This Happy Feeling | |
---|---|
Directed by | Blake Edwards |
Screenplay by | Blake Edwards |
Based on | For Love or Money 1947 play by F. Hugh Herbert |
Produced by | Ross Hunter |
Starring | Debbie Reynolds Curt Jürgens John Saxon |
Cinematography | Arthur E. Arling |
Music by | Frank Skinner |
Distributed by | Universal-International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $1.4 million [1] |
This Happy Feeling is a 1958 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards, adapted from the 1947 F. Hugh Herbert play For Love or Money. [2] [3]
Edwards regretted Universal-International's eleventh hour decision of a name change, but the studio was hoping to trade off another pop hit by Debbie Reynolds as they had with Tammy and the Bachelor . Reynolds stars, along with John Saxon, Curt Jurgens and veteran Hollywood actresses Alexis Smith and Mary Astor. [4] [5]
Nita Holloway, a woman romantically involved with veteran actor Preston "Mitch" Mitchell, tries to persuade him to come out of retirement to appear in a Broadway play as the father of a character played by a new teen idol, Tony Manza. At his Connecticut farm, next-door neighbor Bill Tremayne asks to borrow Mitch's car. He goes to a party and meets secretary Janet Blake, who is trying to escape the clutches of her drunken boss, a dentist. Bill offers her a ride home in a rainstorm, but is a little too attentive to her liking.
Soaked to the skin, Janet ends up knocking on Mitch's door. He permits her to spend the night while her dress dries. Nita arrives in the morning and mistakenly concludes an affair is taking place, and soon others assume the same. Mitch puts her on a train but also offers Janet a job as his own secretary. As the train leaves, he stumbles, injuring his back.
Bill isn't worried at first because Mitch is too austere and somber for her, however he comes to realize that she's coming to care for him profoundly and is indeed falling dearly in love with Mitch a little more every day. Scheduled to ride Mitch's star horse in an equine contest, Bill jealously decides to ride another entry instead. Mitch must compete against him, bad back and all.
Although he feels great affection towards her, Mitch ultimately realizes that he feels for Nita most. He goes to Nita to reveal where his heart really lies, and is last seen on stage in the new Broadway play.
John Saxon was cast after his success in Rock, Pretty Baby . [6]
Variety called it "a delightful comedy". [7]
Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer with her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words. Her breakout role was her first leading role, as Kathy Selden in Singin' in the Rain (1952). Her other successes include The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), Susan Slept Here (1954), Bundle of Joy, The Catered Affair, and Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), in which her performance of the song "Tammy" topped the Billboard music charts. In 1959, she starred in The Mating Game and released her first pop music album, titled Debbie.
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Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens was a German-Austrian stage and film actor. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens. He was well known for playing Ernst Udet in Des Teufels General. His English-language roles include James Bond villain Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Éric Carradine in And God Created Woman (1956), and Professor Immanuel Rath in The Blue Angel (1959).
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