Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)

Film Perfection

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

NOTES: The play opened on Broadway at the Belasco on 13 October 1955, and ran a most successful 444 performances. As it happens, however, all Hollywood bought was the title, and even this was changed in England and Australia. Although the central character in both movie and play have the same name, the action is entirely different. In the play, the writer (Orson Bean) sells his soul to a satanic Hollywood agent (Martin Gabel) in exchange for an Oscar and the favors of Hollywood's number one sex symbol (Jayne Mansfield, in her Broadway debut). In the end, our Hunter is rescued by Walter Matthau. Also in the Broadway cast were Tina Louise, Harry Clark, Carol Grace and Michael Tolan. The famous songwriter Jule Styne produced, while playwright Axelrod himself directed.COMMENT: It's a mystery why Fox bothered to fork out a hefty fee to Axelrod to purchase the movie rights to his Broadway play. Some commentators have suggested the studio just wanted to buy the title. If so, they certainly short-changed themselves, as they actually changed the title (not only in England and Australia, but also in Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Bermuda, Trinidad and Hong Kong). Hollywood is rarely prepared to attack Hollywood, let alone hold the industry up to more than the mildest satire. Television, however, has always been fair game. So what we have here represents a complete shift in target. Television and TV advertising are now firmly in the firing line. Given that shift, "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" still comes over as very, very funny. Tony Randall, who never gave a bad performance in his life (even when atrociously miscast as in "The Seven Faces of Dr Lao"), makes the most of one of the most perfectly tailored roles he was ever handed. It seems likely that Frank Tashlin, the writer, performed the same service for Jayne Mansfield, for she is likewise inspired. The two principals play in amusingly-timed rapport. No doubt the encouragement of Tashlin, the director, helped no end. In this latter function, Tashlin has inventively filled the wide expanses of his CinemaScope screen not only with pleasing players (including Betsy Drake, Joan Blondell, John Williams and Miss Mansfield's real-life husband, Mickey Hargitay), but deft visual and aural effects. In some of these highly diverting moments, you can sense that the director's early training in the Warner Bros cartoon division was indeed time well spent.

The film combines witty jabs at the world of advertising with a biting satire about the cult of Hollywood celebrity, as exemplified by Jayne Mansfield's character, Rita Marlowe. Tony Randall is cast as an ad man and her unlikely love interest.One can see Mansfield's inimitable talent in this film. Her trademark voice with its punctuated squeals may seem overdone at times, but something about the actress is rather charming. She's a riot in many of her scenes, including one hysterical bit involving a phone call to a Hollywood boyfriend. There is also a funny press conference outside the home of an advertising executive.Joan Blondell is cast as Mansfield's chaperone, while Betsy Drake (wife of Cary Grant) plays Randall's long-suffering girl Friday. In fact, Mr. Grant is mentioned when the Rita Marlowe character says she (meaning Mansfield herself) will soon be appearing with him in her next film.The picture is thoroughly enjoyable, and part of its appeal seems to be its commentary about getting ahead. Ultimately, none of the characters are spoiled by success. We're the ones that are spoiled, because we are treated to such merriment that when the final fade out occurs, we may think we have been cheated out of a sequel.Randall and Mansfield appeared together again, in a 1962 episode of 'The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.' It was also set in the advertising world. Maybe that was our sequel?

Frothy, fun comedy with some smart jabs at advertising and fan worship. Tony Randall is a hoot as the suddenly fish out of water main character and Jayne Mansfield, repeating her stage triumph, is a knockout and proves an adapt comedienne. She's no Marilyn Monroe but had she had more roles like this her career at the top might not have been so short. While Tony and Jayne do most of the heavy lifting script wise the main supporting cast adds a great deal to the picture. Joan Blondell scores strongly as Jayne's right hand woman. An actress of wonderful subtlety she makes what could have been a nothing role both humorous and touching at times. Henry Jones and John Williams both add sly portrayals of two different kinds of successful men, one who wants to climb higher and the other who never wanted to be there in the first place. The weakest link is Betsy Drake as Rock's true love, the part doesn't offer much but unlike Blondell she doesn't have the distinction to make more of it than what's on the page. She doesn't mar the film she's just sort of there and when she's off screen you forget about her.The picture has that high gloss studio sheen and gorgeous saturated color that was a signature of the A pictures of that time. A winner and a great showcase for its stars.

Actually, this film is a lot of fun - 50's style. But the best performance in the movie is the one by Joan Blondell as Mansfield's assistant. She has a monologue about a milkman that will leave you in tears of laughter. Don't ever forget Blondell. Mansfield is quite funny, too! She takes her fan club very seriously and that makes it all the funnier. And that poodle!!All the references to Fox movies of the day are there, plus all the digs at TV. They even add a commercial - making it very small and in black and white, fuzzy and full of snow - something the kids these days have never heard of.Tony Randall is a scream and the perfect icon of the 50's. What a pity no one ever did an in- depth biography of him - - the stories he could surely tell!!The movie is a lot of fun, especially if you remember the 50's. Hey! It really was like this, kids!