Blast from the Past: Natalie Wood
Lacking wit and style, Richard Quine’s Sex and the Single Girl is a flat American comedy that beneifits very litte from its all-star cast, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Henry Fonda, Lauren Bacall and Mel Ferrer.
Grade: C+ (** out of *****)
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Theatrical release poster
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Based on Helen Gurley Brown’s 1962 non-fiction book of the same name, the film was co-produced by Quine Productions and Curtis’ Reynard Productions.
Bob Weston (Curtis) works for Stop, a tabloid magazine regarded as the country’s filthiest rag. One of Bob’s colleagues has just written an article about Dr. Helen Gurley Brown, a psychologist and author of the best-selling book Sex and the Single Girl, a self-help guide with advice to single women. Bu the article raises doubts on her experience with sex and relationships.
Helen is very offended, having lost appointments with patients due to the article discrediting her as a “23-year-old virgin.” Bob wants to follow up by interviewing her, but she refuses.
Meanwhile, Bob’s friend and neighbor, stocking manufacturer Frank Broderick (Fonda), is having marriage issues with his strong-willed wife Sylvia, but has no time to seeo a counselor. Therefore, Bob decides to impersonate Frank and go to Helen as a patient, with the goal of getting close to her in order to gather more information.
Verbose to a fault, the dialogue-driven comedy picks up some steam (though too late) in the last sequence, a chase in which all characters involved constantly changing places and lanes, while eluding a zealous cop’s attempts at stopping them.’
In the end, the three couples clarify their feelings, and at the airport, Frank and Sylvia depart for Fiji, Rudy and Gretchen take a trip to Hawaii, and Helen and Bob fly to Las Vegas to marry.
The best element of the production is the elegant wardrobe of Hollywood’s best designer, Edith Head, for the two leading ladies.
Despite mixed reviews, the film was a box-office success and one of 1964’s top highest-grossing films of 1964.
Cast
Tony Curtis as Bob Weston, managing editor of Stop magazine
Natalie Wood, Dr. Helen Brown, psychologist, author of Sex and the Single Girl
Henry Fonda as Frank Broderick, owner of a stocking manufacturing firm
Lauren Bacall as Sylvia Broderick, Frank’s wife
Mel Ferrer as Rudy DeMeyer, psychiatrist, Helen’s colleague
Fran Jeffries as Gretchen, Bob’s girlfriend
Leslie Parrish as Susan, Bob’s secretary
Edward Everett Horton as the chief of Stop magazine
Larry Storch as the motorcycle cop
Stubby Kaye as Helen’s cabbie
Otto Kruger as Dr. Anderson
Credits:
Directed by Richard Quine
Screenplay by Joseph Heller, David R. Schwartz, story by Joseph Hoffman, based on “Sex and the Single Girl,” 1962 book by Helen Gurley Brown
Produced by William T. Orr
Cinematography Charles Lang
Edited by David Wages
Music by Neal Hefti
Production: Quine Productions, Reynard Productions
Distributed by Warner
Release date: Dec 25, 1964
Running time: 114 minutes
Box office: $4 million (rentals)
