Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)

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.

Director:

Frank Tashlin

Writers:

Frank Tashlin (screen story and screenplay), George Axelrod (play)

Stars:

Tony Randall, Jayne Mansfield, Betsy Drake

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

In this spoof of the TV advertising industry, Rockwell Hunter is the low man on the totem pole at the advertising company where he works. That is, until he finds the perfect spokes model for Stay-Put lipstick, the famous actress with the oh-so-kissable lips, Rita Marlowe. Unfortunately, in exchange, Rock has to act publicly as Rita's "Loverdoll", and Rock's fiancée Jenny isn't too happy about it either.

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Plot Keywords:

advertising | actress | publicity | employer employee relationship | executive | 

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Taglines:

Jayne throws you a curve when you ask the leading question!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

29 July 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

La blonde explosive

Filming Locations:

Stage 8, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 93 min (FMC Library Print)

Sound Mix:

Mono 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The radio announces Rita Marlowe has just completed a movie with Cary Grant just moments before the appearance of Betsy Drake - who at the time was married to Cary Grant.

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Quotes

Scrubwoman: Wow! Contains Fallout, the exclusive, patented ingredient.

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Crazy Credits

At the very start, Tony Randall appears on-screen before the 20th Century Fox logo, with musical instruments, and plays part of the fanfare himself. He then complains about "the fine print" in his contract, before introducing the cast and the movie. As he introduces the film, he forgets the title, first calling it The Girl Can't Help It. Then he says "no we made that one already", and then he rummages through his pockets for his notes and comes up with a girl's name and phone number. Finally, his three female co-stars appear to announce the film's correct title.

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Connections

Featured in Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003)

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Soundtracks

"You Got It Made"
by Bobby Troup
Performed by Georgia Carr (uncredited)
Also sung by an off-screen vocal group

User Reviews

A Loopy Delight

For a guy who scaled the twin peaks of animation and feature films - a rare accomplishment in the 1950s - director/gagman Frank Tashlin has, surprisingly, few real standouts on his resume. Too often ill-served by either his material, his stars, or both at once, Tashlin's reputation rests on his cartoons (of course) and flashes of brilliance in otherwise so-so live-action movies. After all, in most civilized nations, being the director of both CINDERFELLA and THE PRIVATE NAVY OF SGT O'FARRELL constitutes a demerit if not an outright crime against humanity. Even Tashlin's better pictures, like SON OF PALEFACE and THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT, tend to be mediocrities occasionally enlivened by his outlandish visual slapstick. WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? is the glorious summit of what had to have been a frustrating career, the one time he was matched with a writer (Geo Axelrod) and cast (led by Tony Randall & Jayne Mansfield) perfectly in sync with his playfully outre satiric sensibility. The end result will make you wish lightning had struck more often like this for Tashlin; ROCK HUNTER may be the most beautifully 'opened-up' stage property in film history. It's visually clever and sumptuous, engagingly witty and breathlessly paced all at the same time. Best of all, its satiric barbs (aimed at both television and the gray-flanneled Organization Man) hit their targets consistently while never superceding the character-driven heart of the story: Randall is simply terrific here, and his wobbly tightwalk between schnook and lothario is hilarious. Add a few bonus points for the casting of the severely-underappreciated Henry Jones as Randall's fellow ad-exec, who oozes authentic 50s smuttiness and desperation from his pores in every scene he steals. Jayne's at her very best to boot, doing her trademark sex-kitten squeal with one arched, knowing eyebrow, and displaying plenty of resourceful smarts in her wised-up line readings throughout. As satisfying a comedy as emerged from the American 50s. Make sure you see the widescreen version, though: you won't want to miss a thing here. Tashlin's masterpiece, and his penance for Jerry Lewis and Phyllis Diller.