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Saturday, May 21, 2016

Don't Bother To Knock (1961)

After breaking up with his fiancee (June Thorburn), a Scottish travel agent (Richard Todd) travels the continent and cherchez la femme! He freely gives the keys to his apartment to his conquests including a French beauty (Nicole Maurey), an Austrian lovely (Elke Sommer) and a married woman (Eleanor Summerfield). He reunites with his fiancee when he returns to Scotland but then those continental beauties start showing up with keys in hand! Based on the novel by Clifford Hanley and directed by Cyril Frankel (NEVER TAKE SWEETS FROM A STRANGER), this is the British equivalent of a Doris Day/Rock Hudson Hollywood comedy. It's amusing up to a point but the actors aren't expert farceurs so they don't get the most out of the material. The funniest one in the film is Judith Anderson (looking ultra glamorous) as a rich American heiress, not exactly an actress known for her comedic talents. Geoffrey Unsworth (2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY) did the cinematography and Christian Dior did some of the costumes. Although made in 1961, it didn't reach the U.S. until 1965 and then the posters played up Elke Sommer as the star, fresh off her success in A SHOT IN THE DARK. With Rik Battaglia and Dawn Beret.

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