"Strange Bedfellows" is a very funny movie. The plot is superb, but it just misses the continuity of the great comedies Rock Hudson and Doris Day made. Still, Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida have excellent chemistry and some hilarious scenes. Gig Young as Richard Bramwell, is very good but still not up to the roles that Tony Randall played in "Pillow Talk" of 1959 and "Lover Come Back" of 1961. The comedy here is in a few riotously hilarious scenarios, with very snappy dialog spread between these scenes. And, there are also a couple of scenes of light satire.
The first spoof is in a desert setting, where Hudson's Carter Harrison closes an oil lease deal with an Arabian Sheik. After they say goodbye, Carter mounts a camel and rides off while the sheik and his aides get in a fancy limousine and drive off. Another is at a meeting of the International Society for Freedom of Expression - ISFE. The London group plans to protest outside the American embassy because a U. S.museum won't display a lewd sculpture by an Italian artist, Petracini. He insists that he doesn't have a lustful bone in his body and that his sculpture is pure art, while he lustfully eyes Lollobrigida's Toni Vincente up and down.
This film must have the funniest scenes ever in taxi cabs. As Carter, in one taxi, pursues Toni in another, he tries to relay messages to her. His driver relays his message to the radio operator, who relays it to Toni's driver, who then tells her. The dialog is very funny in the first place, and open to wild interpretations by the taxi drivers and radio operator. These are howlingly funny scenes that repeat when Carter chases after Toni a second time and catches the same taxi driver. At the film's end, Carter and Toni together get in the same taxi with his driver from the earlier scenarios.
The next riotously funny scenario had me laughing continuously as Carter pursues Toni on foot in the Soho district. He buys a couple of bouquets of flowers and mistakenly enters a mortuary. But, he's so focused on finding Toni, he doesn't pay attention to the "shop" he has entered. Terry-Thomas, the Assistant Mortician greets him, and the ensuing dialog between the two men is hilarious.
Just before this, Carter had caused a major street disruption. Later, as he tries to stop Toni from riding as Lady Godiva, fighting breaks out. The ensuing fracas involves motorists, a bobby, the ISFE members, and Carter. The next day's headlines are all about the American oil executive causing a street riot. One headline reads, "Yankee Doodle Flips His Noodle."
This film did quite well at the box office in 1965, with ticket sales of $7.3 million. It is a hilarious and fun movie that is very much screwball comedy. Here are some favorite lines. For many more, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.
Carter Harrison, "What's wrong with my image? You make it sound like I've just been named leper of the year."
Carter, "You don't know what kind of a nut I was married to." Richard Bramwell, "No, no, I don't. What kind of a nut was she?" Carter, "She was a half Italian fruitcake, that's what she was." Richard, "Oh, that doesn't sound too bad. What was the other half?" Carter, "Gorgeous."
Carter, "Um, I suppose an artist used to live here." Toni Vincente, "Yes, he was quite famous. He died." Carter, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Toni, "He was 98." Carter,, "Oh, well."
Carter, "I must say, she didn't seem very surprised. Does she usually walk in and find strange men in your bed?" Toni, "Every morning. She validates their parking ticket."
Toni, "Petracini happens to be the world's leading expressionist sculptor. He does wonderful things with a blow torch." Carter, "To whom?"
Carter, to Harry Jones, "I'll thank you to keep your food-stained beard out of my affairs...and my eggs."
Carter, "If you saw six people waiting in line for a bus you'd join 'em because you thought they were picketing something."
Toni, "Oh, I could kill you." Carter, "With what - a slogan?"
Toni, "My father was a martyr to humanity." Carter, "Some martyr. He got drunk and fell off a wall."
Carter, "Let me get this straight. You're picketing the American embassy in London in order to keep fig leaves off of lewd Italian horses in Washington, D. C.?" Toni, "It's not the fig leaves, it's the principle."
Carter, to Harry, "You keep your big nose out of this." Harry Jones, "The same charm. The same sophisticated wit." Carter, "Oh, butt out!" Harry, "And getting sharper all the time."
Richard, "Boy, you really did marry a nut." Carter, "A nut? I married a whole plantation."
Richard, "Look, if you wanna commit suicide, use my razor. It's electric, but you can hang yourself on the cord."
Julius L. Stevens, "Did she say poison darts?" Richard , "An explorer, J. L. One of those crazy Italians. Climb anything."
Carter, "She'd never leave with me - not with the Lady Godiva thing. She'd suspect something immediately. And that's precisely what that bearded vulture's waiting for." Richard, "She wears a beard?" Carter, "No, she doesn't wear a beard. I have other enemies in this thing."
Carter, not knowing he's talking to a mortician, "It was all my fault, and before I had a chance to explain, she left a note and was gone - just like that." Terry-Thomas, Assistant Martinican, "Well, that's life sir, isn't it? Here one moment, gone the next."
Harry Jones, "Did a lady just run out of here?" Assistant Mortician, "Oh, no sir. Once they're in, they're inclined to stay."
Magistrate, concluding the court hearing, "Thank you, Mr. Harrison. I hope you get her back ... if that's what you want."
The first spoof is in a desert setting, where Hudson's Carter Harrison closes an oil lease deal with an Arabian Sheik. After they say goodbye, Carter mounts a camel and rides off while the sheik and his aides get in a fancy limousine and drive off. Another is at a meeting of the International Society for Freedom of Expression - ISFE. The London group plans to protest outside the American embassy because a U. S.museum won't display a lewd sculpture by an Italian artist, Petracini. He insists that he doesn't have a lustful bone in his body and that his sculpture is pure art, while he lustfully eyes Lollobrigida's Toni Vincente up and down.
This film must have the funniest scenes ever in taxi cabs. As Carter, in one taxi, pursues Toni in another, he tries to relay messages to her. His driver relays his message to the radio operator, who relays it to Toni's driver, who then tells her. The dialog is very funny in the first place, and open to wild interpretations by the taxi drivers and radio operator. These are howlingly funny scenes that repeat when Carter chases after Toni a second time and catches the same taxi driver. At the film's end, Carter and Toni together get in the same taxi with his driver from the earlier scenarios.
The next riotously funny scenario had me laughing continuously as Carter pursues Toni on foot in the Soho district. He buys a couple of bouquets of flowers and mistakenly enters a mortuary. But, he's so focused on finding Toni, he doesn't pay attention to the "shop" he has entered. Terry-Thomas, the Assistant Mortician greets him, and the ensuing dialog between the two men is hilarious.
Just before this, Carter had caused a major street disruption. Later, as he tries to stop Toni from riding as Lady Godiva, fighting breaks out. The ensuing fracas involves motorists, a bobby, the ISFE members, and Carter. The next day's headlines are all about the American oil executive causing a street riot. One headline reads, "Yankee Doodle Flips His Noodle."
This film did quite well at the box office in 1965, with ticket sales of $7.3 million. It is a hilarious and fun movie that is very much screwball comedy. Here are some favorite lines. For many more, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.
Carter Harrison, "What's wrong with my image? You make it sound like I've just been named leper of the year."
Carter, "You don't know what kind of a nut I was married to." Richard Bramwell, "No, no, I don't. What kind of a nut was she?" Carter, "She was a half Italian fruitcake, that's what she was." Richard, "Oh, that doesn't sound too bad. What was the other half?" Carter, "Gorgeous."
Carter, "Um, I suppose an artist used to live here." Toni Vincente, "Yes, he was quite famous. He died." Carter, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Toni, "He was 98." Carter,, "Oh, well."
Carter, "I must say, she didn't seem very surprised. Does she usually walk in and find strange men in your bed?" Toni, "Every morning. She validates their parking ticket."
Toni, "Petracini happens to be the world's leading expressionist sculptor. He does wonderful things with a blow torch." Carter, "To whom?"
Carter, to Harry Jones, "I'll thank you to keep your food-stained beard out of my affairs...and my eggs."
Carter, "If you saw six people waiting in line for a bus you'd join 'em because you thought they were picketing something."
Toni, "Oh, I could kill you." Carter, "With what - a slogan?"
Toni, "My father was a martyr to humanity." Carter, "Some martyr. He got drunk and fell off a wall."
Carter, "Let me get this straight. You're picketing the American embassy in London in order to keep fig leaves off of lewd Italian horses in Washington, D. C.?" Toni, "It's not the fig leaves, it's the principle."
Carter, to Harry, "You keep your big nose out of this." Harry Jones, "The same charm. The same sophisticated wit." Carter, "Oh, butt out!" Harry, "And getting sharper all the time."
Richard, "Boy, you really did marry a nut." Carter, "A nut? I married a whole plantation."
Richard, "Look, if you wanna commit suicide, use my razor. It's electric, but you can hang yourself on the cord."
Julius L. Stevens, "Did she say poison darts?" Richard , "An explorer, J. L. One of those crazy Italians. Climb anything."
Carter, "She'd never leave with me - not with the Lady Godiva thing. She'd suspect something immediately. And that's precisely what that bearded vulture's waiting for." Richard, "She wears a beard?" Carter, "No, she doesn't wear a beard. I have other enemies in this thing."
Carter, not knowing he's talking to a mortician, "It was all my fault, and before I had a chance to explain, she left a note and was gone - just like that." Terry-Thomas, Assistant Martinican, "Well, that's life sir, isn't it? Here one moment, gone the next."
Harry Jones, "Did a lady just run out of here?" Assistant Mortician, "Oh, no sir. Once they're in, they're inclined to stay."
Magistrate, concluding the court hearing, "Thank you, Mr. Harrison. I hope you get her back ... if that's what you want."