Plot
Wealthy American businessman Robert Talbot owns a villa on the Ligurian coast, where he and his Roman lover, Lisa Fellini, spend time together only in September each year. Determined to stop settling for an annual affair, Lisa is preparing to marry Spencer, an eager but unexciting fiancé. When Robert calls Lisa en route from Milano for an impromptu fling in July, however, Lisa loses her resolve, cancels her wedding, and rushes to meet him.
Since Robert only stays at his villa one month each year, his crafty and enterprising majordomo, Maurice Clavell, has converted the villa into a luxury hotel, which he has run over six years, shutting down over September. Currently the "hotel" is hosting a group of college girls, including Sandy Stevens and their chaperone Margaret Allison. When Robert beats his telegram to the villa, catching Maurice unaware, Maurice must deceive and juggle his boss and his guests to keep both his job and his business.
On his drive to the villa, Robert encounters four college boys, led by Tony, who mock Robert's age (not yet 40) and conservative luxury convertible. Denied their reservations, the college boys set up camp outside the villa when they see the girls. Since the hotel guests are expected to check out the next day, Maurice tells his boss that they are tourists, stranded through a mishap, appealing to his gallantry to host them for a single night. Maurice tells the guests that Robert is a mentally ill "shell shocked" veteran, son of the villa's former owners, who in his delusion believes he still owns the villa. When Robert gives Maurice orders in front of the guests, Maurice pretends to compassionately tolerate the behavior and asks them to play along. Unfortunately for Maurice's manipulations, the guests’ departure is delayed when Margaret slips on a champagne cork and is hospitalized. Robert soon learns about Maurice's hotel venture when psychology major Sandy tries to treat Robert's "delusion," explaining to him that he no longer owns the hotel. Robert restrains himself from firing his devious majordomo when Lisa intercedes on his behalf and when Maurice describes the care he has put into maintaining the villa at his own expense. At Lisa's amused urging, Robert plays along with the hotel ruse during the guests’ stay.
Upon seeing the college boys' drunken partying with the girls, Robert is determined to protect the girls from perceived predatory behavior. Taking Lisa along, Robert chaperones the college students on a long, hilly bicycle sightseeing tour, hoping to exhaust them out of amorous energy. At a nightclub, Robert dances with each girl, stressing the importance of virtue for respectful treatment. A drunken Tony makes a failed romantic advance toward Sandy. When Sandy tells Lisa of the lecture she received from Robert, Lisa becomes infuriated by Robert's double standard. Perceiving that Robert fails to respect her for "lapsed virtue", Lisa departs the next morning to reunite with her former fiancé Spencer.
Accompanied by Maurice, Robert chases after Lisa, in a car he steals through misunderstanding. He proposes to Lisa to appease her, but she refuses his lack of enthusiasm and flees. Manipulating to have them detained together so Robert can plead his case to Lisa, Maurice tells the police that Robert is a notorious criminal and that Lisa is his accomplice, but his plan fails. Lisa returns to her apartment, joined by Sandy, who laments about lost love and missed opportunities. During a fitting for her wedding gown, Lisa has an epiphany of what life would be like settling for Spencer. Still wearing her wedding gown, she sets off to reunite with Robert. On her way, she meets Tony, who she directs to her apartment, where he and Sandy reunite.
At the train station, seeing Lisa in her wedding gown through the train's window, an angry Robert refuses to leave the train that is about to depart. Lisa borrows a toddler to convince the conductor that the father is abandoning them. Taken off the train, but mollified by the brazen ploy, Robert reconciles with Lisa. As a married couple, they return to the villa to find Maurice again running it as a hotel, now occupied by a group of nuns.
Production
Screenwriters Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin began work on the script in late 1959. While the film was in preproduction, Shapiro said in an interview: "I write all day at my office from 8:30 until 6:00, then have dinner and go home and spend two or three hours fixing, polishing or rewriting the day's output." [5]
In early 1960, it was announced that Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida were set to star. [6] Before Lollobrigida's participation was confirmed, Marilyn Monroe was rumored to be cast. [6] It was also announced that production was to be delayed until Hudson completed work on The Last Sunset (1961). Lollobrigida also had commitments to the films Go Naked in the World (1961) and Lady L (1965). [6] In June 1960, Robert Mulligan signed as the film's director. [7]
A month later, it was announced that singer Bobby Darin was to make his film debut in Come September. He and Sandra Dee met while on location, fell in love and married on December 1, 1960. [8] The making of Come September is portrayed in the 2004 Darin biopic Beyond the Sea , starring Kevin Spacey as Darin and Kate Bosworth as Dee.
Principal photography began on September 7, 1960. Location filming took place in Portofino, Italy, while soundstage work occurred at Cinecittà Studios in Rome. [9] Lollobrigida was reluctant because she was not enthusiastic about returning to Italy. In an interview, she mentioned accepting the role because it allowed her to work with Hudson and explained: "It's a comedy that can only be made in Italy." [10]
