Lover Come Back
Directed by Delbert Mann
Written by Stanley Shapiro and Saul Henning
1961/USA
7 Pictures Inc/Nob Hill Productions/Arwin Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Peter ‘Pete’ Ramsey: I told you sex would get you in nothing but trouble.[/box]
This is the middle film of the three early 60’s “sex comedies” that Rock Hudson and Doris Day made together. It bears a striking resemblance to Pillow Talk but I prefer the earlier film.
Jerry Webster (Rock Hudson) is a wheeler-dealer ad man who snags clients with alcohol-fueled evenings and female companionship. Carol Templeton is just breaking into the business and hates Jerry and all he stands for. She finally convinces one of the women he has hired to show the client a good time to testify against Jerry before the ad council. Jerry fights back with a brilliant campaign for “VIP”, a product which has not yet been invented. He hires Carol’s witness as the “VIP girl”. After the spot is accidentally aired he hires a scientist to invent something to go with it.
Rock Hudson wears a beard for about half the movieCarol attempts to steal the scientist and the product from Jerry’s agency. Instead, she meets Jerry in his disguise. A whole bunch of double entendres and bickering ensue.
Here, Rock Hudson’s character is a rat both the characters he plays. I can’t understand why anyone with so much going for her would spend ten minutes with either one. It must be his rugged good looks. Other than that this stuff has been worked up to a winning formula in only two films. Hudson and Day were made for each other and Tony Randall is a joy. With Edie Adams as the VIP girl and Jack Kruschen as the scientist.
This was comic Jack Oakie’s last film.
Lover Come Back was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing – Screenplay and Story Written Directly for the Screen.
