Harrison's Reports (1959)

146 HARRISON'S REPORTS September 12, 1959 "Pillow Talk" with Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall and Thelma Ritter (Universal-lnternatonal, October; 105 mm.) — CINEMASCOPE, EASTMAN COLOR — Ross Hunter, whose last effort for Universal'International was the highly successful "Imitation of Life," has collaborated with co-producer, Marty Melcher, to deliver another winner with this sleek and suggestive sex spoof about a complicated romance between Rock Hudson and Doris Day, the two warring partners to a party line telephone. Although the basic premise of the plot is slightly incredulous, and the plot itself wafer thin, the entire production is endowed with superb production values that more than compensate for the script deficiencies. Miss Days Jean Louis gowns are a magnificent throw back to the glory days of Hollywood and should have the girls in the audience gasping. The scenery, set design and art direction offer some of the lushest apartments and office surroundings displayed on the screen in many a moon, and director Michael Gordon's use of a split screen technique and interpolation of Frank DaVoFs tuneful score are sprightly and imaginative. Combine these elements with the pairing of Doris Day and Rock Hudson in roles that one might nor' mally not expect them to play, the singing of three highly singable tunes by Miss Day ("Pillow Talk,11 "Possess Me,11 "Roly Poly") and the antics of Tony Randall and Thelma Rittetr in co-starring roles and the reasons why this romantic comedy will be one of the bright spots of the coming season become readily evident: — Rock Hudson, a tunesmith, and Doris Day, an in' terior decorator, become enemies because they both share a party line. Day is irate because Hudson monopolizes the phone with his romantic conversations, and Hudson is annoyed because he suspects Day of living vicariously by listening to his conversations. After an ill-fated attempt to have the telephone company solve the problem, Day and Hudson agree to using the phone on alternate half hours. Complications arise when Tony Randall, a wealthy client of Miss Day and a good friend of Hudson, confides in Hudson that he has fallen in love with Day. When Hudson hears the description of Miss Day he recognizes that she is his telephone enemy and makes an attempt to right matters by suggesting a date. This ruse fails because Miss Day is adamant in her refusal to see him. The opportunity for Hudson and Day to meet ar' rives when Miss Day and the young son of one of her clients, Nick Adams, go dancing at a nightclub. The youngster imbibes too freely and passes out on the dance floor. Hudson senses the opportunity, and makes the most of it — He introduces himself as Rex Stetson, a Texan, and completely charms the unwitting Miss Day. The courtship continues for several days with Hudson maintaining his masquerade and using the party line to smooth the way for an easy conquest of Miss Day. Hudson has her set up for the kill (sic) but his plans are balked when Randall has him investigated and learns his true identity. Randall, who has provided Hudson with a $250,000 assignment to write six songs, insists that Hudson cease and desist and instead retire to his home in Connecticut to complete the songs. Hudson reluctantly agrees, but first arranges with Miss Day to join him on a weekend idyll. Eventually, Randall discovers the ruse and heads for Connecticut to save the virtue of Doris Day. But in the interim she has discovered the real identity of Hudson and is on the verge of tears when Randall arrives. Randall and Day drive off and Randall con' soles the disconsolate girl all the way back to town. When Hudson returns to town, Randall is delighted that the great ladies' man has at last fallen in love — and with a girl who despises him! Hudson is unable to get through to Miss Day and uses her maid, Thelma Ritter, as a wedge. In a drunken ses' sion with Miss Ritter, Hudson learns that the only possible way to create a favorable impression would be to hire Miss Day to redecorate his apartment. This he does, only to discover that she insists that he be away from it while she works. She invites him back when the apartment is completed and he gasps in horror at the sight that greets him — Miss Day has decorated the apartment with every conceivable monstrosity. Enraged, Hudson goes to Day's apartment, kicks the door in and, when she refuses to go with him, carries her bodily through the streets of New York to his apartment. Here the couple realize that they are in love and the film closes with the lovers three months married and happily expectant. CREDITS : Produced by Ross Hunter and Marty Melcher. Directed by Michael Gordon. Screenplay by Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin. Adult. "Subway in the Sky" with Van Johnson and Hildegarde Neff (United Artists, November; 85 minutes) Well-acted and tautly directed, "Subway in the Sky11 is a familiar tale of a man fleeing the arms of justice in an effort to clear his name. Because the acting is uniformly good and the direction excellent, one wishes that the screenplay and dialogue had a bit more originality. However, the film has some suggestive moments in a love scene between Van Johnson and Hildegarde Neff, and should prove to be a better-than-average program feature. Van Johnson is effective as an Army major accused of trafficking in drugs and Hildegarde Neff registers attractively as the woman who helps him unravel his complicated life: — At a NATO installation in West Germany a ser' geant investigating the theft of narcotics from the base hospital is brutally bludgeoned to death before he can deliver important information about the criminal to his Captain, Cec Linder. The action then switches to a fashionable neighborhood in Berlin where Hildegarde Neff, a nightclub singer, is seen moving into a penthouse apartment which she has just sublet from Katherine Kath, the estranged wife of Van Johnson. When Miss Neff prepares to retire for the evening, she is startled by the appearance of a disheveled, unshaven Van Johnson on her terrace. She tries to evict him immediately, but Johnson persuadse her to listen to his side of the story. Johnson claims he has been falsely accused of the theft of narcotics, but has no way of disproving the