Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Frank Tashlin

Writers:

George Axelrod (play)
Frank Tashlin (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 July 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Man, oh man, oh Mansfield! [UK]

Plot:

To save his career, an ad man wants a sex symbol to endorse a lipstick. But she wants something too: he has to pretend to be her new lover.

Plot Keywords:

Advertising | Actress | Marketing | Ambition | Engagement

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Tony Randall	...	Rockwell P. Hunter / Himself / Lover Doll
Jayne Mansfield	...	Rita Marlowe
Betsy Drake	...	Jenny Wells
Joan Blondell	...	Violet
John Williams	...	Irving La Salle Jr.
Henry Jones	...	Henry Rufus
Lili Gentle	...	April Hunter
Mickey Hargitay	...	Bobo Branigansky
Georgia Carr	...	Calypso Number
Dick Whittinghill	...	T.V. Interviewer
Ann McCrea	...	Gladys
Alberto Morin	...	Frenchman
Louis Mercier	...	Frenchman

Also Known As:

Oh! For a Man! (UK)

Runtime:

USA:93 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Netherlands:AL (2009) (DVD) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Adapted from a Broadway play that also starred Jayne Mansfield. "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" opened on Oct. 13, 1955 at the Belasco Theatre in New York and ran for 444 performances. The original Broadway cast included Orson Bean, Walter Matthau and Jayne Mansfield. Tina Louise and Tom Poston were replacement cast members.

Quotes:

Violet: What you need is a drink.
Rock Hunter: And how!
Violet: Maybe two drinks! What'll it be?
Rock Hunter: Something simple. A bottle and a straw.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Simpson and Delilah (#2.2)" (1990)

Soundtrack:

You Got It Made

A Success

A brilliant spoof of advertising and Hollywood. Quite possibly my favorite comedy film. It took me forever to find a copy of it (on VHS), but I finally have one. I don't know why it isn't more readily available. Jayne Mansfield is a wonderful parody of Marilyn Monroe and other sex symbols. Tony Randall's reactions as an average Joe suddenly turned famous lover are hilarious. A lot of rather innovative techniques, such as the opening credit sequence, with Tony Randall introducing the film, followed by dead-on spoofs of commercials, and the very subtle use of transitioning to a blue or yellow screen before moving on to the next scene. I highly respect this film and I highly recommend it.