When a professor's wife (Janet Leigh) catches him (Tony Curtis) kissing a pretty student (only the bottom half of her seen), she prepares to leave for Reno for a quickie divorce. His rascal pal Dean Martin has a plan; He comes up with a false FBI card and makes Curtis claim that he was on assignment and the alleged student was really a Russian spy. OK, so far, if not totally believable, then predictable for a 1960's sex comedy. But when FBI man James Whitmore learns about the scheme, he gets involved, and before you know it, the overly chatty Leigh believes Curtis and Martin, who are "off on assignment" with two supposed Russian spies (Barbara Nichols and Joi Lansing) whom Martin simply wants to get together with as a "sure thing". Leigh and Whitmore follow them to the restaurant and before you know it (if you are actually following this), the two men are inside the basement of the Empire State Building up to their necks in water, thinking they are on a Russian submarine!
Yes, I too was, like, "huh?", as I tried to find any amusement in this comedy of lies with two actors I like, a leading lady I am beginning to truly find annoying, two blonde bombshells who always add fun even to dreck like this, and one of the great character actors of all time (Whitmore) in a screenplay that Boris and Natasha of "Bullwinkle" would have turned down. Yes indeed, Curtis and Martin are as dumb as Moose and Squirrel, and that jealous wife Leigh never shuts up, even when happy, this movie simply becomes one of the most annoying of the sometimes ridiculous genre of 60's sex comedy influenced by "Pillow Talk".
To add on that this was based upon a Broadway play and that it was directed by MGM musical veteran George Sidney ("Show Boat", "Kiss Me Kate") is even more perplexing. Then, being filmed in black and white, which makes no sense for a film like this, is another minus. Larry Storch and Simon Oakland are the two unfortunate character actors who do come on as Russian spies is something that you might have seen in a Russian spy storyline on "Gilligan's Island" or an episode of "Get Smart!" where at least you are expecting buffoonery. A major misfire altogether, not to mention the horrid title song that Martin must sing over the opening credits where Leigh discovers Curtis in the unforgivable embrace with a girl you never get to see, even the bottom half of her, after those credits end.
Yes, I too was, like, "huh?", as I tried to find any amusement in this comedy of lies with two actors I like, a leading lady I am beginning to truly find annoying, two blonde bombshells who always add fun even to dreck like this, and one of the great character actors of all time (Whitmore) in a screenplay that Boris and Natasha of "Bullwinkle" would have turned down. Yes indeed, Curtis and Martin are as dumb as Moose and Squirrel, and that jealous wife Leigh never shuts up, even when happy, this movie simply becomes one of the most annoying of the sometimes ridiculous genre of 60's sex comedy influenced by "Pillow Talk".
To add on that this was based upon a Broadway play and that it was directed by MGM musical veteran George Sidney ("Show Boat", "Kiss Me Kate") is even more perplexing. Then, being filmed in black and white, which makes no sense for a film like this, is another minus. Larry Storch and Simon Oakland are the two unfortunate character actors who do come on as Russian spies is something that you might have seen in a Russian spy storyline on "Gilligan's Island" or an episode of "Get Smart!" where at least you are expecting buffoonery. A major misfire altogether, not to mention the horrid title song that Martin must sing over the opening credits where Leigh discovers Curtis in the unforgivable embrace with a girl you never get to see, even the bottom half of her, after those credits end.