. Tate looks great too, but her part is very under-demanding. Joanna Barnes delivers the best performance of the three as the much put upon wife who is smarter than everyone else in the movie except maybe for Curtis. So all in all Don't Make Waves is a diverting comedy that will pass the time quite quickly at 97 minutes. Two sidenotes, the musical score is by Vic Mizzy, who did the Green Acres TV show score. And Jim Backus shows up with his wife and they play themselves in a cool little scene as Carlo tries to sell them a pool. Backus even gets to do a Mr. Magoo impression. Like I said a lot of stuff happens in this movie.