Four buddies (James Garner, Tony Randall, Howard Duff, Howard Morris) have a night out together in town away from the spouses of Randall, Duff, and Morris (Janet Blair, Anne Jeffreys, and Patti Page) and Garner's mother (Jessie Royce Landis) once a week. They notice Garner's boss (Larry Keating) going out with his girl-friend (Garner knows Keating's married). The next day Garner has a talk with Keating and they discuss the difficulties of carrying out his affair. Keating admits it is expensive, but he can afford it by renting an apartment for the girl-friend. Later Garner talks to his friends about the possibility of doing this. Individually none are as well to do as Keating, but together they might share the expense of an apartment. They find an apartment (a furnished one) in a building managed by Jim Bacchus (a brief part, unfortunately), who can give them a good price due to a recent scandal connected to the apartment. They hire Kim Novak as the lady to keep in the apartment, and then set up a schedule for each to see her once a week every week. What they don't know is that Novak is working on a psychological/sociological study on male sex fantasies under her adviser, Oscar Homolka. Although Homolka warns Novak that this set up can lead to trouble, she reassures him, that she will keep things under control.
This is the detailed background of this farce, and it probably sounds dated and pretentious by now. Would you believe it is very funny. The script is crisp, not smarmy as it would appear from the opening paragraph above. The three young husbands from suburbia are more concerned with private matters than sex, and Garner is growing angry at the arrangement as he falls harder and harder for Novak. Novak, besides taping and writing her findings is constantly finding her own attraction to Garner hard to fight.
In the course of the film 1960s suburbia living is spoofed, from travel in commuter trains to little league games (the scene here is extremely funny). Howard Morris rarely appeared in major rolls in films. His particular crutch is that his wife, Patti Page, insists on both dieting so she can keep the figure he loves. Problem is that Morris is a small, thin man. It is hard to imagine him putting on weight crazily. Instead, he is being fed salads and health food, and he craves steak and potatoes (actually so does Page, which doesn't come out until the end of the film). The whole dieting culture (which is still with us) gets spoofed here because Novak controls Morris by giving him big, mouth watering dinners. Feed him and he is satiated.
Randall is his normal know-it-all type. Notice in one of the commuter train sequences how he tries to prevent an argument between Garner and Randall, Morris, and Duff by telling a long winded story to them that is true about two brothers. The way this is handled is wonderful, because you know what was said, and you don't, and you feel better for not knowing.
The wives get suspicious and hire a private detective recommended by Landis - Fred Clark. Clark's friendly but efficient gumshoe is another plus in the film. He does get the goods on the guys.
Finally, the moral turning point for Garner comes in a scene that I frankly recommend to anyone seeking two first rate pros interacting. James Garner is one of those actors who make everything seem really easy when he performs. One is sure this is very difficult acting, but it looks nice when done. William Powell was that smooth an actor. So was William Bendix. In this film only did Garner and Bendix appear together. Garner is having a drink (actually several) and talking to Bendix the bar tender (Mr. Slattery), and opening up on his feelings about Novak, the apartment, and the arrangement (but he talks of this as regarding an acquaintance of his). Garner is perfectly at ease, but business-like in describing it. Bendix is doing what any bartender does - he is wiping the bar, putting out pretzels, pouring drinks. It is very natural. But Bendix has been listening, and he proceeds to give his opinion. He thinks the "acquaintance" should tell the girl what he thinks and feels about her. Then, with a pause while he watches Garner finish his second drink, Bendix says, "And he should lay off the sauce!" Garner looks at Bendix, and says, "You know something Mr. Slattery?" Bendix looks pleasantly at Garner,who then says, "You know something Mr. Slattery!" The camera pans on the mutually fond gaze between those two smooth pros.
The conclusion of the film was wonderful as wives, Landis, husbands, Garner, Homolka, Clark, and Novak confront each other and two neighbors (one trying to convert everyone). It is about three minutes long, but it is really funny. Let us just say that everything works out, but the cross purposes and wires of those three minutes are fantastic.
This is the detailed background of this farce, and it probably sounds dated and pretentious by now. Would you believe it is very funny. The script is crisp, not smarmy as it would appear from the opening paragraph above. The three young husbands from suburbia are more concerned with private matters than sex, and Garner is growing angry at the arrangement as he falls harder and harder for Novak. Novak, besides taping and writing her findings is constantly finding her own attraction to Garner hard to fight.
In the course of the film 1960s suburbia living is spoofed, from travel in commuter trains to little league games (the scene here is extremely funny). Howard Morris rarely appeared in major rolls in films. His particular crutch is that his wife, Patti Page, insists on both dieting so she can keep the figure he loves. Problem is that Morris is a small, thin man. It is hard to imagine him putting on weight crazily. Instead, he is being fed salads and health food, and he craves steak and potatoes (actually so does Page, which doesn't come out until the end of the film). The whole dieting culture (which is still with us) gets spoofed here because Novak controls Morris by giving him big, mouth watering dinners. Feed him and he is satiated.
Randall is his normal know-it-all type. Notice in one of the commuter train sequences how he tries to prevent an argument between Garner and Randall, Morris, and Duff by telling a long winded story to them that is true about two brothers. The way this is handled is wonderful, because you know what was said, and you don't, and you feel better for not knowing.
The wives get suspicious and hire a private detective recommended by Landis - Fred Clark. Clark's friendly but efficient gumshoe is another plus in the film. He does get the goods on the guys.
Finally, the moral turning point for Garner comes in a scene that I frankly recommend to anyone seeking two first rate pros interacting. James Garner is one of those actors who make everything seem really easy when he performs. One is sure this is very difficult acting, but it looks nice when done. William Powell was that smooth an actor. So was William Bendix. In this film only did Garner and Bendix appear together. Garner is having a drink (actually several) and talking to Bendix the bar tender (Mr. Slattery), and opening up on his feelings about Novak, the apartment, and the arrangement (but he talks of this as regarding an acquaintance of his). Garner is perfectly at ease, but business-like in describing it. Bendix is doing what any bartender does - he is wiping the bar, putting out pretzels, pouring drinks. It is very natural. But Bendix has been listening, and he proceeds to give his opinion. He thinks the "acquaintance" should tell the girl what he thinks and feels about her. Then, with a pause while he watches Garner finish his second drink, Bendix says, "And he should lay off the sauce!" Garner looks at Bendix, and says, "You know something Mr. Slattery?" Bendix looks pleasantly at Garner,who then says, "You know something Mr. Slattery!" The camera pans on the mutually fond gaze between those two smooth pros.
The conclusion of the film was wonderful as wives, Landis, husbands, Garner, Homolka, Clark, and Novak confront each other and two neighbors (one trying to convert everyone). It is about three minutes long, but it is really funny. Let us just say that everything works out, but the cross purposes and wires of those three minutes are fantastic.