A Ticklish Affair

Last updated
A Ticklish Affair
A Ticklish Affair.jpg
Directed by George Sidney
Screenplay by Ruth Brooks Flippen
Based on"Moon Walk"
1962 Ladies Home Journal
by Barbara Luther
Produced by Joe Pasternak
Starring Shirley Jones
Gig Young
Red Buttons
Cinematography Milton R. Krasner
Edited byJohn McSweeney, Jr.
Music by George Stoll
Color process Metrocolor
Production
companies
Euterpe, Inc.
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Release date
  • August 18, 1963 (1963-08-18)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

A Ticklish Affair, also known as Moon Walk, is a 1963 film directed by George Sidney and starring Shirley Jones, Gig Young and Red Buttons. The screenplay, by Ruth Brooks Flippen, was based on a short story by Barbara Luther. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1964. [1]

Contents

Plot

Commander Key Weedon, a pilot with the U.S. Navy, is sent to investigate when an S.O.S. emergency signal is spotted in the San Diego area near NAS North Island. He discovers it is the doing of a six-year-old boy, Grover Martin, whose Uncle Simon, an airline pilot, gave the boy a blinker light as a gift.

The child's mother, Amy, is an attractive widow, and Key develops an immediate interest in her. Her three sons also enjoy the attention Key gives all of them. Amy has a blind spot when it comes to naval officers, however, not wanting a permanent relationship with one because they are constantly on the move. She had been a military child herself, and missed not having permanent "roots". Sure enough, Key gets orders to go to Italy, so Amy refuses his marriage proposal, though they love each other.

Uncle Simon has a new treat for Grover and his brothers. He ties them to helium weather balloons and flies them as one would a kite. Unfortunately, Grover unties his tether and he goes floating for miles over San Diego. Large-scale rescue operations are quickly organized by the Navy, and it turns out to be Key himself who lowers himself on a rope ladder from a Navy blimp to rescue the boy. A grateful Amy then decides that wherever he goes, Key is the man for her.

Cast

As appearing in A Ticklish Affair, (main roles and screen credits identified): [2]

Production

The USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) was seen prominently in A Ticklish Affair. USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) refueling USS Porterfield (DD-682) 1960.jpg
The USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) was seen prominently in A Ticklish Affair.

Originally titled Moon Walk, the production was intended to be a vehicle for Jean Simmons. Contract obligations, however, were at play and Shirley Jones ended up with the role. After an Academy-award winning performance in Elmer Gantry (1960), she was hoping to concentrate on serious roles, but instead Jones was assigned to comedies such as The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963). Jones reluctantly fulfilled her contract despite her reluctance to take on "fluff" roles in a rom-com like A Ticklish Affair. [3] Despite the "screen chemistry" of the leads, critics did not consider the film interesting family fare. [4] [5]

Principal photography for A Ticklish Affair took place in and around Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California, with the U.S. Navy providing access to its naval resources. [Note 1] Former child star and actor, Lieutenant Commander Frank Coghlan, Jr., USN, who was also a serving U.S. naval officer and Naval Aviator, provided the armed forces liaison for the film. [6] Filming at NAS North Island included scenes aboard the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea and the use of operational aircraft and helicopters, even a U.S. Navy blimp. [5]

Reception

A Ticklish Affair was not well received by critics, who dismissed it as overly sentimental. Reviewer Colin Bennett of The Age called it, "the kind of glossy, sentimental family comedy which is made with the entire cooperation of the United States Navy. Characters and situations are from a well-tried formula ... The piece-de-resistance of this shatteringly wholesome affair is the rescue by the said navy of one small boy floating out to sea dangling from a cluster of balloons." [5]

Film historian Eric Monder was especially critical of Shirley Jones' performance, characterizing it as "simply dull." [7] Jones soon left Hollywood behind to star in Broadway productions and later as the matron of television's The Partridge Family (1970–1974). [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Jones</span> American actress and singer (born 1934)

Shirley Mae Jones is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as Oklahoma! (1955), Carousel (1956), and The Music Man (1962). She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing a vengeful prostitute in Elmer Gantry (1960). She played the lead role of Shirley Partridge, the widowed mother of five children, in the musical situation-comedy television series The Partridge Family (1970–1974), which co-starred her real-life stepson, David Cassidy, son of Jack Cassidy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrier Strike Group 9</span> Military unit

Carrier Strike Group 9 is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Commander Carrier Strike Group 9 is responsible for unit-level training, integrated training, and material readiness for the ships and aviation squadrons assigned to the group. The group reports to Commander, U.S. Third Fleet, which also supervises its pre-deployment training and certification that includes Composite Unit Training Exercises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Sealift Command</span> United States Navy command for logistics

The Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US military services as well as for other government agencies. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's ocean transport needs. The MSTS was renamed the Military Sealift Command in 1970.

<i>The Bridges at Toko-Ri</i> 1954 American war film by Mark Robson

The Bridges at Toko-Ri is a 1954 American war film about the Korean War and stars William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney, and Robert Strauss. The film, which was directed by Mark Robson, was produced by Paramount Pictures. Dennis Weaver and Earl Holliman make early screen appearances in the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Ford</span> Canadian actor (1916–2006)

Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford, known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-American actor. He was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, and had a career that lasted more than 50 years.

<i>In Harms Way</i> 1965 film by Otto Preminger

In Harm's Way is a 1965 American epic historical romantic war film produced and directed by Otto Preminger and starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, and Patricia Neal, with a supporting cast featuring Henry Fonda in a lengthy cameo, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Stanley Holloway, Burgess Meredith, Brandon deWilde, Jill Haworth, Dana Andrews, and Franchot Tone. Produced with Panavision motion picture equipment, it was one of the last black-and-white World War II epics, and Wayne's last black-and-white film. The screenplay was written by Wendell Mayes, based on the 1962 novel Harm's Way, by James Bassett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Sidney</span> American film director and producer (1916–2002)

George Sidney was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and Viva Las Vegas (1964). With an extensive background in acting, stage direction, film editing, and music, Sidney created many of post-war Hollywood's big budget musicals, such as Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Show Boat (1951), Kiss Me Kate (1953), Jupiter's Darling (1955), and Pal Joey (1957). He was also a president of the Screen Directors Guild for 16 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-class blimp</span> Class of non-rigid airships built by the Goodyear Aircraft Company for the U.S. Navy (1938-59)

The K-class blimp was a class of blimps built by the Goodyear Aircraft Company of Akron, Ohio, for the United States Navy. These blimps were powered by two Pratt & Whitney Wasp nine-cylinder radial air-cooled engines, each mounted on twin-strut outriggers, one per side of the control car that hung under the envelope. Before and during World War II, 134 K-class blimps were built and configured for patrol and anti-submarine warfare operations, and were extensively used in the Navy’s anti-submarine efforts in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean areas.

USS <i>Colahan</i> Fletcher-class destroyer

USS Colahan (DD-658) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy.

USNS <i>Salvor</i> Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship

USNS Salvor (T-ARS-52) is a Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship, the second United States Navy ship of that name.

<i>Hennesey</i> American military comedy-drama television series

Hennesey is an American military comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1962, starring Jackie Cooper and Abby Dalton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Coghlan</span> American actor (1916–2009)

Frank Coghlan Jr. also known as Junior Coghlan, was an American actor who later became a career officer in the United States Navy and a naval aviator. He appeared in approximately 129 films and television programs between 1920 and 1974. During the 1920s and 1930s, he became a popular child and juvenile actor, appearing in films with Pola Negri, Jack Dempsey, William Haines, Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, William Boyd and Bette Davis. He appeared in early "Our Gang" comedies, but he is best known for the role of Billy Batson in the 1941 motion picture serial, and first comic book superhero film, Adventures of Captain Marvel. Coghlan later served 23 years as an aviator and officer in the U.S. Navy, from 1942 to 1965. After retiring from the Navy, he returned to acting and appeared in television, films, and commercials. He published an autobiography in 1992 and died in 2009 at age 93.

USNS <i>General Hoyt S. Vandenberg</i> US Navy transport ship sunk as artificial reef at Key West

USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg (T-AGM-10) was a General G. O. Squier-class transport ship in the United States Navy in World War II named in honor of U.S. Army Chief of Engineers Harry Taylor. She served for a time as army transport USAT General Harry Taylor, and was reacquired by the navy in 1950 as USNS General Harry Taylor (T-AP-145).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Air Station South Weymouth</span> Airport in and Abington, Massachusetts

Naval Air Station South Weymouth was an operational United States Navy airfield from 1942 to 1997 in South Weymouth, Massachusetts. It was first established as a regular Navy blimp base during World War II. During the postwar era the base became part of the Naval Air Reserve Training Command, hosting a variety of Navy and Marine Corps reserve aircraft squadrons and other types of reserve units. Like most BRAC sites, environmental contamination was detected in 1986, and since 1993 numerous remedies and long term monitoring of ground water are in place. Since 2005, over 600 acres have been transferred to the affected towns for reuse, and in 2011 the Navy signed a $25 million contract to transfer its remaining land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrier Strike Group 11</span> Military unit

Carrier Strike Group 11 is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is the strike group's current flagship. Other units currently assigned to the group include the cruisers USS Lake Erie (CG-70) and USS Princeton (CG-59), and Destroyer Squadron 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrier Strike Group 1</span> Military unit

Carrier Strike Group One is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is the strike group's current flagship, and other units currently assigned are the ship's Carrier Air Wing 2 and embarked Destroyer Squadron 1, deployed with Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain, as well as Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Michael Murphy and USS Wayne E. Meyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrier Strike Group 3</span> Military unit

Carrier Strike Group 3 is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is the group's current flagship. Other units assigned as of 2024 include Carrier Air Wing Nine, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyersUSS O'Kane (DDG-77), USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121), and USS Spruance (DDG-111), which are part of Destroyer Squadron 21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Trinidad</span> Major World War 2 base

Naval Base Trinidad, also called NAS Trinidad, NAS Port-of-Spain, was a large United States Navy Naval base built during World War II to support the many naval ships fighting and patrolling the Battle of the Atlantic. The fighting in the area became known as the Battle of the Caribbean. Naval Base Trinidad was located on the Island of Trinidad in West Indies of the Caribbean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrier Aircraft Service Units</span> United States Navy aircraft repair unit

Carrier Aircraft Service Units (CASU) were United States Navy units formed during World War II for the Pacific War to support naval aircraft operations. From 1942 to 1946, 69 Carrier Aircraft Service Units were formed to repair and maintain aircraft. The first unit was deployed to Naval Station Pearl Harbor. The CASU-11, was deployed on January 22, 1943 at Naval Air Station San Diego. During the war the Navy lacked enough aircraft carriers to complete all the operational requirements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NAS blimp bases</span> Major World War 2 blimps bases

NAS blimp bases, (Navy Air Stations Blimps bases), were United States Navy blimp bases built to protect coastal waters during World War II. Navy Blimps could stay in the air and patrol coastal waters much longer than airplanes. The bases were also called Naval Lighter-than-Air Bases. The blimps (non-rigid airships) were built by Goodyear Aircraft Company of Akron, Ohio. The blimps were powered by two aircraft radial air-cooled engines, the crew worked and on long patrols lived in a car under the envelope. The Navy's anti-submarine warfare operation operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. To protect the blimps from strong winds and thunderstorms on the ground most bases had one or more larger airship hangars. Due to the shortage of steel during the war, many hangars were built out of wood.

References

Notes

  1. Former child star and actor, Frank Coghlan, Jr., who was also a serving U.S. naval officer, provided the armed forces liaison for the film. [6]

Citations

  1. "Winners & Nominees 1964". Golden Globes. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  2. "Credits: A Ticklish Affair (1963)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  3. Jones & Ingels 1990, p. 158.
  4. Jones 2013, p. 9.
  5. 1 2 3 LoBianco, Lorraine (May 20, 2011). "Articles: A Ticklish Affair (1963)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Wise & Rehill 2007, p. 131.
  7. Monder 1994, p. 221.
  8. Jones 2013, p. 187.

Bibliography