After reviewing the disappointing "What Women Want", I thought back to a similar movie that did a much better job with similar characters in a similar situation. "Lover Come Back" is the middle of 3 movies starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day. I think it's the best of the 3, though not HER best.

Like the more recent Mel Gibson / Helen Hunt vehicle, Hudson and Day play Advertising executives. In both films, HE is a playboy, a manipulator and a chauvinist; SHE is a hard working but ethical professional. And 3 minutes into each film you are sure they'll end up together in the end. Unlike the newer film though, "Lover Come Back" then has another 104 minutes of entertainment.

Jerry Webster (Hudson) is the top seller at an Ad agency run by Peter Ramsey (Tony Randall). He is so good that, even if Ramsey wasn't a neurotic paranoid, Webster would still get anything he wants. Ramsey just makes that easier for him by having an extreme fear of making decisions. Webster's success comes from a combination of bikini-oriented Ads and showing the client a 'good time'. He takes client to show bars, gets them drunk, and even 'arranges' for them to meet pretty girls. All of which has nothing to do with the Ad campaign but he still manages to close the deal.

Carol Templeton (Day) is also at the top of her profession, but for a different company. She got there by working hard. She gets to know the client and comes up with a comprehensive Ad campaign designed to boost their sales. She may buy an occasional business lunch, but it's all professional.

She recently put a lot of time and effort into a potential new account, only to loose it to Webster when he wined and dined the client. This made her so mad she reported him to the government for illegal business practices.

Now he's mad, but first he's got to cover his tracks. He could be in big trouble if a certain girl testified to what she really was doing with the client that night! Luckily for Webster the hired girl (Edie Adams) is an Airhead. He convinces her not to testify by promising to make her the model for a new product. She will become the VIP girl!

He does a photo shoot and makes some ad copy to convince the girl, but in reality, there is no VIP. He made it up as part of the ploy. But one day when he is out of the office, fate works against him. Ramsey, who has been trying to make actual business decisions on the advice of his psychiatrist, finds the Ad copy and sends it out with orders for an all-out media blitz. Now VIP is everywhere and people want to buy it.

If anyone finds out it doesn't exist, Webster is doomed, so he hires a scientist to create it. Templeton finds out that Doctor Linus Tyler (Jack Kruschen) is responsible for VIP, but doesn't know it hasn't been invented yet. She visits him to try to steal the account away from Webster but as fate would have it, Webster is there and immediately pretends to be the Doctor. Having never met either, she believes him and he proceeds to take her on a wild ride as he manipulates her into providing him with many of the 'perks' that Webster would provide in order to get the account. He even convinces her that he's sexually dysfunctional and she agrees to help in 'any way' she can!

That's a little long but it's really only the setup to the best parts of the film. It would be hard to do a decent review on such a complicated plot without giving some details. But don't worry, I haven't given away the best parts. I will however allude to one though because of the historical significance.

Without saying how he got in this predicament, I must mention that there is a scene where Webster finds himself without clothing in a public place. He borrows a nearby mink stole and strolls out unashamedly. An onlooker, Fred (Jack Albertson), stares and comments "He's the last guy on earth I would'a figured.". Knowing now that Hudson was gay, this line becomes ironically funnier than it was originally. For trivia buffs a similar scene in the next Hudson/Day movie has him in her bathrobe jumping up and proclaiming sarcastically "I've suddenly gone gay!".

Fred the onlooker is a nice touch as he always seems to be there to glimpse Webster doing something odd. His short editorial comments add an extra element and highlight the insanity of many of Webster's actions.

But better still is Ramsey. Tony Randall plays Rock Hudson's friend and foil in the earlier H/D film "Pillow Talk" and again in the later H/D film "Send Me No Flowers". In this movie he's friend, foil, and boss, plus the instrument through which Webster's biggest problem (VIP) emerges. Randall nearly steals every scene he is in, which is quite a move when sharing the screen with a presence like Hudson.

The ending is a little too old fashioned for today's audience ("Boy, That's what I call cutting it close!"). But as long you remember when this was made (1961), it works. It's even pretty funny and a bit risky for the times.

I would have thought that the extreme use of alcohol, cigarettes and women as sex objects wouldn't work today. But again I must mention "What Women Want" which used all of these cliches in a modern setting. In the early 60's these things were common if not universally accepted. Knowing that allows the viewer to laugh at situations that wouldn't be funny today and to laugh again at how silly our society once was in many respects.

All of the acting is well done. The script is a gem with lots of laughs. The scenery is good for the time and adds a nostalgic touch when viewed today.

And to add to the fun, I always enjoy seeing familiar faces in old movies. Look for:

Ann B. Davis as Carol's Secretary 8 years before she became Alice on "The Brady Bunch"
Joe Flynn as Hadley, a year before becoming Captain Binghamton "McHale's Navy"
Donna Douglas as Ramsey's secretary, a year before becoming Elly May on "The Beverly Hillbillies,
Jack Albertson as Fred 13 years before becoming The Man of "Chico and the Man"
And we get a tiny glimpse of
Ted Bessell as an Elevator Operator five years before becoming "That Girl"'s boyfriend, Don Hollinger

If you're under 30 you won't get it, or you won't believe it. If you actually were alive in the early 60's, this is a fun film. I might be hard to find, but if you find it, give it a chance. You may be pleasantly surprised at how GOOD a job they did back then of developing characters and setting up complicated scripts.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie