George Cukor (Golden Globe nomination) was known as a women's director in the 1930's and 1940's, so it's no small wonder he turns up here directing The Chapman Report (Golden Globe nomination as best picture). However, the hallmarks of Cukor's films were signature framing, which is apparent throughout the film, and strong female characterizations. The strong female characters are what's missing in this adaptation of Irving Wallace's book, which was influenced by the Kinsey Report at the time. Sex researchers Andrew Duggan and Efrem Zimbalist Jr come to suburban America's backyard to speak about sex at a women's club, setting four stories of different (meaning 1962 clichés) women in motion.
Shelley Winters plays Sarah Garnell, married to Frank played by Howard J. Stone (Golden Globe nomination). Winters is currently involved in an affair with Ray Danton, a theater director when the film opens. Winters has little to do but play the duped woman who eventually crawls back to her husband once Danton dumps her. Jane Fonda is the frigid Kathleen Barclay taken advantage of in a 1962 way by Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Zimbalist's Paul Radford is so far over the line of discretion; someone should have pulled him back by his suit coat. Then again, back then nobody knew what the line was. The Winters and Fonda segments are barely watchable.
Glynis Johns (Golden Globe nomination) plays Teresa Harnish happily married to John Dehner's Geoffrey. Johns begins to question just how happily when she eyeballs a group of young men playing football on the beach. Johns takes a liking to Ed Krasky, played by the overly virile Ty Hardin, and she gets more than she bargained for when she convinces Krasky to pose for her while she sketches. The Johns segment comes off the best. Claire Bloom is Naomi Shields, an alcoholic nymphomaniac who can't control her desires as she encounters Chad Everett playing a water delivery boy and Corey Allen as Wash Dillon, an irresponsible musician of questionable upbringing. Bloom is always good and does what she can in her brief scenes.
Aside from the expected clichés of the period, the film suffices as superficial, high-gloss, soapy entertainment. The film is quite long at over two hours, but I guess that gives it time to convince us that Zimbalist Jr. is on the up and up; we even get to see him meeting Fonda's father. It is a bit funny though when he lectures Fonda about leaving the role of "Daddy's girl" when he himself is old enough to be her father as well. Viewers should look fast for Richard Mulligan (of Soap fame) as one of the jazz musicians, Grady Sutton in a bit part, a young Cloris Leachman as Miss Selby, and the dour Henry Daniell as Dr. Jonas. **1/2 of 4 stars.
Shelley Winters plays Sarah Garnell, married to Frank played by Howard J. Stone (Golden Globe nomination). Winters is currently involved in an affair with Ray Danton, a theater director when the film opens. Winters has little to do but play the duped woman who eventually crawls back to her husband once Danton dumps her. Jane Fonda is the frigid Kathleen Barclay taken advantage of in a 1962 way by Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Zimbalist's Paul Radford is so far over the line of discretion; someone should have pulled him back by his suit coat. Then again, back then nobody knew what the line was. The Winters and Fonda segments are barely watchable.
Glynis Johns (Golden Globe nomination) plays Teresa Harnish happily married to John Dehner's Geoffrey. Johns begins to question just how happily when she eyeballs a group of young men playing football on the beach. Johns takes a liking to Ed Krasky, played by the overly virile Ty Hardin, and she gets more than she bargained for when she convinces Krasky to pose for her while she sketches. The Johns segment comes off the best. Claire Bloom is Naomi Shields, an alcoholic nymphomaniac who can't control her desires as she encounters Chad Everett playing a water delivery boy and Corey Allen as Wash Dillon, an irresponsible musician of questionable upbringing. Bloom is always good and does what she can in her brief scenes.
Aside from the expected clichés of the period, the film suffices as superficial, high-gloss, soapy entertainment. The film is quite long at over two hours, but I guess that gives it time to convince us that Zimbalist Jr. is on the up and up; we even get to see him meeting Fonda's father. It is a bit funny though when he lectures Fonda about leaving the role of "Daddy's girl" when he himself is old enough to be her father as well. Viewers should look fast for Richard Mulligan (of Soap fame) as one of the jazz musicians, Grady Sutton in a bit part, a young Cloris Leachman as Miss Selby, and the dour Henry Daniell as Dr. Jonas. **1/2 of 4 stars.