The Rat Race (1960)

A naive, young jazz musician (Tony Curtis) leaves Wisconsin and heads to New York City to find work. He meets a struggling model (Debbie Reynolds) who is streetwise who attempts to mentor him in the ways of the big city so he won't be taken advantage of. But she's not doing too well herself. Based on the play by Garson Kanin (ADAM'S RIB) and directed by Robert Mulligan (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD). One can see its theatrical origins as most of the film takes place in a one room apartment but director Mulligan has opened it up just enough to make it feel like a real movie. Kanin's play flopped, closing in less than three months. But the film version is a watchable romance about two people struggling to make it in the Big Apple while all the odds are against them. The movie offers Debbie Reynolds her first "adult" role after playing ingenues for ten years and she's the best thing about the film. It's a solid performance. There's a strong underscore by Elmer Bernstein that drives the movie. With Kay Medford, Jack Oakie, Don Rickles and Norman Fell.