WHEN THE BOYS MEET THE GIRLS

Harve Preesnell surveys the scene

WHEN THE BOYS MEET THE GIRLS (1965). Director: Alvin Ganzer.

Playboy Danny Churchill (Harve Presnell) is sent by his lawyer to an obscure college so he can avoid the clutches of a gold-digging dame, Tess (Sue Ane Langdon), threatening a breach of promise lawsuit. Danny and his buddy, Sam (Joby Baker of Girl Happy), run into Ginger (Connie Francis), whose property is falling into disrepair because her father (Frank Faylen of The Mystery of the 13th Guest), is a gambleholic. But somebody gets the bright idea of converting their property into a ranch-resort near Reno where ladies who want divorces and others can congregate. But will Danny's passion for Ginger hit a snag when Tess shows up in town? The trouble with the picture is that "when the boys meet the girls" not much happens that hasn't been seen -- and seen and seen -- many times before. You may not recognize this as a remake of the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland starrer Girl Crazy, although some of the Gershwin tunes have been happily preserved. Both Francis and Presnell do creditable versions of "Embraceable You" as well as "I've Got Rhythm," a bouncy classic that it's hard to ruin. Presnell has an appealing personality and a very nice voice, and Francis -- playing the leading lady for the second and last time (after Looking for Love) -- is fine, but Presnell is so pleasant and mild in his role that her aggressive anger towards him makes her seem like a real bitch at times, and it's hard to see what he sees in her. Langdon does her usual fair-to middling sexpot bit, and we have guest appearances by Herman (Peter Noone)  and the Hermits (singing "Listen People"), Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, and Liberace (!) doing his 'Liberace Aruba" mambo. An unfunny bit with a moronic boxer named Canvasback Davis (mercifully uncredited) goes on forever and nearly kills the picture.

Verdict: Nice Gershwin tunes and good performances save this from total schlock. **.

FOLLOW THE BOYS (1963)

Russ Tamblyn and Paula Prentriss

FOLLOW THE BOYS (1963). Director: Richard Thorpe.

Liz (Janis Paige) and Bonnie (Connie Francis) are "sea gulls" who follow their Naval husbands around from port to port, grabbing what moments of intimacy they can. Bonnie is a newlywed married to Billy (Roger Perry of Count Yorga, Vampire), while Liz's husband is a Lt. Commander (Ron Randell of Most Dangerous Man Alive). who hopes to become admiral. Unfortunately, Liz is more interested in settling down with him and starting a family. In the meantime Toni (Paula Prentiss), a wealthy woman, shows up claiming she is engaged to playboy Lt. Langley (Richard Long); her parents hope to make a strictly business match that will increase everyone's coffers. Finally Michele (Dany Robin) is anxious to meet up with Langley herself, although for unexpected reasons. Assigned to escort Michele, seaman Smitty (Russ Tamblyn) winds up falling for Toni and vice versa. The actors are all professional, with Tamblyn [The War of the Gargantuas] and Prentiss making an appealing couple, and while the movie threatens to become another Connie Francis Movie it never quite gets there, despite a couple of song numbers. Francis is too self-consciously "cute" by far in this, and while it has some good scenes and entertaining moments, Follow the Boys eventually becomes an effort to sit through. The most interesting thing about the movie is Langely's recipe for a Torpedo: one part each of rum, vodka, brandy and creme de menthe, with a maraschino cherry, cucumber slice, lemon peel, a piece of orange, and bitters added for good measure. Having two of these beforehand may definitely make this or any other movie more entertaining!

Verdict: Torpedo this one! **.

LOOKING FOR LOVE

Connie Francis sings and swings!

LOOKING FOR LOVE (1964). Director: Don Weis.

Libby Caruso (Connie Francis) isn't making it as a singer, so she decides she'll become a housewife instead -- all she needs is the right man. She sets her cap for a standoffish fellow named Paul (Jim Hutton), but he's more interested in her invention, a "lady valet." This somehow gets Libby on the Tonight show where she wows everyone with her singing and winds up with a spectacular career. On the verge of going off on a grand tour, Libby has one last chance to get Paul to marry her ... Looking for Love is utterly ridiculous but quite entertaining, bolstered by a fine lead performance by the highly charismatic Francis. Francis proves to be an outstanding singer as well, doing jazz numbers, ballads, and even "Be My Love" with equal aplomb. In spite of this, Francis only did four real movies. Joby Baker plays a friend who is carrying a torch for Libby, and Susan Oliver really scores as her roommate, Jan. The most intriguing cameo is by Joan Marshall (Jean Arliss of Homicidal) who looks gorgeous and is a lot of fun as one of the women interviewed for a spokeswoman job for the Lady Valet. Jay C. Flippen [Carnival Story] is fine as the manufacturer of Libby's invention -- Flippen's wife wrote the screenplay for this --  and there are guest appearances by Danny Thomas and Johnny Carson. Barbara Nichols [The George Raft Story] has a nice bit as another potential spokesperson until she learns that Libby is taking over her spot on the Thomas show. The snappy songs help a lot and Francis is delightful.

Verdict: Amiable nonsense with some great singing. **1/2.

ME AND BOBBY D: A MEMOIR

ME AND BOBBY D: A Memoir. Steve Karmen. Hal Leonard.

What happens to the people left behind – the old friends and co-workers -- when someone makes the big time in show business? Steve Karmen attempts to answer that question in this interesting memoir of his early friendship with the singer/actor Bobby Darin. This is by no means a biography of Darin, although the reader will gain some insight into the man's character, which was extremely career-driven (probably why he made it) and expedient at times, although Karmen relates examples of how Darin could also give credit when due and be extremely gracious to old pals. (Although in one obnoxious moment Darin tells Karmen that he is not to ask for anything from him and that “they travel on different levels.”) 

Most of the book relates a short-term engagement in Detroit where Darin was the solo act and Karmen his guitar and vocal accompanist. Encouraged by his agent, Darin eventually relegated Karmen to the side of the band and didn't allow him to sing any more back ups. Aware that Karmen was, ironically, taller and better-looking than he was, Darin may have allowed jealousy to get the better of him, although it is also true that it was Darin who had just cut a record and had an agent – not Karmen. Karmen split from Darin and had a brief try at his own recording/acting/club career, but eventually found success as the composer of such famous jingles as “I Love New York,” “This Bud's for You,” and many, many others. 

Perhaps too much of the book is devoted to Karmen's stumbling attempts to get laid in Detroit, which become tiresome and are described in long stretches of dialogue that go on for many pages as if he were writing a forgettable coming-of-age novel. (Karmen describes Darin as getting laid on a regular basis in Detroit, continuously coming back to their hotel room smeared with lipstick, even bedding a mobster's sexy girlfriend.) Much more interesting are the few pages describing his attempts to establish his own successful show biz career, which has that certain ring of pain and truth, Karmen being undone by bad breaks and agents without enough clout. He describes the combination of fascination, envy, and anguish he felt while watching Darin's club act and feature films. 

Although the book is not without flaws, Me and Bobby D is a reasonably affecting look at show biz survivors and casualties and how they prosper, adapt, and make do. Throughout the book Karmen's love-hate for Darin clearly comes across. (On the back cover Connie Francis, who apparently loved Darin unconditionally, is quoted as saying “the experience of reading Me and Bobby D brought closure from the heartache and emptiness I have lived with for over 40 years...”)

Verdict: Imperfect but absorbing show biz memoir. ***.