GO NAKED IN THE WORLD

Anthony Franciosa and Gina Lollobrigida

GO NAKED IN THE WORLD (1961). Written and directed by Ranald  MacDougall. NOTE Some plot points are revealed in this review.

"I'd like to think someone in this family could be kind to women." -- Mary.

Nick Stratton (Anthony Franciosa) keeps re-enlisting in the Army because he is resistant to his father, Pete's (Ernest Borgnine), plans for him in the construction business. Pete feels a need to run his son's life, and in truth Nick does seem a little unfocused. But he develops a very clear focus when he falls in love with the beautiful Julie (Gina Lollobrigida), and vice versa, although she resists as long as she can. It seems Nick doesn't know that Julie is a highly-successful call girl, and Nick's father is one of her clients! 

Franciosa with Ernest Borgnine

Go Naked in the World  -- love that title! -- is an entertaining melodrama that boasts two terrific lead performances by Franciosa and Lollobrigida, who proves in this that she is more than just a very pretty face. (The only problem with Franciosa is that he seems much too sophisticated not to realize what profession Julie is in from the first.) As Pete, Borgnine gives a generally strong if imperfect performance, which is also true of Nancy R. Pollock as Pete's wife, Mary. There are nice turns from Luana Patten as Nick's sister, Yvonne, and Will Kuluva as a rather sleazy restaurant owner and friend (of sorts) of Pete's. Philip Ober, former husband of Vivian Vance, has some good moments as a former client of Julie's who takes her dancing. 

Gina as Julie

One of the best scenes in the movie has Nick going up high at a construction site -- twenty stories up -- to ask Pete for money. Pete, way out on a ledge, shows him the money, and tells him he has to come out to get it. There are a few tense moments as Nick makes his way out on the ledge. Pete's employees are not at all thrilled with his actions. 

Pollock, Borgnine, Patten, Franciosa

Although Pete can certainly be loud and overbearing -- his daughter hates him and his wife feels understandably unloved -- one can see why he would be irritated with Nick. (If Nick doesn't want his father controlling his life, he has the option of getting a job and his own place and telling him to go to hell.) Somehow Nick and Julie manage to get the money to go off to what appears to be Acapulco even though Julie has given up hooking. A hilarious moment has Pete telling Julie that she and Nick are "living in back alleys" when they're actually in an ultra-luxurious hotel room at the time! As for the tragic ending, the production code wouldn't allow redemption, as such, for Julie or a happy ending for the couple. The script is reasonably good, although the classic line from Mildred Pierce -- "leave something on me, I might catch cold" -- should never have been re-used. 

Verdict: Good performances help put over this absorbing if somewhat synthetic romance. ***.